96-12687. Government Contractors, Affirmative Action Requirements; Implementation of Executive Order 11246  

  • [Federal Register Volume 61, Number 99 (Tuesday, May 21, 1996)]
    [Proposed Rules]
    [Pages 25516-25526]
    From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
    [FR Doc No: 96-12687]
    
    
    
    
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    Part II
    
    
    
    
    
    Department of Labor
    
    
    
    
    
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    Office of Federal Contract Compliance Programs
    
    
    
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    41 CFR Parts 60-1 and 60-60
    
    
    
    Government Contractors, Affirmative Action Requirements; Implementation 
    of Executive Order 11246; Proposed Rule
    
    Federal Register / Vol. 61, No. 99 / Tuesday, May 21, 1996 / Proposed 
    Rules
    
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    DEPARTMENT OF LABOR
    
    Office of Federal Contract Compliance Programs
    
    41 CFR Parts 60-1 and 60-60
    
    
    Government Contractors, Affirmative Action Requirements; 
    Implementation of Executive Order 11246
    
    AGENCY: Office of Federal Contract Compliance Programs (OFCCP), ESA, 
    Labor.
    
    ACTION: Notice of proposed rulemaking.
    
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    SUMMARY: This proposal would revise certain provisions of the current 
    regulations implementing Executive Order 11246, as amended, to reduce 
    burdens on the regulated community and to improve administration of the 
    Order. The Executive Order prohibits all nonexempt Government 
    contractors and subcontractors, and federally assisted construction 
    contractors and subcontractors, from discriminating in employment, and 
    requires these contractors to take affirmative action to ensure that 
    employees and applicants are treated without regard to race, color, 
    religion, sex and national origin. The proposed revisions to the 
    regulations on obligations of contractors and subcontractors concern 
    record retention, compliance monitoring, and segregated facilities. In 
    addition, the proposal would amend certain provisions of the 
    regulations to parallel provisions included in OFCCP's final rule 
    implementing Section 503 of the Rehabilitation Act of 1973, as amended, 
    which was published in the Federal Register on May 1, 1996. The 
    proposal also would transfer some sections of the regulations on 
    contractor evaluation procedures for supplies and services to the 
    regulations on obligations of contractors and subcontractors and delete 
    the remainder of the sections. Finally, this proposal would withdraw 
    portions of a final rule published on December 30, 1980 (and 
    subsequently suspended), and it hereby withdraws a proposed rule 
    published on August 25, 1981 (and supplemented on April 23, 1982).
    
    DATES: To be assured of consideration, comments must be in writing and 
    must be received on or before July 22, 1996.
    
    ADDRESSES: Comments should be sent to Joe N. Kennedy, Deputy Director, 
    OFCCP, Room C-3325, 200 Constitution Avenue, N.W., Washington, DC 
    20210.
        As a convenience to commenters, OFCCP will accept public comments 
    transmitted by facsimile (FAX) machine. The telephone number of the FAX 
    receiver is 202-219-6195. To assure access to the FAX equipment, only 
    public comments of six or fewer pages will be accepted via FAX 
    transmittal. Receipts of FAX transmittals will not be acknowledged, 
    except that the sender may request confirmation of receipt by calling 
    OFCCP at 202-219-9430 (voice), 1-800-326-2577 (TDD).
    
    FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Joe N. Kennedy, Deputy Director, 
    OFCCP, Room C-3325, 200 Constitution Avenue, N.W., Washington, DC 
    20210. Telephone 202-219-9475 (voice), 1-800-326-2577 (TDD). Copies of 
    this NPRM, including copies in alternate formats, may be obtained by 
    calling 202-219-9430 (voice), 1-800-326-2577 (TDD). The alternate 
    formats available are large print, electronic file on computer disk and 
    audio-tape.
    
    SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION:
    
    Background
    
        OFCCP's regulations at 41 CFR chapter 60 implementing Executive 
    Order 11246, as amended (30 FR 12319, September 28, 1965) have not 
    undergone substantive revision since the 1970s. A final rule was 
    published on December 30, 1980 (45 FR 86215; corrected at 46 FR 7332, 
    January 23, 1981), but was stayed in accordance with Executive Order 
    12291 on January 28, 1981 (46 FR 9084). This rule later was stayed 
    indefinitely on August 25, 1981 (46 FR 42865), pending action on a 
    notice of proposed rulemaking (NPRM) published on that same date (46 FR 
    42968; supplemented at 47 FR 17770, April 23, 1982). OFCCP has taken no 
    further action on the August 25, 1981, proposal, or consequently on the 
    1980 stayed final rule.
        Both the 1980 final rule and the 1981 proposal addressed 41 CFR 
    part 60-1. The changes they would have made to 41 CFR part 60-1 have 
    been considered in developing today's NPRM and, where pertinent, are 
    discussed in the Section-by-Section analysis below. To avoid conflict 
    with today's NPRM, OFCCP proposes to withdraw part 60-1 of the 1980 
    final rule, and hereby withdraws the 1981 and 1982 NPRMs in their 
    entirety.
        As discussed in the Section-by-Section analysis, today's NPRM 
    proposes changes to 41 CFR part 60-1 provisions concerning record 
    retention, compliance monitoring, and segregated facilities. In 
    addition, to ensure consistency in OFCCP programs, today's NPRM 
    proposes conforming certain part 60-1 provisions to parallel provisions 
    revised by OFCCP's final rule implementing Section 503 of the 
    Rehabilitation Act of 1973, as amended (61 FR 19336; May 1, 1996). 
    These proposed conforming changes would affect several definitions and, 
    for example, some aspects of enforcement.
        Finally, today's NPRM proposes the deletion of most sections of 
    part 60-60 from the regulations and the transfer of a few sections to 
    part 60-1. The deleted sections describe OFCCP's traditional compliance 
    review process and the transferred sections relate to preservation of 
    confidentiality of data submitted by contractors, the timeframe within 
    which a contractor must submit an affirmative action program and 
    supporting documents and authorization for agreements concerning 
    nationwide AAP formats. Similar deletions and transfers were contained 
    in the 1980 final rule and the 1981 proposal.
    
    Section-by-Section Analysis
    
    Section 60-1.3  Definitions
    
        The proposal adds one new definition for compliance evaluation and 
    revises several others to render them consistent with the definitions 
    included in OFCCP's Section 503 final rule.
        ``Compliance Evaluation.'' The proposal adds a new definition of 
    the term ``compliance evaluation'' to reflect OFCCP's authority to 
    conduct a variety or range of activities to assess a contractor's 
    compliance status. Previously OFCCP generally has conducted a full 
    compliance review of a contractor, assessing all its employment 
    practices, whenever it reviewed a contractor's status. As discussed in 
    more detail in the preamble discussion of Sec. 60-1.20, the proposal 
    would allow OFCCP to use any one or a combination of actions to examine 
    a contractor's compliance with one or more of the Executive Order 11246 
    requirements. Thus, the proposal would allow OFCCP to streamline the 
    review process for many contractors. The proposal also would allow 
    OFCCP to focus its investigatory resources where they are needed, while 
    conducting some level of review of a broader segment of the contractor 
    universe.
        ``Contract.'' The current regulation defines the term ``contract'' 
    as ``any Government contract or any federally assisted construction 
    contract.'' The proposal adds the word ``subcontract'' to this 
    definition (``any Government contract or subcontract or any federally 
    assisted construction contract or subcontract'') to eliminate the need 
    to reference ``subcontract'' each time ``contract'' is referenced in 
    the body of the regulation. Accordingly, the proposal generally 
    references the term ``subcontract'' only when necessary to
    
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    the context. This same change would have been made by the 1980 final 
    rule.
        ``Deputy Assistant Secretary.'' The Director of OFCCP recently was 
    redesignated the Deputy Assistant Secretary for Federal Contract 
    Compliance Programs. The proposal, therefore, substitutes a definition 
    of ``Deputy Assistant Secretary,'' for the definition of ``Director'' 
    in the current regulations, and makes this title change throughout the 
    proposal. To ensure internal consistency, OFCCP intends to issue a rule 
    making a corresponding universal change to its regulations before 
    publishing the final rule resulting from this proposal.
        ``Government Contract.'' The proposed definition of ``Government 
    contract'' is revised to clarify that covered contracts include those 
    under which the Government is a seller of goods or services, as well as 
    those under which it is a purchaser. This change reflects OFCCP's long-
    standing interpretation of the scope of the Executive Order, upheld in 
    Crown Central Petroleum Corp. v. Kleppe (424 F. Supp. 744 (D. Md. 
    1976)), that sales by the Government result in covered contracts. 
    Hence, the proposal substitutes a reference to contracts for the 
    ``purchase, sale or use of personal property or nonpersonal services'' 
    and a definition of the term ``personal property'' for the existing 
    reference to the ``furnishing'' of supplies or services, or for the use 
    of real or personal property, including lease arrangements.
        ``Rules, regulations and relevant orders of the Secretary of 
    Labor.'' A rule published on May 3, 1996 (61 Fed. Reg. 19982) amended 
    the definition of ``Secretary'' to include a ``designee'' of the 
    Secretary of Labor. The definition of ``rules, regulations and relevant 
    orders of the Secretary of Labor'' in the current regulations, which 
    makes reference to the designee of the Secretary, therefore is no 
    longer necessary and is omitted in this proposal.
        ``Subcontract.'' The proposal conforms the current definition of 
    ``subcontract'' to the proposed definition of ``Government contract'' 
    above; that is, as revised, the proposed definition references 
    agreements for the ``purchase, sale or use'' of personal property or 
    nonpersonal services.
        ``United States.'' OFCCP proposes to revise the current definition 
    of ``United States'' by deleting the Panama Canal Zone (which was ceded 
    back to Panama under the terms of the Panama Canal Treaty) and by 
    specifying the possessions and territories of the United States as: the 
    Virgin Islands, Guam, American Samoa, the Commonwealth of the Northern 
    Mariana Islands, and Wake Island.
    
    Section 60-1.8  Segregated Facilities
    
        Today's proposal would revise Sec. 60-1.8, which currently sets out 
    a general prohibition regarding the maintenance of segregated 
    facilities (paragraph (a)) and a certification requirement regarding 
    compliance with that obligation (paragraph (b)).
        Specifically, under paragraph (a) of Sec. 60-1.8, nonexempt 
    contractors and subcontractors must ensure that facilities they provide 
    to their employees are not segregated on the basis of race, color, 
    religion or national origin. Further, paragraph (a) states that this 
    obligation extends to all contracts containing the equal opportunity 
    clause, regardless of the amount of the contract.
        Paragraph (b) of the regulation provides that, prior to the award 
    of a Government contract or federally assisted construction contract, 
    each contracting agency or applicant for Federal financial assistance 
    involving a construction contract shall require the prospective prime 
    contractor to submit a certification that it does not and will not 
    maintain segregated employee facilities. Paragraph (b) also requires 
    prime contractors and subcontractors, prior to the award of 
    subcontracts, to obtain such a certification from their prospective 
    subcontractors.
        This proposal would conform Sec. 60-1.8 with the Executive Order's 
    general nondiscrimination requirements, by adding sex to the list of 
    bases upon which segregation is prohibited, with the proviso that 
    separate or single-user restrooms and necessary dressing or sleeping 
    areas shall be provided to assure privacy between the sexes. The 
    proposal also would make a number of stylistic changes to existing 
    paragraph (a).
        OFCCP proposes to withdraw the written certification requirement 
    (paragraph (b) of the current regulation). The certification 
    requirement originally was incorporated into the Executive Order 
    regulations in 1967 (see 32 FR 7439, May 19, 1967). At that time, 
    segregation in employee facilities, especially on the basis of race, 
    was not uncommon. The certification requirement was intended in large 
    part to put contractors on notice that such segregation was unlawful 
    and would not be tolerated. In the intervening 28 years, as a result of 
    civil rights law enforcement and other factors, employers have become 
    aware that segregation in employee facilities is unlawful. Indeed, such 
    segregation has been significantly reduced. Because today's proposal 
    would retain and strengthen the basic prohibition regarding segregated 
    facilities, which OFCCP will continue to monitor through compliance 
    investigations, the proposed withdrawal of the certification 
    requirement will not reduce protections afforded to workers.
        Withdrawing the certification requirement will significantly reduce 
    compliance burdens on contractors. The Government lets approximately 
    350,000 prime contracts each year. If it is assumed that each prime 
    contract results in an average of four subcontracts, and that it takes 
    about one-half hour to prepare and submit the written certification, 
    eliminating the certification requirement would reduce compliance 
    burdens on the contractor community by roughly 875,000 hours. This 
    estimate may significantly understate the savings; many contractors 
    annually solicit the certification from all of their prospective 
    vendors rather than limiting their request to those firms that actually 
    are subcontractors on Federal projects.
        The 1980 final rule, and the 1981 proposal, would have made similar 
    revisions to the segregated facilities regulation.
    
    Section 60-1.12  Record Retention
    
        OFCCP's primary Executive Order recordkeeping and record retention 
    regulations are contained in 41 CFR 60-1.40 and 60-4.3, and parts 60-2 
    and 60-3 (the Uniform Guidelines on Employee Selection Procedures, 
    hereafter UGESP). The regulations require certain contractors to 
    develop, implement and maintain a written affirmative action program 
    (AAP) for each of their establishments; to compile the results of the 
    program; to update the program annually; and to provide the program and 
    supporting documentation to OFCCP upon request; to maintain data on 
    applicants, selection and referral procedures and, as applicable, 
    adverse impact and evidence of validity; and, if engaged in Federal or 
    federally assisted construction, to compile and maintain data on 
    employees and applicants for construction jobs. Although retention of 
    relevant records is implicit in the requirement to analyze selection 
    decision data, prepare an annual update, and provide supporting 
    documentation, the Executive Order regulations, with one exception, do 
    not expressly prescribe a record retention period. That exception is 
    the requirement under the UGESP to keep certain adverse impact data for 
    two years after the adverse impact has been eliminated.
        Paragraph (a) of the proposal amends this obligation in several 
    ways: First it
    
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    makes the record retention obligation applicable to any personnel or 
    employment record made or kept by the contractor, and sets out a 
    listing of examples of the types of records that must be retained. This 
    provision conforms to the analogous requirement under Title VII of the 
    Civil Rights Act of 1964. (Thus, contractors with 15 or more employees, 
    i.e., those that are covered by Title VII of the Civil Rights Act, 
    already are required to comply with this requirement. The only 
    contractors that will be newly covered by this requirement are those 
    that have Government contracts subject to the Executive Order's 
    regulations (e.g., those with contracts that exceed $10,000) and that 
    have fewer than 15 employees. This group of contractors consists almost 
    entirely of small construction contractors.)
        Second, proposed paragraph (a) stipulates that the required record 
    retention period is two years. It is OFCCP's practice to review the 
    contractor's employment practices dating back two years prior to the 
    initiation of a compliance evaluation and to assess liability for 
    discriminatory practices dating back two years. Proposed paragraph (a) 
    requires smaller contractors (those that have fewer than 150 employees 
    or that do not have a Government contract of at least $150,000) to 
    retain records for a minimum of one year, rather than two years. Most 
    contractors are covered by the one year record retention period imposed 
    by Title VII. OFCCP is proposing a shorter record retention period for 
    smaller contractors as a method of reducing regulatory burden on such 
    contractors. This proposal is consistent with a provision included in 
    OFCCP's Section 503 final rule.
        Third, proposed paragraph (a) requires that when a contractor has 
    been notified that a complaint has been filed, that a compliance 
    evaluation has been initiated or that an enforcement action has been 
    commenced, the contractor shall preserve all relevant personnel records 
    until the final disposition of the action. This provision conforms to 
    the corresponding record retention requirement under Title VII. The 
    purpose of this requirement is obvious--to ensure that OFCCP can obtain 
    all relevant documents during a compliance investigation or enforcement 
    action.
        Proposed paragraph (b) provides that a contractor establishment 
    required to develop a written affirmative action program (AAP) shall 
    maintain its current AAP and its AAP for the preceding AAP year, along 
    with documentation of good faith efforts taken under the AAPs. Such 
    documentation might reflect, for example, the contractor's outreach and 
    recruitment efforts undertaken to increase its pool of female or 
    minority applicants, or training programs instituted to enhance the 
    skills and talents of incumbent employees to increase the pool of those 
    eligible for promotion. This provision is intended to ensure that the 
    AAPs are available to OFCCP during a compliance evaluation.
        Proposed paragraph (c) provides that the failure to preserve the 
    records required by proposed paragraphs (a) and (b) constitutes 
    noncompliance with the Order. Additionally, proposed paragraph (c), in 
    a provision that is not paralleled in the current regulations, states 
    that where a contractor has destroyed or failed to preserve required 
    records, there may be a presumption that such records would have been 
    unfavorable to the contractor. However, this presumption will not apply 
    where a contractor demonstrates that the destruction or failure to 
    preserve records resulted from circumstances beyond the contractor's 
    control (e.g., fires, floods, tornados, or other natural disasters). 
    This provision is consistent with EEOC's practice under Title VII, as 
    set forth at Sec. 632.3(b)(2)(ii) of EEOC's Compliance Manual. The 
    intent of this provision is to deter contractors from deliberate 
    attempts to frustrate OFCCP's compliance monitoring and enforcement 
    efforts by destroying or failing to preserve records. The adverse 
    inference established by paragraph (c) would be used by OFCCP in both 
    investigations of compliance and in enforcement litigation.
        Proposed paragraph (d), which is not paralleled in the current 
    regulations, would clarify that the contractor is obligated to preserve 
    only those records which are created or kept on or after the effective 
    date of the regulations.
        The proposed regulation has been carefully drafted to comport with 
    requirements under Title VII of the Civil Rights Act of 1964, the Age 
    Discrimination in Employment Act (ADEA), the Americans with 
    Disabilities Act (ADA) and the requirement included in OFCCP's final 
    rule implementing Section 503 of the Rehabilitation Act of 1973, as 
    amended. The Title VII, ADEA, and ADA regulations contain record 
    retention requirements for similar records that vary from one to three 
    years. The vast majority of Federal contractors already are subject to 
    one or more of these statutes and thus already are required to maintain 
    the records described in this proposed regulation.
    
    Section 60-1.20  Compliance Evaluations
    
        The proposal would revise paragraphs (a) and (d) of this section, 
    which respectively address compliance reviews in general, and preaward 
    clearance requirements.
        In the current regulations, paragraph (a) describes the purpose of 
    a compliance review of a contractor's implementation of its 
    nondiscrimination and affirmative action obligations, provides that the 
    review shall consist of a comprehensive analysis of all relevant 
    practices, and provides that recommendations for appropriate sanctions 
    shall be made. The proposal specifically authorizes OFCCP's use of 
    additional methods to evaluate a contractor's compliance with the 
    regulations. The proposal specifies that the compliance evaluation 
    methods available to OFCCP, other than the full compliance review, may 
    include a range of activities designed to focus, for example, on the 
    contractor's written affirmative action plan; the accuracy of data 
    submitted for review at desk audit; or on one component or 
    organizational unit of the contractor's workforce. Thus, the proposal 
    would allow OFCCP to streamline the review process in many cases.
        The proposal also would revise paragraph (d), which currently 
    requires OFCCP to conduct a preaward compliance review of contractors 
    being considered for contracts of $1 million or more. The preaward 
    provision has been a component of OFCCP's regulatory procedures since 
    1968. The intent of the preaward clearance provision is to prevent the 
    award of large dollar contracts to contractors which are either in 
    noncompliance or unwilling to comply with the EEO clause of the 
    contract.
        Specifically, Sec. 60-1.20(d) requires the awarding agency to 
    obtain clearance from OFCCP prior to awarding Federal supply/ service 
    contracts of $1 million or more. OFCCP must certify that a Federal 
    contractor/prospective contractor is in compliance before the award of 
    a contract.
        The concept of preaward compliance reviews was premised on three 
    assumptions: (1) Contracts of a sizable dollar amount tend to generate 
    expanded hiring, promotion and upgrading opportunities; (2) the conduct 
    of a compliance review immediately prior to the award is the most 
    efficient way of ensuring that those employment opportunities be used 
    to address the consequences of any past job discrimination; and (3) 
    contractors tend to be more amenable to achieving
    
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    compliance across-the-board when it is an immediate condition of the 
    contract. Although these assumptions generally are still correct, the 
    preaward review has not been a successful compliance mechanism for the 
    past 15 years.
        OFCCP has been severely hampered in its efforts to plan and carry 
    out compliance reviews because of the regulatory and other requirements 
    associated with preaward requests. OFCCP recognized the shortcomings of 
    the preaward process as early as 1979 and attempted to modify the 
    provision in the 1980 final rule. The 1981 proposal would have 
    eliminated the requirements for preaward clearance. The ineffectiveness 
    of the preaward provision also was identified and cited in 1985 and 
    1988 reports of the Department of Labor Inspector General.
        Several factors contribute to the difficulties with the preaward 
    process, including: insufficient staff and budget to process the large 
    volume of preaward requests--approximately 27,625 preaward requests 
    were received in FY '93; the short time available within which to 
    conduct preaward reviews; and court rulings that require a hearing 
    before OFCCP may declare a contractor ineligible for contracts. See 
    e.g., Illinois Tool Works v. Marshall, 601 F.2d 943 (7th Cir. 1979).
        In addition, some contracting agencies have expressed concerns 
    about the traditional preaward process. OFCCP has held consultations 
    with various contracting agencies during the past year and has adopted 
    a number of administrative reforms as a result. Those reforms relate to 
    its interactions with the contracting agencies during the preaward 
    process, and they were implemented in order to ensure that the process 
    is as streamlined as possible. Those consultations are ongoing and 
    OFCCP will continue to work with the contracting agencies to improve 
    the process.
        Based on the foregoing concerns with the current preaward 
    provision, OFCCP considered a number of options including the complete 
    elimination of the preaward provision, an increase in the dollar amount 
    of the preaward contract threshold, and the replacement of the preaward 
    review with a postaward review. OFCCP decided to promulgate this 
    proposal which modifies the provision by making the preaward compliance 
    review optional. Thus, preaward reviews will be conducted if OFCCP 
    determines that a review would constitute the best use of its limited 
    resources. OFCCP may consider factors such as whether the contract is 
    likely to generate significant employment opportunities, whether the 
    contractor has held a covered Federal contract before, whether the 
    contractor has been reviewed before and, if so, whether prior reviews 
    have revealed noncompliance at the same or other establishments, the 
    length of time that has passed since a prior review, and the EEO-1 
    profile of the contractor. It is difficult to describe more precisely 
    the factors OFCCP will use, because they may change over time as 
    economic conditions change. For example, in recent years the most 
    growth in employment opportunities has occurred in small businesses and 
    that growth has occurred in the service sector of the economy. Because 
    these facts may change in future years, they are not specified as 
    factors OFCCP will consider when deciding whether to conduct a preaward 
    review. By making the preaward review optional, the proposal allows 
    OFCCP the necessary flexibility and latitude in establishing the 
    agency's enforcement priorities, rather than continuing to allow those 
    priorities to be dictated by the incoming preaward requests. OFCCP 
    invites commenters to address whether it should make preaward reviews 
    optional, or should retain such reviews as mandatory.
        This proposal provides, as does the current regulation, that OFCCP 
    will provide an awarding agency with its conclusions regarding 
    clearance for an award. However, the proposal requires that OFCCP 
    inform an awarding agency within 15 days of its intention to conduct a 
    preaward review. If OFCCP does not inform an awarding agency within 
    that period of its intention to conduct a preaward review, clearance 
    shall be presumed and the agency is authorized to proceed with the 
    award. If OFCCP informs an awarding agency of its intention to conduct 
    a preaward review, OFCCP shall be allowed an additional 20 days after 
    the date that it so informs the agency to provide its conclusions. If 
    OFCCP does not provide an awarding agency with its conclusions within 
    that period, clearance shall be presumed and the agency is authorized 
    to proceed with the award. This proposal ensures that the preaward 
    review process will not contribute to any unnecessary delay in the 
    procurement process.
        This proposal continues the threshold for preaward notification at 
    $1 million. However, OFCCP invites commenters to address whether the 
    existing threshold should be changed or retained, in light of the dual 
    goals of streamlining the procurement process and ensuring that OFCCP 
    has the information necessary to allow it to evaluate the compliance 
    status of companies that may be awarded new Government contracts. In 
    addition, OFCCP invites commenters to address the option of moving from 
    preaward reviews to a system under which OFCCP reviews would be 
    performed concurrent with the awarding of a Federal contract.
        Finally, as discussed under the heading of part 60-60 below, the 
    proposal moves provisions now contained in part 60-60 that relate to 
    confidentiality of data, timely submission of documents to OFCCP, and 
    nationwide AAP formats to this section.
    
    Section 60-1.26  Enforcement Proceedings
    
        The proposal revises and restructures for clarity Sec. 60-1.26, 
    which details Executive Order enforcement procedures. With the 
    exception of the provision relating to calculating interest, this 
    proposal is not intended to make substantive changes to this section. 
    Proposed subsection (a) contains general provisions applicable to both 
    administrative and judicial enforcement. Proposed subsection (b) 
    addresses administrative enforcement procedures, and proposed 
    subsections (c) and (d) cover judicial enforcement proceedings, which 
    are handled by the Department of Justice.
        The proposal also makes several specific changes to this section 
    that are consistent with provisions included in OFCCP's Section 503 
    final rule at 41 CFR 60-741.65(a)(1). First, it clarifies in subsection 
    (a)(2) that OFCCP may seek relief for victims of discrimination 
    identified either during a compliance evaluation or a complaint 
    investigation whether or not such individuals have filed a complaint 
    with OFCCP. OFCCP has long maintained that such a limitation on 
    available relief clearly is inconsistent with the Order. OFCCP's 
    position recently was upheld in a case under Section 503, OFCCP v. 
    Commonwealth Aluminum, 82-OFC-6 (Assistant Secretary for Employment 
    Standards, February 10, 1994), Federal court review pending sub nom. 
    Commonwealth Aluminum Corporation v. United States (WD Ky., No. 94-
    0071-O(C)).
        Second, the proposal states, also in subsection (a)(2), that 
    interest on back pay shall be compounded quarterly at the percentage 
    rate established by the Internal Revenue Service for the underpayment 
    of taxes. This provision would reverse the ruling of the Department of 
    Labor's Assistant Secretary for Employment Standards in OFCCP v. 
    Washington Metropolitan Area Transit Authority, 84-OFC-8 (orders dated 
    August 23 and November 17, 1989), that simple interest, rather
    
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    than compounded interest, should be used in the calculation of back pay 
    awards under Section 503. That Section 503 ruling, which relied upon 
    the Department's regulations (at 29 CFR part 20) implementing Section 
    11 of the Debt Collection Act of 1982 (31 U.S.C. 3717), could be 
    construed as applicable also to relief under the Executive Order. OFCCP 
    had a longstanding policy of requiring that interest on back pay awards 
    under the Executive Order be compounded; such policy is consistent with 
    the case law under Title VII of the Civil Rights Act of 1964. OFCCP 
    believes that it must reinstate this policy to ensure that victims of 
    discrimination obtain complete ``make whole'' relief.
        Third, the proposal provides in subsection (b)(1) that 
    administrative enforcement proceedings also may be instituted where 
    OFCCP determines that referral for formal enforcement (rather than 
    settlement) is appropriate. Fourth, the proposal specifies in 
    subsection (b)(1) that the administrative enforcement referral will be 
    made to the Solicitor of Labor.
        The proposal states that the rules of evidence set out in the 
    hearing rules applicable to the Department's Administrative Law Judges 
    shall also apply to hearings conducted under 41 CFR part 60-30. These 
    rules, which were issued in 1990, are generally applicable to the 
    Department's formal adversarial adjudications. Consistent with a 
    requirement included in OFCCP's Section 503 final rule, the proposal 
    also requires that the Department's Final Administrative Order in an 
    Executive Order case be issued within one year from the date of the 
    Administrative Law Judge's recommended decision, or the submission of 
    the parties' exceptions and responses to exceptions to such decision 
    (if any), whichever is later. OFCCP believes that this time limit is 
    needed to ensure that aggrieved individuals obtain expeditious relief 
    and that contractors are assured of closure of the administrative 
    proceedings.
    
    Section 60-1.27  Sanctions
    
        The current sanction regulation provides only that the sanctions 
    authorized by section 209 of the Executive Order may be exercised by or 
    with the approval of the Director of OFCCP. The 1980 final rule and the 
    1981 proposal deleted the current sanction regulation as a separate 
    provision, and they both generally merged the sanction regulation with 
    the regulation pertaining to enforcement proceedings. The regulation 
    pertaining to enforcement proceedings currently is set forth at 
    Sec. 60-1.26. In the 1980 final rule the combined sanctions and 
    enforcement proceedings regulation appeared at Sec. 60-1.29, and in the 
    1981 proposal the combined regulation appeared at Sec. 60-1.68.
        The proposal adds a new paragraph specifically addressing the 
    sanction of debarment. Paragraph (b) of the proposal provides for a 
    fixed term debarment for a period of six months or more, as well as 
    indefinite term debarment. The Secretary already has ordered the 
    imposition of a fixed term debarment in OFCCP v. Disposable Safety 
    Wear, 92-OFC-11 (Decision and Final Administrative Order of the 
    Secretary of Labor, September 29, 1992). See also OFCCP v. Blaine 
    Construction Co., 94-OFC-4 (Decision and Final Administrative Order of 
    the ALJ, March 9, 1994); OFCCP v. KRT Drywall/Acoustical, 94-OFC-14 
    (Order of the ALJ, August 18, 1994); OFCCP v. State Construction of 
    Southeast Wisconsin, 94-0FC-18 (Orders of the ALJ, August 31 and 
    September 8, 1994). The proposal simply provides contractors with 
    greater notice that a fixed term debarment of six months or more may be 
    imposed in some cases instead of an indefinite term debarment. OFCCP 
    believes that the use of fixed period debarments will serve as a more 
    effective deterrent and encourage compliance among the recalcitrant 
    contractors who repeatedly break their promises of future compliance 
    with respect to affirmative action and recordkeeping and retention 
    requirements. OFCCP has found that the current practice of reinstating 
    the contractor upon its simple demonstration of compliance is 
    insufficient to ensure voluntary compliance. Under the current 
    procedure the contractor may be reinstated immediately without 
    incurring any economic loss for a violation of an affirmative action 
    requirement (e.g., a contractor which has failed to develop an AAP can 
    simply do so to be eligible for reinstatement). A fixed term debarment 
    establishes a trial period during which a contractor can demonstrate 
    its commitment and ability to establish personnel practices that will 
    ensure continued compliance with the requirements of the Executive 
    Order. Thus, in a Final Administrative Order, the Adminstrative Review 
    Board could order a company to take specific action to come into 
    compliance and to submit periodic reports to OFCCP regarding its 
    compliance status during the fixed term debarment period. A fixed term 
    debarment scheme will strengthen the Executive Order program by 
    deterring contractors from engaging in violations based upon ``a cold 
    weighing of the costs and benefits of noncompliance.'' Janik Paving & 
    Construction v. Brock, 828 F.2d 84 (2d Cir. 1987). Where fixed term 
    debarment is ordered, in lieu of an indefinite term debarment, the 
    length of the debarment period will be determined on a case-by-case 
    basis, depending upon factors such as the nature and severity of the 
    violations. A contractor debarred for a fixed term will not be 
    automatically reinstated upon the conclusion of the fixed term 
    debarment period. In making his or her determination as to whether 
    reinstatement of such a contractor is appropriate, the Deputy Assistant 
    Secretary shall consider whether the contractor has demonstrated that 
    it has established and will carry out employment policies and practices 
    in compliance with the Executive Order. If the contractor failed to 
    comply with the Department's Final Administrative Order, it would not 
    be eligible for reinstatement at the conclusion of the fixed term 
    debarment period.
    
    Section 60-1.30  Notification of Agencies
    
        Consistent with a regulation in OFCCP's Section 503 final rule, the 
    proposal would delete the requirement that OFCCP distribute a list of 
    debarred contractors to all executive departments and agencies, and 
    substitute a requirement that the Deputy Assistant Secretary ensure 
    that the heads of agencies are notified of debarments. Accordingly, the 
    section would be renamed ``Notification of agencies'' instead of 
    ``Contract ineligibility list.'' The General Services Administration 
    now publishes a listing of debarred contractors, and it would be 
    redundant for OFCCP to issue a separate list.
        The 1980 final rule would have required that OFCCP promptly notify 
    the Comptroller General of the United States regarding contract 
    cancellations and debarments. Further, that section of the final rule 
    would have required that OFCCP take appropriate steps to notify prime 
    contractors of the debarred contractor's ineligibility for 
    subcontracts. Notice now is provided adequately by the General Services 
    Administration's list of debarred contractors.
    
    Section 60-1.31  Reinstatement of Ineligible Prime Contractors and 
    Subcontractors
    
        The proposal would revise this section to make it consistent with 
    proposed Sec. 60-1.27(b), which authorizes debarment either for an 
    indefinite
    
    [[Page 25521]]
    
    period or for a fixed period of not less than six months. Accordingly, 
    the proposal provides that a contractor debarred for an indefinite 
    period may request reinstatement at any time, and that a contractor 
    debarred for a fixed period may request reinstatement after the 
    expiration of the fixed period. In either type of debarment, the 
    contractor, as under the current regulations, would be required to show 
    that it has established and will carry out employment practices in 
    compliance with the Executive Order.
        Further, the proposal would adopt some of the 1980 final rule's 
    reinstatement procedures. For instance, similar to the 1980 final rule, 
    the proposal specifies that the contractor may be subject to a 
    compliance evaluation before a final determination is made on the 
    reinstatement request. The 1980 final rule would have established some 
    additional detailed procedures that OFCCP, upon reconsideration, does 
    not believe need to be incorporated into the regulations.
    
    Section 60-1.32  Intimidation and Interference
    
        Currently, the regulations provide that the sanctions and penalties 
    contained therein may be exercised against any contractor which fails 
    to ensure that no person intimidates, threatens, coerces or 
    discriminates against any individual because he or she files a 
    complaint or otherwise participates in compliance activity under the 
    Executive Order or a similar Federal, state or local law. The proposal 
    contains a similar prohibition but specifies that the contractor itself 
    shall not engage in such activities and shall ensure that all persons 
    under its control do not do so, and adds that the prohibition applies 
    to harassment. Further, the proposal states that the prohibition 
    applies to an individual's opposition to any practice that is unlawful 
    under the Order or similar Federal, state or local laws, and to the 
    exercise of any other right protected by the Order. The proposal is 
    consistent with a provision included in OFCCP's Section 503 final rule, 
    and it is substantially similar to the counterpart provision in the 
    1980 final rule (Sec. 60-1.28). The intent of the proposal is to 
    incorporate strengthened provisions that ensure that individuals fully 
    enjoy all rights protected under the Order, the regulations and 
    comparable Federal, state and local laws without the threat of 
    harassment or intimidation.
    
    Section 60-1.34  Violation of a Conciliation Agreement or Letter of 
    Commitment
    
        The proposal contains a clarification that in enforcement 
    proceedings related to violation of a conciliation agreement, OFCCP is 
    not required to present proof of the underlying violations resolved by 
    the agreement. This provision, which reflects OFCCP's current practice 
    and which is consistent with OFCCP's Section 503 final rule, is to 
    remove any doubt that OFCCP need not litigate claims that have already 
    been resolved through the agreement.
    
    Section 60-1.42  Notices to be Posted
    
        Technical corrections are made to the wording of the poster 
    regarding the jurisdictional coverage of Title VII and the address of 
    EEOC.
    
    Section 60-1.43  Access to Records and Site of Employment
    
        Consistent with a provision included in OFCCP's Section 503 final 
    rule, the proposal specifies that computerized records are among the 
    records to which the contractor shall permit OFCCP access for 
    inspection and copying. In addition, the proposal specifies that 
    contractors must permit OFCCP access to their premises for the purpose 
    of conducting compliance evaluations and complaint investigations (the 
    current regulation mentions only compliance reviews). Further, the 
    proposal revises the list of uses which can be made of information 
    OFCCP obtains from a contractor, to include the administration of other 
    laws that are enforced, in whole or in part, by OFCCP.
    
    Part 60-60--Contractor Evaluation Procedures for Contractors for 
    Supplies and Services
    
        Part 60-60 is to be deleted. Most of part 60-60 is properly 
    characterized as internal operating procedures. A number of the 
    procedures have been incorporated into OFCCP's Federal Contract 
    Compliance Manual, and the provisions regarding confidentiality of data 
    furnished to OFCCP by contractors are proposed to be incorporated into 
    part 60-1. Specifically, provisions currently found at Secs. 60-
    60.2(a), 60-60.3(a)(3), 60-60.3(d) and 60-60.4(a-d) will be 
    incorporated into Sec. 60-1.20 with minor changes. The 1980 final rule, 
    and the 1981 proposal, would have made similar revisions to part 60-60.
    
    Regulatory Procedures
    
    Executive Order 12866
    
        The Department is issuing this proposed rule in conformance with 
    Executive Order 12866. This proposal has been determined to be 
    significant for purposes of Executive Order 12866 and therefore has 
    been reviewed by OMB. This proposal does not meet the criteria of 
    Section 3(f)(1) of Executive Order 12866 and therefore the information 
    enumerated in Section 6(a)(3)(C) of that Order is not required.
        In accordance with section 6 of Executive Order 12866, an 
    assessment of the potential costs and benefits of the proposal has been 
    made. Potential costs and benefits of record retention and 
    certification proposals are discussed below in the sections on the 
    Regulatory Flexibility Act and the Paperwork Reduction Act. As noted 
    therein, this proposal would significantly reduce the compliance burden 
    on the contractor community by eliminating the segregated facilities 
    certification requirement. OFCCP anticipates publishing an additional 
    proposal relating to 41 CFR part 60-2 and the requirements of written 
    affirmative action programs that would, if adopted, further reduce the 
    burdens on contractors. OFCCP's goal in proposing regulatory changes is 
    to streamline its existing regulations and to reinvent its current 
    processes in order make both contractor compliance and agency 
    enforcement more efficient and cost effective. Therefore, OFCCP invites 
    comments on additional ways to reduce compliance burdens such as 
    simplified compliance procedures for small contractors.
    
    Regulatory Flexibility Act
    
        The proposed rule, if promulgated, will not have a significant 
    economic impact on a substantial number of small business entities. A 
    requirement that records be maintained for one to two years (depending 
    upon contractor size) might result in a slight additional storage 
    burden for some small entities; conversely, small entities and other 
    contractors would benefit from the elimination of the segregated 
    facilities certification. Therefore, a regulatory flexibility analysis 
    under the Regulatory Flexibility Act is not required.
    
    Paperwork Reduction Act
    
        The proposed rule would slightly revise information collection 
    requirements currently approved by OMB under the Paperwork Reduction 
    Act (44 U.S.C. 3501, et seq.).
        As previously stated, withdrawing the certification requirement 
    will significantly reduce compliance burdens on contractors. The 
    Government lets approximately 350,000 prime contracts each year. If it 
    is assumed that each prime contract results in an average of four
    
    [[Page 25522]]
    
    subcontracts, and that it takes about one-half hour to prepare and 
    submit the written certification, eliminating the certification 
    requirement would reduce compliance burdens on the contractor community 
    by roughly 875,000 hours. This estimate may significantly understate 
    the savings; many contractors annually solicit the certification from 
    all of their prospective vendors rather than limiting their request to 
    those firms that actually are subcontractors on Federal projects.
        Although for contractors with 150 or more employees and a contract 
    of $150,000 or more this proposal extends to two years the current 
    obligations such contractors already have under Title VII and the ADA 
    to retain records for one year, there will be only a minimal increase 
    in burden imposed on contractors as a result of this change. A similar 
    conclusion was reached by EEOC in 1991 when it doubled its existing 
    six-month retention period under Title VII to one year--an obligation 
    that applies to a significantly larger universe of employers than does 
    the obligation under the Executive Order. See 56 FR 35753 (July 26, 
    1991). Employers, especially larger ones, are increasingly maintaining 
    electronic records. Where this is the case, compliance with the 
    requirement will impose little or no additional burden. In many cases, 
    additional storage space would be needed only for applications of 
    persons not hired (which generally are not cost effective to record and 
    store electronically).
        In addition, the proposal makes this retention obligation 
    applicable to a broader range of records than was previously required 
    by the Executive Order regulations. However, this proposal would 
    conform the obligation to the analogous requirement under EEOC's 
    regulations (29 CFR 1602.14) issued pursuant to Title VII and the ADA.
        OFCCP solicits comments concerning the proposed revisions to the 
    collections of information contained in this proposed rule. OFCCP 
    solicits comments to: (i) Evaluate whether the proposed collection of 
    information is necessary for the proper performance of the functions of 
    the agency, including whether the information will have practical 
    utility; (ii) evaluate the accuracy of the agency's estimate of the 
    burden of the proposed collection of information, including the 
    validity of the methodology and assumptions used; (iii) enhance the 
    quality, utility, and clarity of the information to be collected; and 
    (iv) minimize the burden of the collection of information on those who 
    are to respond, including through the use of appropriate automated, 
    electronic, mechanical, or other technological collection techniques or 
    other forms of information technology, e.g., permitting electronic 
    submission of responses.
        The revised collections of information contained in this proposed 
    rule have been submitted to OMB for review under section 3507(d) of the 
    Paperwork Reduction Act of 1995. Written comments on these proposed 
    information collection revisions may also be sent to the Office of 
    Information and Regulatory Affairs, Office of Management and Budget, 
    Attention: Desk Officer for Employment Standards, Washington, D.C. 
    20503.
    
    Unfunded Mandates Reform Act
    
        The proposed rule, if promulgated, will not include any Federal 
    mandate that may result in the expenditure by state, local and tribal 
    governments in the aggregate, or by the private sector, of $100,000,000 
    or more in any one year.
    
    List of Subjects
    
    41 CFR Part 60-1
    
        Administrative practice and procedure, Civil rights, Employment, 
    Equal employment opportunity, Government contracts, Government 
    procurement, Investigations, Reporting and recordkeeping requirements.
    
    41 CFR Part 60-60
    
        Equal employment opportunity, Government procurement, Reporting and 
    recordkeeping requirements.
    
        Signed at Washington, D.C., this 10th day of May, 1996.
    Robert B. Reich,
    Secretary of Labor.
    Bernard E. Anderson,
    Assistant Secretary for Employment Standards.
    Shirley J. Wilcher,
    Deputy Assistant Secretary for Federal Contract Compliance.
    
        Accordingly, part 60-1 of the rule amending 41 CFR chapter 60 
    published on December 30, 1980 (45 FR 86216), which was delayed 
    indefinitely at 46 FR 42865, is proposed to be withdrawn; the proposed 
    rule published on August 25, 1981 (46 FR 42968; supplemented at 47 FR 
    17770, April 23, 1982) is hereby withdrawn in its entirety; and under 
    the authority of Executive Order 11246, as amended, Title 41 of the 
    Code of Federal Regulations, chapter 60, is proposed to be amended as 
    follows:
    
     60-1--[AMENDED]
    
        The authority citation for part 60-1 continues to read as follows:
    
        Authority: Sec. 201, E.O. 11246 (30 FR 12319), as amended by 
    E.O. 12086.
    
        2. Section 60-1.3 is amended by removing the definitions of 
    Director and Rules, regulations, and relevant orders of the Secretary 
    of Labor, by revising the definitions of Contract, Government contract, 
    Subcontract and United States, and by adding, in alphabetical order, 
    the definitions of Compliance evaluation and Deputy Assistant Secretary 
    to read as follows:
    
    
    Sec. 60-1.3  Definitions.
    
    * * * * *
        Compliance evaluation means any one or combination of actions OFCCP 
    may take to examine a Federal contractor or subcontractor's compliance 
    with one or more of the Executive Order 11246 requirements.
    * * * * *
        Contract means any Government contract or subcontract or any 
    federally assisted construction contract or subcontract.
    * * * * *
        Deputy Assistant Secretary means the Deputy Assistant Secretary for 
    Federal Contract Compliance Programs, United States Department of 
    Labor, or his or her designee.
    * * * * *
        Government contract means any agreement or modification thereof 
    between any contracting agency and any person for the purchase, sale or 
    use of personal property or nonpersonal services. The term ``personal 
    property,'' as used in this section, includes supplies, and contracts 
    for the use of real property (such as lease arrangements), unless the 
    contract for the use of real property itself constitutes real property 
    (such as easements). The term ``nonpersonal services'' as used in this 
    section includes, but is not limited to, the following services: 
    Utilities, construction, transportation, research, insurance, and fund 
    depository. The term Government contract does not include:
        (1) Agreements in which the parties stand in the relationship of 
    employer and employee; and
        (2) Federally assisted construction contracts.
    * * * * *
        Subcontract means any agreement or arrangement between a contractor 
    and any person (in which the parties do not stand in the relationship 
    of an employer and an employee):
        (1) For the purchase, sale or use of personal property or 
    nonpersonal services which, in whole or in part, is necessary to the 
    performance of any one or more contracts; or
    
    [[Page 25523]]
    
        (2) Under which any portion of the contractor's obligation under 
    any one of more contracts is performed, undertaken or assumed.
    * * * * *
        United States, as used herein, shall include the several States, 
    the District of Columbia, the Virgin Islands, the Commonwealth of 
    Puerto Rico, Guam, American Samoa, the Commonwealth of the Northern 
    Mariana Islands, and Wake Island.
        3. Section 60-1.8 is revised to read as follows:
    
    
    Sec. 60-1.8  Segregated facilities.
    
        To comply with its obligations under the Order, a contractor must 
    ensure that facilities provided for employees are provided in such a 
    manner that segregation on the basis of race, color, religion, sex or 
    national origin cannot result. The contractor may neither require such 
    segregated use by written or oral policies nor tolerate such use by 
    employee custom. The contractor's obligation extends further to 
    ensuring that its employees are not assigned to perform their services 
    at any location, under the contractor's control, where the facilities 
    are segregated. This obligation extends to all contracts containing the 
    equal opportunity clause regardless of the amount of the contract. The 
    term ``facilities,'' as used in this section, means waiting rooms, work 
    areas, restaurants and other eating areas, time clocks, restrooms, wash 
    rooms, locker rooms, and other storage or dressing areas, parking lots, 
    drinking fountains, recreation or entertainment areas, transportation, 
    and housing provided for employees: Provided, That separate or single-
    user restrooms and necessary dressing or sleeping areas shall be 
    provided to assure privacy between the sexes.
        4. A new Sec. 60-1.12 is added to subpart A to read as follows:
    
    
    Sec. 60-1.12  Record retention.
    
        (a) General requirements. Any personnel or employment record made 
    or kept by the contractor shall be preserved by the contractor for a 
    period of not less than two years from the date of the making of the 
    record or the personnel action involved, whichever occurs later. 
    However, if the contractor has fewer than 150 employees or does not 
    have a Government contract of at least $150,000, the minimum record 
    retention period shall be one year from the date of the making of the 
    record or the personnel action involved, whichever occurs later. Such 
    records include, but are not necessarily limited to, records pertaining 
    to hiring, assignment, promotion, demotion, transfer, lay-off or 
    termination, rates of pay or other terms of compensation, and selection 
    for training or apprenticeship, and other records having to do with 
    requests for reasonable accommodation, the results of any physical 
    examination, job advertisements and postings, applications and resumes, 
    tests and test results, and interview notes. In the case of involuntary 
    termination of an employee, the personnel records of the individual 
    terminated shall be kept for a period of not less than two years from 
    the date of the termination, except that contractors that have fewer 
    than 150 employees or that do not have a Government contract of at 
    least $150,000 shall keep such records for a period of not less than 
    one year from the date of the termination. Where the contractor has 
    received notice that a complaint of discrimination has been filed, that 
    a compliance evaluation has been initiated, or that an enforcement 
    action has been commenced, the contractor shall preserve all personnel 
    records relevant to the complaint, compliance evaluation or enforcement 
    action until final disposition of the complaint, compliance evaluation 
    or enforcement action. The term ``personnel records relevant to the 
    complaint,'' for example, would include personnel or employment records 
    relating to the complainant and to all other employees holding 
    positions similar to that held or sought by the complainant and 
    application forms or test papers submitted by unsuccessful applicant 
    and by all other candidates for the same position as that for which the 
    complainant unsuccessfully applied. Where a compliance evaluation has 
    been initiated, all personnel and employment records described above 
    are relevant until OFCCP makes a final disposition of the evaluation.
        (b) Affirmative action programs. A contractor establishment 
    required under Sec. 60-1.40 to develop a written affirmative action 
    program (AAP) shall maintain its current AAP and documentation of good 
    faith effort, and shall preserve its AAP and documentation of good 
    faith effort for the immediately preceding AAP year, unless it was not 
    then covered by the written AAP requirement.
        (c) Failure to preserve records. Failure to preserve complete and 
    accurate records as required by paragraphs (a) and (b) of this section 
    constitutes noncompliance with the contractor's obligations under the 
    Executive Order and this part. Where the contractor has destroyed or 
    failed to preserve records as required by this section, there may be a 
    presumption that the information destroyed or not preserved would have 
    been unfavorable to the contractor: Provided, That this presumption 
    shall not apply where the contractor shows that the destruction or 
    failure to preserve records results from circumstances that are outside 
    of the contractor's control.
        (d) The requirements of this section shall apply only to records 
    made or kept on or after [30 days after date of publication of final 
    rule].
        5. In Sec. 60-1.20, the section heading and paragraphs (a) and (d) 
    are revised and paragraphs (e), (f) and (g) are added to read as 
    follows:
    
    
    Sec. 60-1.20  Compliance evaluations.
    
        (a) OFCCP may conduct compliance evaluations to determine if the 
    prime contractor or subcontractor maintains nondiscriminatory hiring 
    and employment practices and is taking affirmative action to ensure 
    that applicants are employed and that employees are placed, trained, 
    upgraded, promoted, and otherwise treated during employment without 
    regard to race, color, religion, sex, or national origin. A compliance 
    evaluation may consist of any one of the following or any combination 
    thereof:
        (1) A compliance review, which consists of comprehensive analysis 
    and evaluation of each aspect of the aforementioned practices, 
    policies, and conditions resulting therefrom;
        (2) An off-site review of records, which could consist of a full 
    desk audit, a review of the contractor's affirmative action plan or 
    parts thereof, or a review of particular records such as personnel 
    activity data;
        (3) A compliance check, where OFCCP ascertains whether or not the 
    contractor has maintained records consistent with Sec. 60-1.12 and/or 
    has developed an AAP consistent with Sec. 60-1.40; or
        (4) A focused review, where OFCCP restricts its on-site review to 
    one or more components of the contractor's organization or one or more 
    aspects of the contractor's employment practices.
    * * * * *
        (d) Preaward compliance evaluations. Each agency shall include in 
    the invitation for bids for each formally advertised nonconstruction 
    contract or state at the outset of negotiations for each negotiated 
    contract, that if the award, when let, should exceed the amount of $1 
    million or more, the prospective contractor and its known first-tier 
    subcontractors with subcontracts of $1 million or more may be subject 
    to a compliance evaluation before the award of the contract. The 
    awarding agency will notify OFCCP and request appropriate action and 
    findings
    
    [[Page 25524]]
    
    in accordance with this subsection. Within 15 days of the notice OFCCP 
    will inform the awarding agency of its intention to conduct a preaward 
    review. If OFCCP does not inform the awarding agency within that period 
    of its intention to conduct a preaward review, clearance shall be 
    presumed and the awarding agency is authorized to proceed with the 
    award. If OFCCP informs the awarding agency of its intention to conduct 
    a preaward review, OFCCP shall be allowed an additional 20 days after 
    the date that it so informs the awarding agency to provide its 
    conclusions. If OFCCP does not provide the awarding agency with its 
    conclusions within that period, clearance shall be presumed and the 
    awarding agency is authorized to proceed with the award.
        (e) Each prime contractor or subcontractor with 50 or more 
    employees and a contract of $50,000 or more is required to develop a 
    written affirmative action program for each of its establishments 
    (Sec. 60-1.40). If a contractor fails to submit an affirmative action 
    program and supporting documents, including the workforce analysis, 
    within 15 days of a request, the enforcement procedures specified in 
    Sec. 60-1.26(b) shall be applicable. Contractors may reach agreement 
    with OFCCP on nationwide AAP formats or on frequency of updating 
    statistics.
        (f) Confidentiality and relevancy of information. If the contractor 
    is concerned with the confidentiality of such information as lists of 
    employee names, reasons for termination, or pay data, then alphabetic 
    or numeric coding or the use of an index of pay and pay ranges, 
    consistent with the ranges assigned to each job group, are acceptable 
    for desk audit purposes. The contractor must provide full access to all 
    relevant data on-site as required by Sec. 60-1.43. Where necessary, the 
    compliance officer may take information made available during the on-
    site evaluation off-site for further analysis. An off-site analysis 
    should be conducted where issues have arisen concerning deficiencies or 
    an apparent violation which, in the judgment of the compliance officer, 
    should be more thoroughly analyzed off-site before a determination of 
    compliance is made. The contractor must provide all data determined by 
    the compliance officer to be necessary for off-site analysis. Such data 
    may only be coded if the contractor makes the code available to the 
    compliance officer. If the contractor believes that particular 
    information which is to be taken off-site is not relevant to compliance 
    with the Executive Order, the contractor may request a ruling by the 
    OFCCP District/Area Director. The OFCCP District/Area Director shall 
    issue a ruling promptly. The contractor may appeal that ruling to the 
    OFCCP Regional Director within 10 days of receipt. The Regional 
    Director shall issue a final ruling promptly. Pending a final ruling, 
    such information may not be copied by OFCCP and access to the 
    information shall be limited to the compliance officer and personnel 
    involved in the determination of relevancy. Data determined to be not 
    relevant to the investigation will be returned to the contractor 
    immediately.
        (g) Public access to information. The disclosure of information 
    obtained from a contractor will be evaluated pursuant to the public 
    inspection and copying provisions of the Freedom of Information Act, 5 
    U.S.C. 552, and the Department of Labor's implementing regulations at 
    29 CFR part 70.
        6. Section 60-1.26 is revised to read as follows:
    
    
    Sec. 60-1.26   Enforcement proceedings.
    
        (a) General. (1) Violations of the Order, the equal opportunity 
    clause, the regulations in this chapter, or applicable construction 
    industry equal employment opportunity requirements, may result in the 
    institution of administrative or judicial enforcement proceedings. 
    Violations may be found based upon, inter alia, any of the following:
        (i) The results of a complaint investigation;
        (ii) The results of a compliance review;
        (iii) The results of a compliance evaluation;
        (iv) Analysis of an affirmative action program;
        (v) The results of an on-site review of the contractor's compliance 
    with the Order and its implementing regulations;
        (vi) A contractor's refusal to submit an affirmative action 
    program;
        (vii) A contractor's refusal to allow an on-site compliance 
    evaluation to be conducted;
        (viii) A contractor's refusal to establish, maintain and supply 
    records or other information as required by the regulations in this 
    chapter or applicable construction industry requirements;
        (ix) A contractor's alteration or falsification of records and 
    information required to be maintained by the regulations in this 
    chapter; or
        (x) Any substantial or material violation or the threat of a 
    substantial or material violation of the contractual provisions of the 
    Order, or of the rules or regulations in this chapter.
        (2) OFCCP may seek back pay and other make whole relief for victims 
    of discrimination identified during a complaint investigation or 
    compliance evaluation. Such individuals need not have filed a complaint 
    as a prerequisite to OFCCP seeking such relief on their behalf. 
    Interest on back pay shall be calculated from the date of the loss and 
    compounded quarterly at the percentage rate established by the Internal 
    Revenue Service for the underpayment of taxes.
        (b) Administrative enforcement. (1) OFCCP may refer matters to the 
    Solicitor of Labor with a recommendation for the institution of 
    administrative enforcement proceedings, which may be brought to enjoin 
    violations, to seek appropriate relief, and to impose appropriate 
    sanctions. The referral may be made when violations have not been 
    corrected in accordance with the conciliation procedures in this 
    chapter, or when OFCCP determines that referral for consideration of 
    formal enforcement (rather than settlement) is appropriate. However, if 
    a contractor refuses to submit an affirmative action program, or 
    refuses to supply records or other requested information, or refuses to 
    allow OFCCP access to its premises for an on-site review, and if 
    conciliation efforts under this chapter are unsuccessful, OFCCP may 
    immediately refer the matter to the Solicitor, notwithstanding other 
    requirements of this chapter.
        (2) Administrative enforcement proceedings shall be conducted under 
    the control and supervision of the Solicitor of Labor and under the 
    Rules of Practice for Administrative Proceedings to Enforce Equal 
    Opportunity under Executive Order 11246 contained in part 60-30 of this 
    chapter and the Rules of Evidence set out in the Rules of Practice and 
    Procedure for Administrative Hearings Before the Office of 
    Administrative Law Judges contained in 29 CFR part 18, subpart B: 
    Provided, That a Final Administrative Order shall be issued within one 
    year from the date of the issuance of the recommended findings, 
    conclusions and decision of the Administrative Law Judge, or the 
    submission of any exceptions and responses to exceptions to such 
    decision (if any), whichever is later.
        (c) Referrals to the Department of Justice. (1) The Deputy 
    Assistant Secretary may refer matters to the Department of Justice with 
    a recommendation for the institution of judicial enforcement 
    proceedings. There are no procedural prerequisites to a referral to the 
    Department of Justice. Such referrals may be accomplished without 
    proceeding through the conciliation procedures in this chapter,
    
    [[Page 25525]]
    
    and a referral may be made at any stage in the procedures under this 
    chapter.
        (2) Whenever a matter has been referred to the Department of 
    Justice for consideration of judicial enforcement, the Attorney General 
    may bring a civil action in the appropriate district court of the 
    United States requesting a temporary restraining order, preliminary or 
    permanent injunction (including relief against noncontractors, 
    including labor unions, who seek to thwart the implementation of the 
    Order and regulations), and an order for such additional sanctions or 
    relief, including back pay, deemed necessary or appropriate to ensure 
    the full enjoyment of the rights secured by the Order, or any of the 
    above in this paragraph (c)(2).
        (3) The Attorney General is authorized to conduct such 
    investigation of the facts as he/she may deem necessary or appropriate 
    to carry out his/her responsibilities under the regulations in this 
    chapter.
        (4) Prior to the institution of any judicial proceedings, the 
    Attorney General, on behalf of the Deputy Assistant Secretary, is 
    authorized to make reasonable efforts to secure compliance with the 
    contract provisions of the Order. The Attorney General may do so by 
    providing the contractor and any other respondent with reasonable 
    notice of his/her findings, his/her intent to file suit, and the 
    actions he/she believes necessary to obtain compliance with the 
    contract provisions of the Order without contested litigation, and by 
    offering the contractor and any other respondent a reasonable 
    opportunity for conference and conciliation, in an effort to obtain 
    such compliance without contested litigation.
        (5) As used in the regulations in this part, the Attorney General 
    shall mean the Attorney General, the Assistant Attorney General for 
    Civil Rights, or any other person authorized by regulations or practice 
    to act for the Attorney General with respect to the enforcement of 
    equal employment opportunity laws, orders and regulations generally, or 
    in a particular matter or case.
        (6) The Deputy Assistant Secretary or his/her designee, and 
    representatives of the Attorney General may consult from time to time 
    to determine what investigations should be conducted to determine 
    whether contractors or groups of contractors or other persons may be 
    engaged in patterns or practices in violation of the Executive Order or 
    these regulations, or of resistance to or interference with the full 
    enjoyment of any of the rights secured by them, warranting judicial 
    proceedings.
        (d) Initiation of lawsuits by the Attorney General without referral 
    from the Deputy Assistant Secretary. In addition to initiating lawsuits 
    upon referral under this section, the Attorney General may, subject to 
    approval by the Deputy Assistant Secretary, initiate independent 
    investigations of contractors which he/she has reason to believe may be 
    in violation of the Order or the rules and regulations issued pursuant 
    thereto. If, upon completion of such an investigation, the Attorney 
    General determines that the contractor has in fact violated the Order 
    or the rules and regulations issued thereunder, he/she shall make 
    reasonable efforts to secure compliance with the contract provisions of 
    the Order. He/she may do so by providing the contractor and any other 
    respondent with reasonable notice of the Department of Justice's 
    findings, its intent to file suit, and the actions that the Attorney 
    General believes are necessary to obtain compliance with the contract 
    provisions of the Order without contested litigation, and by offering 
    the contractor and any other respondent a reasonable opportunity for 
    conference and conciliation in an effort to obtain such compliance 
    without contested litigation. If these efforts are unsuccessful, the 
    Attorney General may, upon approval by the Deputy Assistant Secretary, 
    bring a civil action in the appropriate district court of the United 
    States requesting a temporary restraining order, preliminary or 
    permanent injunction, and an order for such additional sanctions or 
    equitable relief, including back pay, deemed necessary or appropriate 
    to ensure the full enjoyment of the rights secured by the Order or any 
    of the above in this paragraph (d).
        (e) To the extent applicable, this section and part 60-30 of this 
    chapter shall govern proceedings resulting from any Deputy Assistant 
    Secretary's determinations under Sec. 60-2.2(b) of this chapter.
        7. Section 60-1.27 is revised to read as follows:
    
    
    Sec. 60-1.27  Sanctions.
    
        (a) General. The sanctions described in subsections (1), (5), and 
    (6) of Section 209(a) of the Order may be exercised only by or with the 
    approval of the Deputy Assistant Secretary. Referral of any matter 
    arising under the Order to the Department of Justice or to the Equal 
    Employment Opportunity Commission shall be made by the Deputy Assistant 
    Secretary.
        (b) Debarment. A contractor may be debarred from receiving future 
    contracts or modifications or extensions of existing contracts, subject 
    to reinstatement pursuant to Sec. 60-1.31, for any violation of 
    Executive Order 11246 or the implementing rules, regulations and orders 
    of the Secretary of Labor. Debarment may be imposed for an indefinite 
    term or for a fixed minimum period of at least six months.
        8. Section 60-1.30 is revised to read as follows:
    
    
    Sec. 60-1.30  Notification of agencies.
    
        The Deputy Assistant Secretary shall ensure that the heads of all 
    agencies are notified of any debarments taken against any contractor.
        9. Section 60-1.31 is revised to read as follows:
    
    
    Sec. 60-1.31  Reinstatement of ineligible prime contractors and 
    subcontractors.
    
        A prime contractor or subcontractor debarred from further contracts 
    for an indefinite period under the Order may request reinstatement in a 
    letter filed with the Deputy Assistant Secretary at any time after the 
    effective date of the debarment; a prime contractor or subcontractor 
    debarred for a fixed period may make such a request upon the expiration 
    of the fixed debarment period. In connection with the reinstatement 
    proceedings, all debarred contractors shall be required to show that 
    they have established and will carry out employment policies and 
    practices in compliance with the Order and implementing regulations. 
    Before reaching a decision, the Deputy Assistant Secretary may conduct 
    a compliance evaluation of the contractor and may require the 
    contractor to supply additional information regarding the request for 
    reinstatement. The Deputy Assistant Secretary shall issue a written 
    decision on the request.
        10. Section 60-1.32 is revised to read as follows:
    
    
    Sec. 60-1.32  Intimidation and interference.
    
        (a) The contractor, subcontractor or applicant shall not harass, 
    intimidate, threaten, coerce, or discriminate against any individual 
    because the individual has engaged in or may engage in any of the 
    following activities:
        (1) Filing a complaint;
        (2) Assisting or participating in any manner in an investigation, 
    compliance evaluation, hearing, or any other activity related to the 
    administration of the Order or any other Federal, state or local law 
    requiring equal opportunity;
        (3) Opposing any act or practice made unlawful by the Order or any 
    other Federal, state or local law requiring equal opportunity; or
        (4) Exercising any other right protected by the Order.
        (b) The contractor, subcontractor or applicant shall ensure that 
    all persons under its control do not engage in such
    
    [[Page 25526]]
    
    harassment, intimidation, threats, coercion or discrimination. The 
    sanctions and penalties contained in this part may be exercised by 
    OFCCP against any contractor, subcontractor or applicant who violates 
    this obligation.
        11. In Sec. 60-1.34, paragraph (a)(4) is added to read as follows:
    
    
    Sec. 60-1.34  Violation of a conciliation agreement or letter of 
    commitment.
    
        (a) * * *
        (4) In any proceeding involving an alleged violation of a 
    conciliation agreement OFCCP may seek enforcement of the agreement 
    itself and shall not be required to present proof of the underlying 
    violations resolved by the agreement.
    * * * * *
        12. Section 60-1.42 is amended by revising paragraph (a) to read as 
    follows:
    
    
    Sec. 60-1.42  Notices to be posted.
    
        (a) Unless alternative notices are prescribed by the Deputy 
    Assistant Secretary, the notices which prime contractors and 
    subcontractors are required to post by paragraphs (1) and (3) of the 
    equal opportunity clause in Sec. 60-1.4 will contain the following 
    language and be provided by the contracting or administering agencies:
    
    EQUAL EMPLOYMENT OPPORTUNITY IS THE LAW--DISCRIMINATION IS PROHIBITED 
    BY THE CIVIL RIGHTS ACT OF 1964 AND BY EXECUTIVE ORDER No. 11246
    
        Title VII of the Civil Rights Act of 1964-Administered by: 
    
    THE EQUAL EMPLOYMENT OPPORTUNITY COMMISSION
    
        Prohibits discrimination because of Race, Color, Religion, Sex, 
    or National Origin by Employers with 15 or more employees, by Labor 
    Organizations, by Employment Agencies, and by Apprenticeship or 
    Training Programs.
    
    ANY PERSON
    
        Who believes he or she has been discriminated against
    
    SHOULD CONTACT
    
    THE EQUAL EMPLOYMENT OPPORTUNITY COMMISSION
    
        1801 L Street N.W., Washington, D.C. 20507
        Executive Order No. 11246-Administered by:
    
    THE OFFICE OF FEDERAL CONTRACT COMPLIANCE PROGRAMS
    
        Prohibits discrimination because of Race, Color, Religion, Sex, 
    or National Origin, and requires affirmative action to ensure 
    equality of opportunity in all aspects of employment.
        By all Federal Government Contractors and Subcontractors, and by 
    Contractors Performing Work Under a Federally Assisted Construction 
    Contract, regardless of the number of employees in either case.
    
    ANY PERSON
    
        Who believes he or she has been discriminated against
    
    SHOULD CONTACT
    
    THE OFFICE OF FEDERAL CONTRACT COMPLIANCE PROGRAMS
    
        U.S. Department of Labor, Washington, D.C. 20210
    * * * * *
        13. Section 60-1.43 is revised to read as follows:
    
    
    Sec. 60-1.43  Access to records and site of employment.
    
        Each prime contractor and subcontractor shall permit access during 
    normal business hours to its premises for the purpose of conducting on-
    site compliance evaluations and complaint investigations. Each 
    contractor shall permit the inspecting and copying of such books and 
    accounts and records, including computerized records, and other 
    material as may be relevant to the matter under investigation and 
    pertinent to compliance with the Order, and the rules and regulations 
    promulgated pursuant thereto by the agency, or the Deputy Assistant 
    Secretary. Information obtained in this manner shall be used only in 
    connection with the administration of the Order, the Civil Rights Act 
    of 1964 (as amended), and any other law that is or may be enforced in 
    whole or in part by OFCCP.
    
    PART 60-60--[REMOVED]
    
        14. Part 60-60 is removed.
    
    [FR Doc. 96-12687 Filed 5-20-96; 8:45 am]
    BILLING CODE 4510-27-P
    
    

Document Information

Published:
05/21/1996
Department:
Federal Contract Compliance Programs Office
Entry Type:
Proposed Rule
Action:
Notice of proposed rulemaking.
Document Number:
96-12687
Dates:
To be assured of consideration, comments must be in writing and must be received on or before July 22, 1996.
Pages:
25516-25526 (11 pages)
PDF File:
96-12687.pdf
CFR: (14)
41 CFR 60-1.26(b)
29 CFR 60-1.26
29 CFR 60-1.27
29 CFR 60-1.30
29 CFR 60-1.31
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