THE WHITE HOUSE
Office of the Press Secretary
October 12, 2000
EXECUTIVE ORDER
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HISPANIC EMPLOYMENT IN THE FEDERAL GOVERNMENT
By the authority vested in me as President by the Constitution and
the laws of the United States of America, and in order to improve the
representation of Hispanics in Federal employment, within merit system
principles and consistent with the application of appropriate veterans'
preference criteria, to achieve a Federal workforce drawn from all
segments of society, it is hereby ordered as follows:
Section 1. Policy. It is the policy of the executive branch to
recruit qualified individuals from appropriate sources in an effort to
achieve a workforce drawn from all segments of society. Pursuant to
this policy, this Administration notes that Hispanics remain
underrepresented in the Federal workforce: they make up only 6.4
percent of the Federal civilian workforce, roughly half of their total
representation in the civilian labor force. This Executive Order,
therefore, affirms ongoing policies and recommends additional policies
to eliminate the underpresentation of Hispanics in the Federal
workforce.
Sec. 2. Responsibilities of Executive Departments and Agencies.
The head of each executive department and agency (agency) shall
establish and maintain a program for the recruitment and career
development of Hispanics in Federal employment. In its program, each
agency shall:
- provide a plan for recruiting Hispanics that creates a fully
diverse workforce for the agency in the 21st century;
- assess and eliminate any systemic barriers to the effective
recruitment and consideration of Hispanics, including but not limited
to:
- broadening the area of consideration to include applicants from all appropriate sources;
- ensuring that selection factors are appropriate and
achieve the broadest consideration of applicants and do
not impose barriers to selection based on nonmerit
factors; and
- considering the appointment of Hispanic Federal
executives to rating, selection, performance review, and
executive resources panels and boards;
- improve outreach efforts to include organizations outside the
Federal Government in order to increase the number of Hispanic
candidates in the selection pool for the Senior Executive Service;
- promote participation of Hispanic employees in management,
leadership, and career development programs;
- ensure that performance plans for senior executives, managers,
and supervisors include specific language related to significant
accomplishments on diversity recruitment and career development and that
accountability is predicated on those plans;
- establish appropriate agency advisory councils that include
Hispanic Employment Program Managers;
- implement the goals of the Government-wide Hispanic Employment
Initiatives issued by the Office of Personnel Management (OPM) in
September 1997 (Nine-Point Plan), and the Report to the President's
Management Council on Hispanic Employment in the Federal Government of
March 1999;
- ensure that managers and supervisors receive periodic training
in diversity management in order to carry out their responsibilities to
maintain a diverse workforce; and
- reflect a continuing priority for eliminating Hispanic
underrepresentation in the Federal workforce and incorporate actions
under this order as strategies for achieving workforce diversity goals
in the agency's Government Performance and Results Act (GPRA) Annual
Performance Plan.
Sec. 3. Cooperation. All efforts taken by heads of agencies under
sections 1 and 2 of this order shall, as appropriate, further
partnerships and cooperation among Federal, public, and private sector
employers, and appropriate Hispanic organizations whenever such
partnerships and cooperation are possible and would promote the Federal
employment of qualified individuals. In developing the long-term
comprehensive strategies required by section 2 of this order, agencies
shall, as appropriate, consult with and seek information and advice from
experts in the areas of special targeted recruitment and diversity in
employment.
Sec. 4. Responsibilities of the Office of Personnel Management.
The Office of Personnel Management is required by law and regulations to
undertake a Government-wide minority recruitment effort. Pursuant to
that on-going effort and in implementation of this order, the Director
of OPM shall:
- provide Federal human resources management policy guidance to
address Hispanic underrepresentation where it occurs;
- take the lead in promoting diversity to executive agencies for
such actions as deemed appropriate to promote equal employment
opportunity;
- within 180 days from the date of this order, prescribe such
regulations as may be necessary to carry out the purposes of this order;
- within 60 days from the date of this order, establish an
Interagency Task Force, chaired by the Director and composed of agency
officials at the Deputy Secretary level, or the equivalent. This Task
Force shall meet semi-annually to:
- review best practices in strategic human resources
management planning, including alignment with agency GPRA
plans;
- assess overall executive branch progress in complying
with the requirements of this order;
- provide advice on ways to increase Hispanic community
involvement; and
- recommend any further actions, as appropriate, in
eliminating the underrepresentation of Hispanics in the
Federal workforce where it occurs; and
- issue an annual report with findings and recommendations to
the President on the progress made by agencies on matters related to
this order. The first annual report shall be issued no later than 1
year from the date of this order.
Sec. 5. Judicial Review. This order is intended only to improve
the internal management of the executive branch. It does not create any
right or benefit, substantive or procedural, enforceable in law or
equity except as may be identified in existing laws and regulations, by
a party against the United States, its agencies, its officers or
employees, or any other person.
WILLIAM J. CLINTON
THE WHITE HOUSE,
October 12, 2000.
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