Over the last couple of weeks, much of the media in Washington, D.C., has turned its attention to the new director of the Office of Management and Budget (OMB), former South Carolina congressman Mick Mulvaney. This is because Mulvaney is in charge of advancing the administration’s first federal budget proposal, as well as coordinating Republicans’ efforts to dismantle the Affordable Care Act (ACA). What goes unnoticed, however, is that Mulvaney and his office will play a crucial role in the employer community’s efforts to ease the regulatory burdens that have piled up over the last several years. Here’s just one way how.

For starters, it was the previous administration’s OMB that literally gave the “stamp of approval” to the U.S. Equal Employment Opportunity Commission’s (EEOC) changes to its EEO-1 form, which will require employers with 100 or more employees to report employee compensation and hours worked information. As we’ve previously reported, business advocates have expressed concerns that the new EEO-1 requirements will be incredibly burdensome for employers and provide little or no benefit to the EEOC’s antidiscrimination efforts.

Well, if OMB giveth, then it can taketh away. So naturally, earlier this week, a group of 27 trade associations asked Mulvaney to review OMB’s prior approval of the changes to the EEO-1 form and either issue a stay of the current March 2018 reporting date or rescind the changes altogether. The group argues that little-known provisions of the Paperwork Reduction Act allow Mulvaney to take these steps.

While this is good news, whether Mulvaney and OMB will actually act on this request is another story. Indeed, shepherding both the president’s budget proposal and ACA repeal through Congress is no doubt a time-consuming task. And while the March 2018 deadline may seem far away, it is important to remember that the reporting is based on employers’ 2017 workforces. All of this means that while there may be a glimmer of hope on the horizon, employers still should take appropriate steps in preparation for reporting as we have previously outlined.

Author


Browse More Insights

Busy Office : Computer laptop with financial graph data on table in the office
Practice Group

Pay Equity

Recent high-profile lawsuits and increased activity from state legislatures have thrust pay equity issues to the forefront for today’s employers. As the momentum of legislation, regulation, and corporate initiatives focused on identifying and correcting pay disparities continues to grow, our attorneys are ready to assist with the full spectrum of pay equity-related issues.

Learn more
The Capitol - Washington DC
Practice Group

OFCCP Compliance, Government Contracting, and Reporting

The experienced attorneys in our OFCCP Compliance, Government Contracting, and Reporting Practice Group advise and defend federal contractors and subcontractors on jurisdictional, compliance, and enforcement issues relevant to government contracting, including those involving the Office of Federal Contract Compliance Programs (OFCCP).

Learn more
American flag flapping in front of corporate office building in Lower Manhattan
Practice Group

Governmental Affairs

Ogletree Governmental Affairs, Inc. (OGA), a subsidiary of Ogletree Deakins, is a full service legislative and regulatory affairs consulting firm, dedicated to helping clients solve their problems with the public sector. OGA unites the skills and experience of government relations professionals with the talent of the Firm’s lawyers to provide solutions to regulatory issues outside the courtroom.

Learn more

Sign up to receive emails about new developments and upcoming programs.

Sign Up Now