The Washington Report
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August 21, 2019
Legislative
Congress Adjourned for Summer Recess
The House and Senate are adjourned for summer recess. The chambers are tentatively scheduled to return to the Hill on September 9, 2019.
Other HR/Employment
OFCCP Releases Proposed Rule Implementing Legal Requirements Regarding the Equal Opportunity Clause's Religious Exemption
On August 15, 2019, the Department of Labor’s Office of Federal Contract Compliance Programs (OFCCP) announced a Notice of Proposed Rulemaking intended to clarify the civil rights protections afforded to religious organizations that contract with the federal government. The proposed rule would clarify the scope and application of the religious exemption contained in Section 204(c) of Executive Order 11246, as amended. The proposed clarifications to the religious exemption would help organizations with federal government contracts and subcontracts and federally assisted construction contracts and subcontracts better understand their Executive Order 11246 obligations.
According to the news release, the proposed rule would “clarify that religious organizations may make employment decisions consistent with their sincerely held religious tenets and beliefs without fear of sanction by the federal government. The proposal also reaffirms employers’ obligations not to discriminate on the basis of race, sex, or other protected bases and does not exempt or excuse a contractor from complying with any other requirements.”
Comments on the proposed rule are due no later than September 16, 2019.
The proposed rule is available here.
The news release is available here.
Executive Order 11246 is available here.