COMMISSION WILL FOCUS ON PROPOSED NATIONAL ENFORCEMENT PLAN AT NEXT MEETING

WASHINGTON -- The U.S. Equal Employment Opportunity Commission (EEOC) will hold its next meeting on February 8 to consider a proposed National Enforcement Plan for reforming the agency's administrative and litigation enforcement operations.

The National Enforcement Plan (NEP) and recently implemented Priority Charge Handling Procedures are the major elements of EEOC's strategic plans for processing private sector charges in a more timely and effective manner. The NEP will define categories for case prioritization and approaches for resolving older charges. It will also provide plans for training legal and enforcement staff in effectively implementing the NEP and local enforcement plans. Priority Charge Handling Procedures provide agency field offices with more flexibility in deciding the level of investigation appropriate to both incoming and pending charges. Both initiatives stem from recommendations made by the agency's Task Force on Charge Processing, which were unanimously adopted by the Commission in April 1995.

The public is urged to attend tomorrow's meeting to be held at 2 p.m. in the Clarence M. Mitchell, Jr. Conference Room (9th floor), 1801 L Street, N.W.

NOTE TO MEDIA: The Commission agenda is subject to revision. You may call (202) 663-7100 (voice) or (202) 663-4074 (TDD) on February 8 to confirm the above schedule.

EEOC enforces Title VII of the Civil Rights Act of 1964, which prohibits employment discrimination based on race, color, religion, sex, or national origin; the Age Discrimination in Employment Act; the Equal Pay Act; the Americans with Disabilities Act, which prohibits discrimination against people with disabilities in the private sector and state and local governments; prohibitions against discrimination affecting individuals with disabilities in the federal government; and sections of the Civil Rights Act of 1991.