On the first day of his presidency, President Biden signed several Executive Orders (EO) relating to employment.
- President Biden signed an EO on Advancing Racial Equity and Supporting Underserved Communities Through the Federal Government. Included in this EO, President Biden revoked EO 13950 which was signed by former President Trump and prohibited federal contractors from conducting workplace training that includes any form of race or sex-stereotyping or any form of race or sex scapegoating.
The new EO stated, “It is therefore the policy of my Administration that the Federal Government should pursue a comprehensive approach to advancing equity for all, including people of color and others who have been historically underserved, marginalized, and adversely affected by persistent poverty and inequality.”
- President Biden signed an EO on Preventing and Combatting Discrimination on the Basis of Gender Identity and Sexual Orientation, to align with a U.S. Supreme Court decision in 2020 which held Title VII prohibits discrimination because of sex which includes discrimination based on gender identity and sexual orientation. Accordingly, all federal agencies must comply with this court decision.
Keep in mind, discrimination based on gender identity and sexual orientation is already prohibited under Oregon law.
President Biden also made other key changes such as appointing a new Director for the OFCCP, changes in officials at OSHA, removal of the General Counsel for the NLRB, appointed a new Commissioner for the EEOC and other changes are in the process such as a new Secretary of Labor.
Cascade is actively monitoring the ongoing changes and will continue to provide additional alerts when information becomes available. Please do not hesitate to reach out if you have any questions.