Leadership and Coordination of Nondiscrimination Laws
B-201695: Published: Oct 21, 1981. Publicly Released: Oct 21, 1981.
Additional Materials:
- Full Report:
Contact:
GAO was asked for its opinion concerning whether GAO falls within the title 5 of the United States Code definition of executive agency and, if so, whether it is covered under the Rehabilitation Act and is therefore subject to the provisions of Executive Order 12250. Under Executive Order 12250, the Attorney General is assigned responsibility for coordinating the implementation and enforcement by executive agencies of the Civil Rights Act of 1964, the Education Amendments of 1972, the Rehabilitation Act of 1973, and any other provision of Federal statutory law which prohibits discrimination under any program or activity receiving Federal financial assistance. In response, GAO stated that it does not believe that the title 5 definition of executive agency should be applied in these circumstances. While for some limited purposes GAO is included within the definition of executive agency, for most purposes it is considered as an independent agency within the legislative branch. As a further indication of its status, it receives its operating funds in the annual legislative branch appropriations acts. Also, to guarantee its independence, Congress has separated the GAO personnel system from that of the executive branch, thus ensuring that GAO employees would continue to have rights and benefits enjoyed by employees in other Government agencies. The GAO Personnel Act: (1) established a GAO Personnel Appeals Board to perform functions of the Office of Personnel Management, the Merit Systems Protection Board, the Federal Labor Relations Authority, and the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission; (2) established a General Counsel to the GAO Personnel Appeals Board to investigate labor-management and employment discrimination cases; (3) incorporated the substantive requirements of the equal employment opportunity laws applicable to executive agencies; (4) preserved any right or remedy which may have been granted to GAO employees by those antidiscrimination laws; and (5) vested authority for their implementation and enforcement in the GAO Personnel Appeals Board and in the Comptroller General. Therefore, GAO believes that the Department of Justice is without jurisdiction in these matters, insofar as GAO is concerned, and GAO is exempt from the requirements of Executive Order 12250.
Oct 26, 2020
-
Intellectual Property:
CBP Has Taken Steps to Combat Counterfeit Goods in Small Packages but Could Streamline EnforcementGAO-20-692: Published: Sep 24, 2020. Publicly Released: Oct 26, 2020.
Sep 30, 2020
-
Federal Criminal Restitution:
Department of Justice Has Ongoing Efforts to Improve Its Oversight of the Collection of Restitution and Tracking the Use of Forfeited AssetsGAO-20-676R: Published: Sep 30, 2020. Publicly Released: Sep 30, 2020.
Sep 10, 2020
-
Federal Tactical Teams:
Characteristics, Training, Deployments, and InventoryGAO-20-710: Published: Sep 10, 2020. Publicly Released: Sep 10, 2020.
Sep 8, 2020
-
VA Police:
Actions Needed to Improve Data Completeness and Accuracy on Use of Force Incidents at Medical CentersGAO-20-599: Published: Sep 8, 2020. Publicly Released: Sep 8, 2020.
Aug 13, 2020
-
Anti-Money Laundering:
FinCEN Should Enhance Procedures for Implementing and Evaluating Geographic Targeting OrdersGAO-20-546: Published: Jul 14, 2020. Publicly Released: Aug 13, 2020.
Jul 29, 2020
-
Federal Prison Industries:
Actions Needed to Evaluate Program EffectivenessGAO-20-505: Published: Jul 29, 2020. Publicly Released: Jul 29, 2020.
Jul 8, 2020
-
Gun Control:
DOJ Can Further Improve Guidance on Federal Firearm Background Check RecordsGAO-20-528: Published: Jul 8, 2020. Publicly Released: Jul 8, 2020.
Jun 22, 2020
-
Federal Prisons:
Additional Analysis Needed to Determine Whether to Issue Pepper Spray to Minimum Security PrisonsGAO-20-342: Published: Jun 22, 2020. Publicly Released: Jun 22, 2020.
May 26, 2020
-
Bureau of Prisons:
Improved Planning Would Help BOP Evaluate and Manage Its Portfolio of Drug Education and Treatment ProgramsGAO-20-423: Published: May 26, 2020. Publicly Released: May 26, 2020.
May 12, 2020
-
Forensic Technology:
Algorithms Used in Federal Law EnforcementGAO-20-479SP: Published: May 12, 2020. Publicly Released: May 12, 2020.
Looking for more? Browse all our products here