OFCCP’s Mega Construction Project Program: OFCCP Continues Its Focus on the Construction Industry

As part of the U.S. Department of Labor’s Office of Federal Contract Compliance Programs’ (OFCCP) continued focus on the construction industry amid the Biden administration’s infrastructure push, the agency is honing in on major construction projects funded by the 2021 Bipartisan Infrastructure Law (BIL).

Collecting Data on Race and Ethnicity: White House Launches New Plan

The White House recently launched an effort to revise and update the statistical standards for race and ethnicity data collection across federal agencies with a stated goal of better reflecting the growing diversity of people in the United States. On January 26, 2023, the Office of Management and Budget (OMB) published a notice in the Federal Register in OMB’s 1997 Statistical Policy Directive No. 15: Standards for Maintaining, Collecting, and Presenting Federal Data on Race and Ethnicity (SPD 15).

DOL Notifies Government Contractors That It Intends to Disclose EEO-1 Data for Nonobjectors

We recently reported on a Freedom of Information Act (FOIA) request covering government contractors’ 2016–2020 Type 2 EEO-1 reports announced in the Federal Register, pursuant to which contractors had until October 19, 2022, to object to the disclosure of their data. The requesting investigative reporter and nonprofit news organization subsequently sued the U.S. Department of Labor (DOL) under FOIA, alleging that the DOL’s Office of Federal Contract Compliance Programs (OFCCP) violated FOIA in response to the FOIA requests. OFCCP began contacting companies for which it claims to have no record of objections to the FOIA request, via email on November 22, 2022.

Federal Contractor Vaccine Mandate: Eleventh Circuit Partially Vacates Preliminary Injunction

On August 26, 2022, the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Eleventh Circuit narrowed the scope of a nationwide injunction that had barred enforcement of President Joe Biden’s COVID-19 federal contractor vaccine mandate. In December 2021, the U.S. District Court for the Southern District of Georgia had issued a nationwide injunction, finding that President Biden had likely exceeded his authority under the Federal Property and Administrative Services Act when he issued Executive Order 14042.

OFCCP Launching Another Online Portal, This Time for Construction Contractors

On August 22, 2022, the Office of Federal Contract Compliance Programs (OFCCP) announced it will launch a new online platform whereby “contracting officers, contractors, and applicants seeking federal assistance for construction projects (such as a state [Department of Transportation])” can securely upload details about an awarded federal or federally-assisted construction contract or subcontract.

OFCCP Proposes Changes to Pre-enforcement Notice and Conciliation Procedures

On March 21, 2022, the Office of Federal Contract Compliance Programs (OFCCP) announced that it would publish a notice of proposed rulemaking (NPRM), entitled “Pre-enforcement Notice and Conciliation Procedures,” in the Federal Register on March 22, 2022. OFCCP’s proposal would modify a 2020 final rule that had codified various procedures to resolve potential employment discrimination.

Alabama DOL Publishes Emergency Rules for Handling Appeals to Employers’ Denials of Vaccine Exemption Requests

Alabama Governor Kay Ivey recently signed into law Senate Bill (SB) 9, which restricts Alabama employers from requiring COVID-19 vaccination as a condition of employment. SB 9 directs Alabama employers to “exempt vaccination as a condition of employment for any employee who has completed and submitted [an] exemption form” and “liberally construe [an] employee’s eligibility for an exemption in favor of the employee.”

OFCCP Announces Much Anticipated Details About Its New Contractor Portal

As we reported earlier this year, on August 31, 2021, the Office of Management and Budget (OMB) approved the new system that the Office of Federal Contract Compliance Programs (OFCCP) developed for federal contractors to submit affirmative action programs (AAPs). The new system is designed to provide covered federal contractors a method of entering, tracking, and submitting AAPs for review by OFCCP.

OFCCP Publishes Latest Corporate Scheduling Announcement List (CSAL)

On July 1, 2021, the Office of Federal Contract Compliance Programs (OFCCP) published a Corporate Scheduling Announcement List (CSAL identifying 750 Supply and Service establishment-based full compliance evaluations, Corporate Management Compliance Evaluations, Functional Affirmative Action Program (FAAP) Reviews and University Reviews.  OFCCP is not required by law to publish the CSAL, and the CSAL is distinct from the scheduling letter, which is the Office of Management Budget’s (OMB) approved letter “sent to an establishment to start the compliance evaluation process.”

OFCCP Director Update: Yang Replaces Leen as the New Director

According to the Office of Federal Contract Compliance website’s leadership team page, Jenny Yang has replaced Craig Leen as director of the agency. Yang previously served on the U.S. Equal Employment Opportunity Commission (EEOC) from 2013 to 2018 and served as a commissioner, vice chair, and chair for the agency (the latter from 2014 to 2017). Yang spearheaded the EEOC’s drive to collect pay data from private employers as part of the EEO-1 report.

Is Your Organization Exempted From OFCCP Jurisdiction Under the VA MISSION Act?

The U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) Maintaining Internal Systems and Strengthening Integrated Outside Networks (MISSION) Act of 2018’s primary objectives are to provide veterans with greater access to health care in VA facilities and communities, to expand benefits for caregivers, and to improve the VA’s ability to retain and recruit the best medical providers.