[Federal Register Volume 76, Number 163 (Tuesday, August 23, 2011)]
[Presidential Documents]
[Pages 52847-52849]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 2011-21704]



[[Page 52845]]

Vol. 76

Tuesday,

No. 163

August 23, 2011

Part III





The President





-----------------------------------------------------------------------



Executive Order 13583--Establishing a Coordinated Government-Wide 
Initiative to Promote Diversity and Inclusion in the Federal Workforce
 
 
                         Presidential Documents 
 
 

  Federal Register / Vol. 76, No. 163 / Tuesday, August 23, 2011 / 
Presidential Documents  

 ___________________________________________________________________

 Title 3--
 The President

[[Page 52847]]

                Executive Order 13583 of August 18, 2011

                
Establishing a Coordinated Government-Wide 
                Initiative to Promote Diversity and Inclusion in the 
                Federal Workforce

                By the authority vested in me as President by the 
                Constitution and the laws of the United States of 
                America, and in order to promote the Federal workplace 
                as a model of equal opportunity, diversity, and 
                inclusion, it is hereby ordered as follows:

                Section 1. Policy.  Our Nation derives strength from 
                the diversity of its population and from its commitment 
                to equal opportunity for all. We are at our best when 
                we draw on the talents of all parts of our society, and 
                our greatest accomplishments are achieved when diverse 
                perspectives are brought to bear to overcome our 
                greatest challenges.

                A commitment to equal opportunity, diversity, and 
                inclusion is critical for the Federal Government as an 
                employer. By law, the Federal Government's recruitment 
                policies should ``endeavor to achieve a work force from 
                all segments of society.'' (5 U.S.C. 2301(b)(1)). As 
                the Nation's largest employer, the Federal Government 
                has a special obligation to lead by example. Attaining 
                a diverse, qualified workforce is one of the 
                cornerstones of the merit-based civil service.

                Prior Executive Orders, including but not limited to 
                those listed below, have taken a number of steps to 
                address the leadership role and obligations of the 
                Federal Government as an employer. For example, 
                Executive Order 13171 of October 12, 2000 (Hispanic 
                Employment in the Federal Government), directed 
                executive departments and agencies to implement 
                programs for recruitment and career development of 
                Hispanic employees and established a mechanism for 
                identifying best practices in doing so. Executive Order 
                13518 of November 9, 2009 (Employment of Veterans in 
                the Federal Government), required the establishment of 
                a Veterans Employment Initiative. Executive Order 13548 
                of July 26, 2010 (Increasing Federal Employment of 
                Individuals with Disabilities), and its related 
                predecessors, Executive Order 13163 of July 26, 2000 
                (Increasing the Opportunity for Individuals With 
                Disabilities to be Employed in the Federal Government), 
                and Executive Order 13078 of March 13, 1998 (Increasing 
                Employment of Adults With Disabilities), sought to tap 
                the skills of the millions of Americans living with 
                disabilities.

                To realize more fully the goal of using the talents of 
                all segments of society, the Federal Government must 
                continue to challenge itself to enhance its ability to 
                recruit, hire, promote, and retain a more diverse 
                workforce. Further, the Federal Government must create 
                a culture that encourages collaboration, flexibility, 
                and fairness to enable individuals to participate to 
                their full potential.

                Wherever possible, the Federal Government must also 
                seek to consolidate compliance efforts established 
                through related or overlapping statutory mandates, 
                directions from Executive Orders, and regulatory 
                requirements. By this order, I am directing executive 
                departments and agencies (agencies) to develop and 
                implement a more comprehensive, integrated, and 
                strategic focus on diversity and inclusion as a key 
                component of their human resources strategies. This 
                approach should include a continuing effort to identify 
                and adopt best practices, implemented in an integrated 
                manner, to promote diversity and remove barriers to 
                equal employment opportunity, consistent with merit 
                system principles and applicable law.

[[Page 52848]]

                Sec. 2. Government-Wide Diversity and Inclusion 
                Initiative and Strategic Plan.  The Director of the 
                Office of Personnel Management (OPM) and the Deputy 
                Director for Management of the Office of Management and 
                Budget (OMB), in coordination with the President's 
                Management Council (PMC) and the Chair of the Equal 
                Employment Opportunity Commission (EEOC), shall:

                    (a) establish a coordinated Government-wide 
                initiative to promote diversity and inclusion in the 
                Federal workforce;
                    (b) within 90 days of the date of this order:

(i) develop and issue a Government-wide Diversity and Inclusion Strategic 
Plan (Government-wide Plan), to be updated as appropriate and at a minimum 
every 4 years, focusing on workforce diversity, workplace inclusion, and 
agency accountability and leadership. The Government-wide Plan shall 
highlight comprehensive strategies for agencies to identify and remove 
barriers to equal employment opportunity that may exist in the Federal 
Government's recruitment, hiring, promotion, retention, professional 
development, and training policies and practices;

(ii) review applicable directives to agencies related to the development or 
submission of agency human capital and other workforce plans and reports in 
connection with recruitment, hiring, promotion, retention, professional 
development, and training policies and practices, and develop a strategy 
for consolidating such agency plans and reports where appropriate and 
permitted by law; and

(iii) provide guidance to agencies concerning formulation of agency-
specific Diversity and Inclusion Strategic Plans prepared pursuant to 
section 3(b) of this order;

                    (c) identify appropriate practices to improve the 
                effectiveness of each agency's efforts to recruit, 
                hire, promote, retain, develop, and train a diverse and 
                inclusive workforce, consistent with merit system 
                principles and applicable law; and
                    (d) establish a system for reporting regularly on 
                agencies' progress in implementing their agency-
                specific Diversity and Inclusion Strategic Plans and in 
                meeting the objectives of this order.

                Sec. 3. Responsibilities of Executive Departments and 
                Agencies.  All agencies shall implement the Government-
                wide Plan prepared pursuant to section 2 of this order, 
                and such other related guidance as issued from time to 
                time by the Director of OPM and Deputy Director for 
                Management of OMB. In addition, the head of each 
                executive department and agency referred to under 
                subsections (1) and (2) of section 901(b) of title 31, 
                United States Code, shall:

                    (a) designate the agency's Chief Human Capital 
                Officer to be responsible for enhancing employment and 
                promotion opportunities within the agency, in 
                collaboration with the agency's Director of Equal 
                Employment Opportunity and Director of Diversity and 
                Inclusion, if any, and consistent with law and merit 
                system principles, including development and 
                implementation of the agency-specific Diversity and 
                Inclusion Strategic Plan;
                    (b) within 120 days of the issuance of the 
                Government-wide Plan or its update under section 
                2(b)(i) of this order, develop and submit for review to 
                the Director of OPM and the Deputy Director for 
                Management of OMB an agency-specific Diversity and 
                Inclusion Strategic Plan for recruiting, hiring, 
                training, developing, advancing, promoting, and 
                retaining a diverse workforce consistent with 
                applicable law, the Government-wide Plan, merit system 
                principles, the agency's overall strategic plan, its 
                human capital plan prepared pursuant to Part 250 of 
                title 5 of the Code of Federal Regulations, and other 
                applicable workforce planning strategies and 
                initiatives;
                    (c) implement the agency-specific Diversity and 
                Inclusion Strategic Plan after incorporating it into 
                the agency's human capital plan; and
                    (d) provide information as specified in the 
                reporting requirements developed under section 2(d).

[[Page 52849]]

                Sec. 4. General Provisions.  (a) Nothing in this order 
                shall be construed to impair or otherwise affect:

(i) authority granted to a department or agency or the head thereof, 
including the authority granted to EEOC by other Executive Orders 
(including Executive Order 12067) or any agency's authority to establish an 
independent Diversity and Inclusion Office; or

(ii) functions of the Director of OMB relating to budgetary, 
administrative, or legislative proposals.

                    (b) This order shall be implemented consistent with 
                applicable law and subject to the availability of 
                appropriations.
                    (c) This order is not intended to, and does not, 
                create any right or benefit, substantive or procedural, 
                enforceable at law or in equity by any party against 
                the United States, its departments, agencies, or 
                entities, its officers, employees, or agents, or any 
                other person.
                
                
                    (Presidential Sig.)

                THE WHITE HOUSE,

                    August 18, 2011.

[FR Doc. 2011-21704
Filed 8-22-11; 11:15 am]
Billing code 3195-W1-P