Dive Brief:
- Six Congresspeople sent a letter to Andrea Lucas, recently appointed acting chair of the U.S. Equal Employment Opportunity Commission, on March 26 expressing concern about lease termination for eight EEOC field offices.
- The offices that are allegedly set to close are in Mobile, Alabama; San Jose, California; Greensboro, North Carolina; El Paso, Texas; Phoenix, Arizona; Kansas City, Kansas: Raleigh, North Carolina; and Greenville, South Carolina.
- The letter, obtained by HR Dive, was signed by Reps. Robert “Bobby” Scott, Zoe Lofgren, Shomari Figures, Alma Adams, Yassamin Ansari and Deborah Ross.
Dive Insight:
In the letter, the Congresspeople “strongly urge[d]” the EEOC to “reverse course on any plan to terminate leases at EEOC’s field offices.” These local outposts are important, they said, because they “are the first line of contact for employees or applicants seeking redress for alleged discrimination and employers seeking assistance with complying with the law.”
House Democrats also said that Lucas’ alleged actions violate a previous agency order, which forbids the EEOC from closing field offices without an agency quorum.
“It is also deeply concerning that these unilateral actions are being taken at a time when the Agency lacks a quorum,” the Congresspeople said.
They point to the part of the Jan. 18, 2006, order that reads, “The Commission shall approve the establishment of and changes to jurisdictional boundaries of any EEOC field activity. No jurisdictional boundaries can be established or changed, even temporarily, without Commission approval.”
When asked about the eight offices’ leases being terminated, an EEOC spokesperson told HR Dive that Lucas and staff have “continued to actively communicate” with U.S. General Services Administration about the agency’s “space requirements as a public-facing law enforcement agency.”
All of the leases are held by GSA, they said, adding, “We are committed to continuing to work with them to ensure we are able to provide service to the public. If there are any changes to the status of any EEOC office, the Acting Chair will follow all internal and external processes for approval and notification.”
