The Institutionalization of the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission Submitted by: Mitzi Ramos, MPA (
[email protected]) University of Illinois at Chicago, Political Science Doctoral Program With a budget of $2.25 million, and approximately 100 employees located at its central headquarters in Washington DC, the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission (EEOC) emerged in May of 1965 to oversee the implementation of Title VII of the 1964 Civil Rights Act. Though the EEOC began with the charge of enforcing federal laws designed to end workforce discrimination based on race, sex, color, religion and national origin, the Commission has seen significant increases in size and scope. By 2002, the EEOC’s budget increased to $310.406 million and its workforce grew to 2,782 employees in over 50 field offices nationwide. In addition to Title VII, the scope of the EEOC has grown to include federal laws addressing discrimination against individuals over the age of 40 (1967 Age Discrimination in Employment Act); discrimination on the basis of gender in compensation (1963 Equal Pay Act); and discrimination on the basis of disability (1990 Americans with Disabilities Act, 1973 Rehabilitation Act); in addition to the enforcement of the 1991Civil Rights Act, which provides monetary damages in cases of intentional discrimination. Today, the EEOC is responsible for coordinating all federal equal employment opportunity (EEO) regulations, practices, and policies; interpreting employment discrimination laws and monitoring federal sector employment discrimination program; providing funding and support to state and local Fair Employment Practices Agencies (FEPAs); and sponsoring outreach and technical assistance programs (EEOC, www.eeoc.gov/welcome.html). Considering the growth in the size and scope of the EEOC from its inception in 1965, one would expect to uncover literature surrounding the institutionalization of the Commission.