PRESIDENT CLINTON NAMES PAUL M. IGASAKI AS A COMMISSIONER AND VICE CHAIR OF THE U.S. EQUAL EMPLOYMENT OPPORTUNITY COMMISSION

WASHINGTON -- On December 16, 1997, President Clinton announced the recess appointment of Paul M. Igasaki to serve as a Commissioner and Vice Chair of the U.S. Equal Employment Opportunity Commission. Vice Chair Igasaki will serve as a recess appointee. He was nominated for a second term on July 31, 1997, and his nomination is currently pending before the Senate. According to the White House, the announcement "will ensure a functioning Commission with a voting quorum."

Shortly after the White House announcement, Igasaki said: "I look forward to continuing stable leadership at EEOC and making the Commission as effective an agency as possible." Igasaki also said: "We've made a great deal of progress in utilizing the limited resources that we have been allocated. At the same time, I am pleased by the President's commitment to seeking adequate funding for our law enforcement work."

The U.S. Equal Employment Opportunity Commission has the responsibility of enforcing Title VII of the Civil Rights Act of 1964, which prohibits employment discrimination based on race, color, religion, sex, and 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 in state and local governments; the Rehabilitation Act's prohibitions against disability discrimination in the federal government; and, sections of the Civil Rights Act of 1991.