[Public Papers of the Presidents of the United States: WILLIAM J. CLINTON (2000-2001, Book III)]
[October 30, 2000]
[Pages 2388-2389]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office www.gpo.gov]



Memorandum on a Pilot Program for Reengineering the Equal Employment 
Opportunity Complaint Process
October 30, 2000

Memorandum for the Secretary of Defense

Subject: Implementation of Section 1111 of H.R. 4205, the ``Floyd D. 
Spence National Defense Authorization Act for Fiscal Year 2001''

    Today I have signed into law H.R. 4205, the ``Floyd D. Spence 
National Defense Authorization Act for Fiscal Year 2001.'' Section 1111 
of this bill authorizes you to create a pilot program to resolve equal 
employment opportunity complaints by civilian employees of the 
Department of Defense that is not subject to certain procedural 
requirements prescribed by the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission 
(EEOC). The EEOC is responsible for equal employment opportunity 
throughout the Government and it has longstanding expertise in this 
area. My Administration recently completed a major regulatory initiative 
to make the Federal equal employment opportunity process fairer and more 
effective. To operate any pilot program that eliminates the procedural 
safeguards incorporated in that initiative would leave civilian 
employees without important means to ensure the protection of their 
civil rights.
    For these reasons, I am directing that the following steps be taken 
in the implementation of this provision:

     First, you must personally approve the creation and 
            implementation of any pilot program created under section 
            1111 of H.R. 4205.
     Second, you must approve the implementation of this pilot 
            program in no more than one military department and two 
            Defense agencies.
     Third, in order to ensure that the participation in these 
            pilot programs by civilian employees is truly voluntary, I 
            direct you to

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            ensure that the pilot programs provide that complaining 
            parties may opt out of participation in the pilot programs 
            at any time.
     Fourth, I direct you to submit an assessment of the pilot 
            programs, together with the relevant underlying data, to the 
            EEOC within 180 days of the completion of the 3-year pilot 
            program period.

    These steps will ensure that important civil rights of civilian 
employees of the Department of Defense are protected while preserving 
congressional intent with regard to the creation of the pilot programs.

                                                      William J. Clinton

Note: H.R. 4205, approved October 30, which incorporated the Floyd D. 
Spence National Defense Authorization Act for Fiscal Year 2001 as an 
appendix, was assigned Public Law No. 106-398. This memorandum was 
released by the Office of the Press Secretary on October 31. An original 
was not available for verification of the content of this memorandum.