{"id":458,"date":"2026-08-03T16:32:44","date_gmt":"2026-08-03T16:32:44","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/thirstier.news\/?p=458"},"modified":"2026-08-03T16:32:44","modified_gmt":"2026-08-03T16:32:44","slug":"eeoc-proposes-rescission-of-annual-race-and-sex-reporting-requirements","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/thirstier.news\/?p=458","title":{"rendered":"EEOC Proposes Rescission of Annual Race and Sex Reporting Requirements"},"content":{"rendered":"<div class=\"grid-container\">\n<div class=\"grid-row \">\n<section class=\"grid-col\">\n<div class=\"region region-highlighted\">\n<div data-drupal-messages-fallback class=\"hidden\"><\/div>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<div class=\"region region-content\">\n<div id=\"block-eeoc-uswds-content\" class=\"block block-system block-system-main-block\">\n<article class=\"usa-prose press_release\">\n<div class=\"press-release__site-subheading margin-bottom-2\">\n      <span class=\"press-release__site-subheading-label\">Press Release<\/span><br \/>\n              07-21-2026\n          <\/div>\n<h1 style=\"font-family: Merriweather, serif\"><span class=\"field field--name-title field--type-string field--label-hidden\">EEOC Proposes Rescission of Annual Race and Sex Reporting Requirements<\/span><br \/>\n<\/h1>\n<section class=\"layout layout--twocol-66-33\">\n<div class=\"grid-row grid-gap-lg usa-in-page-nav-container\">\n<div class=\"main-content-2 layout__region layout__region--content tablet:grid-col-8 margin-bottom-4 tablet:margin-bottom-0\">\n<div class=\"block block-layout-builder block-extra-field-blocknodepress-releaselinks\"><\/div>\n<div class=\"block block-layout-builder block-field-blocknodepress-releasebody\">\n<div class=\"usa-prose margin-top-3 clearfix text-formatted\">\n<div class=\"usa-prose margin-top-3 clearfix text-formatted field field--name-body field--type-text-with-summary field--label-hidden field__item\">\n<p><span style=\"font-family:Merriweather, serif\">WASHINGTON \u2014 The U.S. Equal Employment Opportunity Commission (EEOC) voted today to issue a <\/span><a href=\"https:\/\/www.eeoc.gov\/sites\/default\/files\/2026-07\/2026_NL01498_NPRM_Rescission.pdf\"><span style=\"font-family:Merriweather, serif\">Notice of Proposed Rulemaking (NPRM)<\/span><\/a><span style=\"font-family:Merriweather, serif\"> to rescind the requirement for employers and other covered entities to file an annual report with the EEOC summarizing aggregate data on their employees\u2019 race and sex (reports known respectively as the EEO-1, EEO-2, EEO-3, EEO-4, EEO-5, and EEO-6 reports or EEO Data Reports), and the recordkeeping requirements related to these reports.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-family:Merriweather, serif\">The EEOC\u2019s regulations currently require all organizations covered by Title VII of the Civil Rights Act \u2014 including over two million employers \u2014 to file these annual reports, regardless of whether or not an employer or other covered organization has ever been accused of a Title VII violation via a charge of discrimination filed with the EEOC. According to agency estimates, the EEOC\u2019s current data collection requirement imposes costs of almost $275 million on employers every year, as well as almost $4 million of costs on the EEOC to administer this data collection.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-family:Merriweather, serif\">In the NPRM, the Commission determined that the EEO Data Reports are inconsistent with equal employment opportunity law, may raise constitutional concerns, and collect data that is not narrowly tailored or necessary to enforce anti-discrimination statutes. Under Title VII, the EEOC is not required to impose these reporting obligations and may eliminate them when they are inconsistent with the law, not useful, or counter to enforcement priorities. The NPRM concludes that any limited value of the reports is outweighed by the significant burdens they impose on employers and on the Commission \u2014 particularly because employers must submit them annually without any specific indication of a potential violation.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-family:Merriweather, serif\">\u201cThe Commission\u2019s proposal to rescind the EEO Data Reports is consistent with the text of Title VII and Supreme Court precedent,\u201d <strong>said EEOC Chair Andrea Lucas<\/strong>. \u201cThe proposed rescission of the EEO Data Reports reaffirms the founding principle that every individual is created equal and therefore is entitled to equal treatment under the law. Because the EEO Data Reports require all covered employers to categorize employees by race and sex annually, disconnected from any allegation of a Title VII violation or related Commission enforcement proceeding, the EEO Data Reports stand in direct tension with Title VII\u2019s requirement that employment practices be colorblind. Collecting such data about employees\u2019 race and sex \u2014 absent any specific allegation of discrimination \u2014 not only risks hindering effective enforcement of equal employment laws but also raises constitutional concerns. The Commission\u2019s authority to request specific, tailored records relevant to a charge investigation, however, remains unchanged.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-family:Merriweather, serif\">The NPRM will be posted by the Federal Register for public inspection and will be published in the Federal Register for public comment shortly. In the interim, a copy of the NPRM approved by the Commission today can be found on the <\/span><a href=\"https:\/\/www.eeoc.gov\/sites\/default\/files\/2026-07\/2026_NL01498_NPRM_Rescission.pdf\"><span style=\"font-family:Merriweather, serif\">EEOC\u2019s website<\/span><\/a><span style=\"font-family:Merriweather, serif\">.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-family:Merriweather, serif\">Members of the public wishing to comment on the NPRM will have 30 days to do so from the date of publication in the Federal Register, via comments submitted through <\/span><a href=\"https:\/\/www.regulations.gov\/\" target=\"_blank\"><span style=\"font-family:Merriweather, serif\">www.regulations.gov<\/span><\/a><span style=\"font-family:Merriweather, serif\">. In addition, a public hearing concerning this proposal will be held on Aug. 11, 2026. Requests to testify at the hearing should be submitted by Aug. 7, 2026 through <\/span><a href=\"https:\/\/www.regulations.gov\/\" target=\"_blank\"><span style=\"font-family:Merriweather, serif\">www.regulations.gov<\/span><\/a><span style=\"font-family:Merriweather, serif\">. Consistent with the Administrative Procedure Act, the Commission will carefully consider all public comments and relevant data before making any final determination.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-family:Merriweather, serif\">The EEOC is the sole federal agency authorized to investigate and litigate against businesses and other private sector employers for violations of federal laws prohibiting employment discrimination. For public sector employers, the EEOC shares jurisdiction with the Department of Justice\u2019s Civil Rights Division. The EEOC also is responsible for coordinating the federal government\u2019s employment antidiscrimination effort. More information about the EEOC is available at <\/span><a href=\"https:\/\/www.eeoc.gov\/\"><span style=\"font-family:Merriweather, serif\">www.eeoc.gov<\/span><\/a><span style=\"font-family:Merriweather, serif\">.<\/span><\/p>\n<\/div><\/div>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<div class=\"layout__region layout__region--content tablet:grid-col-4\">\n<div class=\"views-element-container block block-views block-views-blockrelated-by-basis-block-1\">\n<div>\n<\/div>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<\/section>\n<section class=\"layout layout--twocol-66-33\">\n<div class=\"grid-row grid-gap-lg usa-in-page-nav-container\"><\/div>\n<\/section>\n<div class=\"layout layout--onecol\">\n<div><\/div>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<\/article><\/div>\n<div id=\"block-eeoc-uswds-cssfooter\" class=\"block block-block-content block-block-content813dd8e1-bb60-473e-9d53-8a6f3d187587\"><\/div>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<\/section><\/div>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<hr>\n<p class=\"tni-attribution\">Source: <a href=\"https:\/\/www.eeoc.gov\/newsroom\/eeoc-proposes-rescission-annual-race-and-sex-reporting-requirements\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\">U.S. Equal Employment Opportunity Commission<\/a><\/p>\n<p>Source: <a href=\"https:\/\/www.eeoc.gov\/newsroom\/eeoc-proposes-rescission-annual-race-and-sex-reporting-requirements\">U.S. Equal Employment Opportunity Commission<\/a>. <\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>WASHINGTON \u2014 The U.S.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":263,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[48],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-458","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-u-s-civil-service-independent-agencies-equal-employment-opportunity-commission"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/thirstier.news\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/458","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/thirstier.news\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/thirstier.news\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/thirstier.news\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/thirstier.news\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcomments&post=458"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/thirstier.news\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/458\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":665,"href":"https:\/\/thirstier.news\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/458\/revisions\/665"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/thirstier.news\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/media\/263"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/thirstier.news\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=458"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/thirstier.news\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=458"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/thirstier.news\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=458"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}