NT Lakis attorneys have filed supplemental written comments with the White House Office of Management and Budget (OMB) regarding OMB’s ongoing review of, and possible revisions to, the “Standards for the Classification of Federal Data on Race and Ethnicity,” which were last revised in 1997 (the “1997 Standards”).
Our supplemental comments were filed in response to a March 1, 2017, Federal Register notice indicating that a federal interagency working group tasked with reviewing the 1997 Standards has recommended that OMB add a new “Middle Eastern or North African” (MENA) classification, and is also considering whether to make the new MENA classification mandatory.
Consistent with our original comments, which were filed on October 31, 2016, in conjunction with OMB’s formal announcement that it was undertaking a review of the 1997 Standards, our supplemental comments recommend against any changes to the standards that would require employers to change the manner in which they solicit, collect, maintain, and report ethnicity data to the federal government, most notably, through the Employer Information (EEO-1) Report.
Our supplemental comments also recommend that in the event OMB moves forward with adopting the MENA classification or adopts new race and ethnicity subcategories within the existing categories, that any such changes be designated as voluntary for purposes of any government-mandated collection and reporting requirements imposed on private-sector employers.
Members of the Equal Employment Advisory Council (EEAC) can read more here.