OFCCP Issues Final Rule Protecting Workers From Discrimination Based on Sexual Orientation and Gender Identity
December 31, 2014
In early December, the U.S. Department of Labor's Office of Federal Contract Compliance Programs ("OFCCP") announced the issuance of its final rule implementing Executive Order 13672, which amends Executive Order 11246 by prohibiting Federal contractors from discriminating against employees or applicants based on their sexual orientation or gender identity. The final rule was published in the Federal Register on December 9, 2014, and will become effective April 8, 2015. The OFCCP did not release a notice of proposed rulemaking. According to an OFCCP FAQ: “President Obama’s Executive Order was very clear about the steps the Department of Labor was required to take, and left no discretion regarding how to proceed. In such cases, principles of administrative law allow an agency to publish final rules without prior notice and comment when the agency only makes a required change to conform a regulation to the enabling authority, and does not have any discretion in doing so.” The regulations will apply to employers that enter into or modify Federal contracts on or after April 8, 2015. Contractors will need to revise the equal employment opportunity clause in new or modified subcontracts or purchase orders, “ensuring that applicants and employees are treated without regard to their sexual orientation and gender identity, and by updating the equal opportunity language used in job solicitations and posting updated notices.” OFCCP and EEOC are working together to update the EEO is the Law Poster; Federal contractors should continue to use the existing poster until a new one is finalized. Executive Order 13672 and the new final rule are in addition to the pre-existing prohibition on gender identity discrimination, which is a form of sex discrimination in violation of Executive Order 11246. OFCCP memorialized this in an Agency Directive dated August 19, 2014. The regulations also make a change to the visa reporting provision. Contractors that are unable to obtain a visa for an employee and believe that it is because of the employee’s sexual orientation or gender identity will be required to report it to the OFCCP and the State Department. The final rule does not require contractors to: (1) make changes to Affirmative Action Plans; (2) collect data or set placement goals on the sexual orientation or gender identity of applicants or employees; or (3) solicit voluntary self-identification of applicants’ or employees’ sexual orientation or gender identity. In addition, there is no change to the current religious exemption. The Department of Labor’s Wage and Hour Division has published on its website a list of frequently asked questions and President Obama's Press Secretary has published a fact sheet about Executive Order 13672.