Legislative Employment: EEO Complaint Processing By the House Office of Fair Employment Practices

GAO discussed the House Office of Fair Employment Practices' (OFEP) procedures for handling employment discrimination complaints, focusing on the: (1) number, type, and resolution of complaints; (2) progression of complaints through the process; and (3) number of complaints that resulted in finding of discrimination. GAO noted that: (1) OFEP does not investigate employment discrimination complaints; (2) OFEP follows a three-step process that consists of counseling and mediation, formal complaint, hearing, and OFEP review, and final review by an eight-member review panel; (3) OFEP has received over 1,200 inquiries relating to fair employment practices and violations of the Fair Labor Standards Act; (4) 16 employees have initiated informal complaints as a result of inquiries, and 7 of the 16 employees have filed formal complaints; (5) most employees alleged that they were discriminated against on the basis of race, age, and color; (6) the issue cited most often by complaints was termination of employment; and (7) it is unclear whether the relatively small number of complaints filed reflects a high turnover rate among House employees or confidentiality concerns, a lack of meritorious cases, or problems with the OFEP process.