Equal Employment Opportunity in State and Local Governments: Improving the Federal Role

The fair treatment of applicants and employees in all aspects of personnel administration without regard to race, color, religion, sex, national origin, political affiliation, age, handicap, or other nonmerit factors is a general requirement for state and local governments receiving grants or financial assistance from federal programs subject to the Standards for a Merit System of Personnel Administration. The standards are intended to help state and local governments improve personnel administration, and include criteria for: establishing and maintaining a systematic approach to employing, advancing, and retaining employees; providing proper safeguards for fair treatment of employees; ensuring compliance with federal equal employment opportunity requirements; ensuring effective employee management relations; and sustaining proper administration of the standards through evaluation, technical assistance, and when necessary, enforcement. To determine the effectiveness of the Office of Personnel Management (OPM) and other federal agencies' administration of the federal merit standards, GAO undertook a review of selected financial assistance programs.