12 USC § 5452 - Office of Minority and Women Inclusion

(a) Office of Minority and Women Inclusion

(1) Establishment

(A) In general

Except as provided in subparagraph (B), not later than 6 months after July 21, 2010, each agency shall establish an Office of Minority and Women Inclusion that shall be responsible for all matters of the agency relating to diversity in management, employment, and business activities.

(B) Bureau

The Bureau shall establish an Office of Minority and Women Inclusion not later than 6 months after the designated transfer date established under section 5582 of this title.

(2) Transfer of responsibilities

Each agency that, on the day before July 21, 2010, assigned the responsibilities described in paragraph (1) (or comparable responsibilities) to another office of the agency shall ensure that such responsibilities are transferred to the Office.

(3) Duties with respect to civil rights laws

The responsibilities described in paragraph (1) do not include enforcement of statutes, regulations, or executive orders pertaining to civil rights, except each Director shall coordinate with the agency administrator, or the designee of the agency administrator, regarding the design and implementation of any remedies resulting from violations of such statutes, regulations, or executive orders.

(b) Director

(1) In general

The Director of each Office shall be appointed by, and shall report to, the agency administrator. The position of Director shall be a career reserved position in the Senior Executive Service, as that position is defined in section 3132 of title 5, or an equivalent designation.

(2) Duties

Each Director shall develop standards for—

(A) equal employment opportunity and the racial, ethnic, and gender diversity of the workforce and senior management of the agency;

(B) increased participation of minority-owned and women-owned businesses in the programs and contracts of the agency, including standards for coordinating technical assistance to such businesses; and

(C) assessing the diversity policies and practices of entities regulated by the agency.

(3) Other duties

Each Director shall advise the agency administrator on the impact of the policies and regulations of the agency on minority-owned and women-owned businesses.

(4) Rule of construction

Nothing in paragraph (2)(C) may be construed to mandate any requirement on or otherwise affect the lending policies and practices of any regulated entity, or to require any specific action based on the findings of the assessment.

(c) Inclusion in all levels of business activities

(1) In general

The Director of each Office shall develop and implement standards and procedures to ensure, to the maximum extent possible, the fair inclusion and utilization of minorities, women, and minority-owned and women-owned businesses in all business and activities of the agency at all levels, including in procurement, insurance, and all types of contracts.

(2) Contracts

The procedures established by each agency for review and evaluation of contract proposals and for hiring service providers shall include, to the extent consistent with applicable law, a component that gives consideration to the diversity of the applicant. Such procedure shall include a written statement, in a form and with such content as the Director shall prescribe, that a contractor shall ensure, to the maximum extent possible, the fair inclusion of women and minorities in the workforce of the contractor and, as applicable, subcontractors.

(3) Termination

(A) Determination

The standards and procedures developed and implemented under this subsection shall include a procedure for the Director to make a determination whether an agency contractor, and, as applicable, a subcontractor has failed to make a good faith effort to include minorities and women in their workforce.

(B) Effect of determination

(i) Recommendation to agency administrator Upon a determination described in subparagraph (A), the Director shall make a recommendation to the agency administrator that the contract be terminated.

(ii) Action by agency administrator Upon receipt of a recommendation under clause (i), the agency administrator may—

(I) terminate the contract;

(II) make a referral to the Office of Federal Contract Compliance Programs of the Department of Labor; or

(III) take other appropriate action.

(d) Applicability

This section shall apply to all contracts of an agency for services of any kind, including the services of financial institutions, investment banking firms, mortgage banking firms, asset management firms, brokers, dealers, financial services entities, underwriters, accountants, investment consultants, and providers of legal services. The contracts referred to in this subsection include all contracts for all business and activities of an agency, at all levels, including contracts for the issuance or guarantee of any debt, equity, or security, the sale of assets, the management of the assets of the agency, the making of equity investments by the agency, and the implementation by the agency of programs to address economic recovery.

(e) Reports

Each Office shall submit to Congress an annual report regarding the actions taken by the agency and the Office pursuant to this section, which shall include—

(1) a statement of the total amounts paid by the agency to contractors since the previous report;

(2) the percentage of the amounts described in paragraph (1) that were paid to contractors described in subsection (c)(1);

(3) the successes achieved and challenges faced by the agency in operating minority and women outreach programs;

(4) the challenges the agency may face in hiring qualified minority and women employees and contracting with qualified minority-owned and women-owned businesses; and

(5) any other information, findings, conclusions, and recommendations for legislative or agency action, as the Director determines appropriate.

(f) Diversity in agency workforce

Each agency shall take affirmative steps to seek diversity in the workforce of the agency at all levels of the agency in a manner consistent with applicable law. Such steps shall include—

(1) recruiting at historically black colleges and universities, Hispanic-serving institutions, women’s colleges, and colleges that typically serve majority minority populations;

(2) sponsoring and recruiting at job fairs in urban communities;

(3) placing employment advertisements in newspapers and magazines oriented toward minorities and women;

(4) partnering with organizations that are focused on developing opportunities for minorities and women to place talented young minorities and women in industry internships, summer employment, and full-time positions;

(5) where feasible, partnering with inner-city high schools, girls’ high schools, and high schools with majority minority populations to establish or enhance financial literacy programs and provide mentoring; and

(6) any other mass media communications that the Office determines necessary.

(g) Definitions

For purposes of this section, the following definitions shall apply:

(1) Agency

The term “agency” means—

(A) the Departmental Offices of the Department of the Treasury;

(B) the Corporation;

(C) the Federal Housing Finance Agency;

(D) each of the Federal reserve banks;

(E) the Board;

(F) the National Credit Union Administration;

(G) the Office of the Comptroller of the Currency;

(H) the Commission; and

(I) the Bureau.

(2) Agency administrator

The term “agency administrator” means the head of an agency.

(3) Minority

The term “minority” has the same meaning as in section 1204(c) of the Financial Institutions Reform, Recovery, and Enforcement Act of 1989 (12 U.S.C. 1811 note).

(4) Minority-owned business

The term “minority-owned business” has the same meaning as in section 1441a (r)(4)(A) of this title, as in effect on the day before the transfer date.

(5) Office

The term “Office” means the Office of Minority and Women Inclusion established by an agency under subsection (a).

(6) Women-owned business

The term “women-owned business” has the meaning given the term “women’s business” in section 1441a (r)(4)(B) of this title, as in effect on the day before the transfer date.

Source

(Pub. L. 111–203, title III, § 342,July 21, 2010, 124 Stat. 1541.)

References in Text

Section 1204(c) of the Financial Institutions Reform, Recovery, and Enforcement Act of 1989, referred to in subsec. (g)(3), is section 1204(c) ofPub. L. 101–73, which is set out as a note under section 1811 of this title.