# Plain Language Summary: EEOC Transparency and Accountability Act

This bill changes how the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission (EEOC)—the federal agency that handles workplace discrimination complaints—decides whether to take legal action in certain cases. Right now, the EEOC's leadership can decide to sue employers or join lawsuits fairly independently. This bill would require the full Commission to vote and approve these decisions before they happen, at least for the most important cases.

Specifically, the Commission would need to hold a majority vote before taking legal action in cases involving systemic discrimination (discrimination that affects groups of workers), cases that will cost a lot of money and staff time to pursue, cases where the EEOC is taking a new legal position that differs from past court rulings in that region, and cases that are likely to be controversial or involve unsettled areas of law. The bill also requires the Commission to consider at least one case recommendation from each of the EEOC's local offices every year. Additionally, any single Commission member could demand a vote on any litigation decision they think is important enough.

The bill adds a transparency requirement: within 30 days of filing or joining a lawsuit, the EEOC must post details on its website, including which court the case is in, what the allegations are, what laws were broken, and how each Commissioner voted. This means the public would be able to see exactly who voted for and against pursuing each case. The goal appears to be giving the Commission more collective oversight over litigation decisions and making the agency's choices more visible to the public, though critics might argue it could slow down the agency's ability to respond quickly to discrimination complaints.

EEOC Transparency and Accountability Act

Walberg, Tim

EEOC Transparency and Accountability Act This bill provides statutory authority for the requirement that the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission (EEOC) vote on whether to commence, intervene, or otherwise participate in certain types of litigation, including cases involving issues in which the commission has taken a position that is contrary to the corresponding judicial precedent. (The EEOC adopted a similar resolution in January 2021.) The commission must post information relating to such cases and associated votes on its website.