On April 27, 2017, the United States Senate confirmed Alexander Acosta as the 27th Secretary of Labor. Following a hearing before the Senate Health, Education, Labor and Pensions Committee, the full Senate approved Acosta in a 60-38 vote. Acosta was sworn in by Vice President Mike Pence on April 28, 2017. The press release announcing his appointment can be found at:
https://www.dol.gov/newsroom/releases/opa/opa20170428.
On March 27, 2017, President Trump issued an Executive Order entitled Revocation of Federal Contracting Executive Orders. This Order rescinds Executive Order 13673, known as the Fair Pay and Safe Workplaces Executive Order, the so-called “blacklisting” rule for federal contractors. A copy of the new Executive Order can be found at: https://www.whitehouse.gov/the-press-office/2017/03/27/presidential-executive-order-revocation-federal-contracting-executive.
On March 1, 2017, the Office of Federal Contract Compliance Programs (OFCCP) updated the Pay Transparency Nondiscrimination Provision to include a citation to 41 C.F.R. 60-1.35(c) at the end of the notice. The Provision is a requirement pursuant to Executive Order 11246 and applies to federal contracts entered into or modified on or after January 11, 2016. A copy of the revised Provision can be found at: https://www.dol.gov/ofccp/pdf/pay-transp_unformattedESQA508c.pdf.
On February 15, 2017, Andrew Puzder withdrew from consideration as Secretary of Labor. The confirmation hearing for Puzder’s nomination was scheduled for Thursday, February 16, 2017, after being delayed several times due to lingering issues regarding his background check and ethical concerns.
On January 31, 2017, the Office of Management and Budget (OMB) approved the Voluntary Self-Identification of Disability Form for an additional three years, making the new expiration date January 31, 2020. An updated version of the form can be found here: https://www.dol.gov/ofccp/regs/compliance/sec503/Self_ID_Forms/SelfIDForms.htm.
On January 25, 2017, the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission (EEOC) announced that President Donald Trump named Victoria A. Lipnic as Acting Chair of the EEOC. Lipnic has served on the Commission since 2010, having previously been nominated by President Barack Obama. In November 2015, she was nominated for and confirmed to serve a second term ending on July 1, 2020. The press release announcing her appointment can be found at: https://www.eeoc.gov/eeoc/newsroom/release/1-25-17a.cfm.
On September 29, 2016, the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission (EEOC) announced the new EEO-1 Report. Because the new report will use W-2 data, the filing deadline is moving from September 30 to March 31. As a result, no EEO-1 Reports will be filed in 2017. The EEOC news release can be found at: https://www.eeoc.gov/eeoc/newsroom/release/9-29-16.cfm.
On August 25, 2016, the Federal Acquisition Regulatory Council (FARC) and U.S. Department of Labor (DOL) published the final regulations and guidance implementing Executive Order 13673, Fair Pay and Safe Workplaces. The effective date for prime contractors is October 25, 2016. The final rule can be found in the Federal Register publication at: https://www.gpo.gov/fdsys/pkg/FR-2016-08-25/pdf/2016-19676.pdf and the guidance from the DOL can be found at: https://www.gpo.gov/fdsys/pkg/FR-2016-08-25/pdf/2016-19678.pdf.
On July 14, 2016, the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission (EEOC) announced revisions to the proposed changes to the EEO-1 Report. The major change was moving the due date from September 30 to March 31, thereby allowing employers to use existing W-2 data as compiled for tax purposes. The announcement can be found on the EEOC website at:
https://www.eeoc.gov/employers/eeo1survey/2016_eeo-1_proposed_changes_revised.cfm.
On June 15, 2016, the Office of Federal Contract Compliance Programs (OFCCP) published the Final Rule updating the Sex Discrimination Guidelines in the Federal Register, revising the previous regulations found at 41 CFR 60-20. The final rule takes effect on August 15, 2016. The Federal Register publication can be found at: https://www.gpo.gov/fdsys/pkg/FR-2016-06-15/pdf/2016-13806.pdf.