Executive Order 12086—Equal Employment Opportunity Functions

CONSOLIDATION OF CONTRACT COMPLIANCE FUNCTIONS FOR EQUAL EMPLOYMENT OPPORTUNITY By the authority vested in me as President by the Constitution and statutes of the United States of America, including Section 202 of the Budget and Accounting Procedures Act of 1950 (31 U.S.C. 581c), in order to provide for the transfer to the Department of Labor of certain contract compliance functions relating to equal employment opportunity, it is hereby ordered as follows: 1-1. Transfer of Functions. 1-101. The functions concerned with being primarily responsible for the enforcement of the equal employment opportunity provisions under Parts II and III of Executive Order No. 11246, as amended, are transferred or reassigned to the Secretary of Labor from the following agencies: (a) Department of the Treasury. (b) Department of Defense. (c) Department of the Interior. (d) Department of Commerce. (e) Department of Health, Education, and Welfare. (f) Department of Housing and Urban Development. (g) Department of Transportation. (h) Department of Energy. (i) Environmental Protection Agency. (j) General Services Administration. (k) Small Business Administration. 1-102. The records, property, personnel and positions, and unexpended balances of appropriations or funds related to the functions transferred or reassigned by this Order, that are available and necessary to finance or discharge those functions, are transferred to the Secretary of Labor. 1-103. The Director of the Office of Management and Budget shall make such determinations, issue such orders, and take all actions necessary or appropriate to effectuate the transfers or reassignments provided by this Order, including the transfer of funds, records, property, and personnel. 1-2. Conforming Amendments to Executive Order No. 11246. 1-201 (a). In order to reflect the transfer of enforcement responsibility to the Secretary of Labor, Section 201 of Executive Order No. 11246, as amended, is amended to read: "Sec. 201. The Secretary of Labor shall be responsible for the administration and enforcement of Parts II and III of this Order. The Secretary shall adopt such rules and regulations and issue such orders as are deemed necessary and appropriate to achieve the purposes of Parts II and III of this Order.". (b) Paragraph (7) of the contract clauses specified in Section 202 of Executive Order No. 11246, as amended, is amended to read: .... (7) The contractor will include the provisions of paragraphs (1) through (7) in every subcontract or purchase order unless exempted by rules, regulations, or orders of the Secretary of Labor issued pursuant to Section 204 of Executive Order No. 11246 of September 24, 1965, so that such provisions will be binding upon each subcontractor or vendor. The contractor will take such action with respect to any subcontract or purchase order as may be directed by the Secretary of Labor as a means of enforcing such provisions including sanctions for noncompliance: Provided, however, that in the event the contractor becomes involved in, or is threatened with, litigation with a subcontractor or vendor as a result of such direction, the contractor may request the United States to enter into such litigation to protect the interests of the United States."" 1-202. In subsection (c) of Section 203 of Executive Order No. 11246, as amended, delete "contracting agency" in the proviso and substitute "Secretary of Labor" therefor. 1-203. In both the beginning and end of subsection (d) of Section 203 of Executive Order No. 11246, as amended, delete "contracting agency or the" in the phrase "contracting agency or the Secretary". 1-204. Section 205 of Executive Order No. 11246, as amended, is amended by deleting the last two sentences, which dealt with agency designation of compliance officers, and revising the rest of that Section to read: "Sec. 205. The Secretary of Labor shall be responsible for securing compliance by all government contractors and subcontractors with this Order and any implementing rules or regulations. All contracting agencies shall comply with the terms of this Order and any implementing rules, regulations, or orders of the Secretary of Labor. Contracting agencies shall cooperate with the Secretary of Labor and shall furnish such information and assistance as the Secretary may require.". 1-205. In order to delete references to the contracting agencies conducting investigations, Section 206 of Executive Order No. 11246, as amended, is amended to read: "Sec. 206. (a) The Secretary of Labor may investigate the employment practices of any Government contractor or subcontractor to determine whether or not the contractual provisions specified in Section 202 of this Order have been violated. Such investigation shall be conducted in accordance with the procedures established by the Secretary of Labor.". "(b) The Secretary of Labor may receive and investigate complaints by employees or prospective employees of a Government contractor or subcontractor which allege discrimination contrary to the contractual provisions specified in Section 202 of this Order.". 1-206. In Section 207 of Executive Order No. 11246, as amended, delete "contracting agencies, other" in the first sentence. 1-207. The introductory clause in Section 209(a) of Executive Order No. 11246, as amended, is amended by deleting "or the appropriate contracting agency" from "In accordance with such rules, regulations, or orders as the Secretary of Labor may issue or adopt, the Secretary or the appropriate contracting agency may:". 1-208. In paragraph (5) of Section 209(a) of Executive Order No. 11246, as amended, insert at the beginning the phrase "After consulting with the contracting agency, direct the contracting agency to", and at the end of paragraph (5) delete "contracting agency" and substitute therefor "Secretary of Labor" so that paragraph (5) is amended to read: "(5) After consulting with the contracting agency, direct the contracting agency to cancel, terminate, suspend, or cause to be cancelled, terminated or suspended any contract, or any portion or portions thereof, for failure of the contractor or subcontractor to comply with equal employment opportunity provisions of the contract. Contracts may be cancelled, terminated, or suspended absolutely or continuance of contracts may be conditioned upon a program for future compliance approved by the Secretary of Labor.". 1-209. In order to reflect the transfer from the agencies to the Secretary of Labor of the enforcement functions, substitute "Secretary of Labor" for "each contracting agency" in Section 209(b) of Executive Order No. 11246, as amended, so that Section 209(b) is amended to read: "(b) Pursuant to rules and regulations prescribed by the Secretary of Labor, the Secretary shall make reasonable efforts, within a reasonable time limitation, to secure compliance with the contract provisions of this Order by methods of conference, conciliation, mediation, and persuasion before proceedings shall be instituted under subsection (a) (2) of this Section, or before a contract shall be cancelled or terminated in whole or in part under subsection (a) (5) of this Section.". 1-210. In order to reflect the responsibility of the contracting agencies for prompt compliance with the directions of the Secretary of Labor, Sections 210 and 211 of Executive Order No. 11246, as amended, are amended to read: "Sec. 210. Whenever the Secretary of Labor makes a determination under Section 209, the Secretary shall promptly notify the appropriate agency. The agency shall take the action directed by the Secretary and shall report the results of the action it has taken to the Secretary of Labor within such time as the Secretary shall specify. If the contracting agency fails to take the action directed within thirty days, the Secretary may take the action directly.". "Sec. 211. If the Secretary of Labor shall so direct, contracting agencies shall not enter into contracts with any bidder or prospective contractor unless the bidder or prospective contractor has satisfactorily complied with the provisions of this Order or submits a program for compliance acceptable to the Secretary of Labor.". 1-211. Section 212 of Executive Order No. 11246, as amended, is amended to read: "Sec. 212. When a contract has been cancelled or terminated under Section 209(a) (5) or a contractor has been debarred from further Government contracts under Section 209(a)(6) of this Order, because of noncompliance with the contract provisions specified in Section 202 of this Order, the Secretary of Labor shall promptly notify the Comptroller General of the United States.". 1-212. In order to reflect the transfer of enforcement responsibility to the Secretary of Labor, references to the administering department or agency are deleted in clauses (1), (2), and (3) of Section 301 of Executive Order No. 11246, as amended, and those clauses are amended to read: "(1) to assist and cooperate actively with the Secretary of Labor in obtaining the compliance of contractors and subcontractors with those contract provisions and with the rules, regulations and relevant orders of the Secretary, (2) to obtain and to furnish to the Secretary of Labor such information as the Secretary may require for the supervision of such compliance, (3) to carry out sanctions and penalties for violation of such obligations imposed upon contractors and subcontractors by the Secretary of Labor pursuant to Part II, Subpart D, of this Order,". 1-213. In order to reflect the transfer from the agencies to the Secretary of Labor of the enforcement functions "Secretary of Labor" shall be substituted for "administering department or agency" in Section 303 of Executive Order No. 11246, as amended, and Section 303 is amended to read: "Sec. 303. (a) The Secretary of Labor shall be responsible for obtaining the compliance of such applicants with their undertakings under this Order. Each administering department and agency is directed to cooperate with the Secretary of Labor and to furnish the Secretary such information and assistance as the Secretary may require in the performance of the Secretary's functions under this Order.". "(b) In the event an applicant fails and refuses to comply with the applicant's undertakings pursuant to this Order, the Secretary of Labor may, after consulting with the administering department or agency, take any or all of the following actions: (1) direct any administering department or agency to cancel, terminate, or suspend in whole or in part the agreement, contract or other arrangement with such applicant with respect to which the failure or refusal occurred; (2) direct any administering department or agency to refrain from extending any further assistance to the applicant under the program with respect to which the failure or refusal occurred until satisfactory assurance of future compliance has been received by the Secretary of Labor from such applicant; and (3) refer the case to the Department of Justice or the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission for appropriate law enforcement or other proceedings.". "(c) In no case shall action be taken with respect to an applicant pursuant to clause (1) or (2) of subsection (b) without notice and opportunity for hearing.". 1-214. Section 401 of Executive Order No. 11246, as amended, is amended to read: "Sec. 401. The Secretary of Labor may delegate to any officer, agency, or employee in the Executive branch of the Government, any function or duty of the Secretary under Parts II and III of this Order.". 1-3. General Provisions. 1-301. The transfers or reassignments provided by Section 1-1 of this Order shall take effect at such time or times as the Director of the Office of Management and Budget shall determine. The Director shall ensure that all such transfers or reassignments take effect within 60 days. 1-302. The conforming amendments provided by Section 1-2 of this Order shall take effect on October 8, 1978; except that, with respect to those agencies identified in Section 1-101 of this Order, the conforming amendments shall be effective on the effective date of the transfer or reassignment of functions as specified pursuant to Section 1-301 of this Order. JIMMY CARTER The White House, October 5, 1978. [Filed with the Office of the Federal Register, 10:26 a.m., October 6, 1978]