In accordance with 5 CFR 1320, the information collection is withdrawn at the agency's request.
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The purpose of this information collection request is to seek approval to use the Environmental Protection Agency's EZhire, vacancy announcement and job application system to collect gender, race, national origin, and disability information from employees within the agency and outside job applicants. All job applicants, whether internal or external, would be asked to complete, on a voluntary basis, an Applicant Background Questionnaire: Race, National Origin, Gender, and Disability Demographics. This information is not currently being collected nor being reported to the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission (EEOC) and the Office of Personnel Management (OPM). Therefore, EPA is not in compliance with regulations which require the submission of race, national origin, gender, and disability data for various reporting purposes.
The Equal Employment Opportunity Commission Management Directive 715, requires agencies to maintain a system that collects and maintains accurate information on the race, national origin, gender and disability of agency employees in accordance with 29 CFR 1614.601; maintain a system that tracks applicant flow data, which identifies applicants by race, national origin, gender, and disability status and disposition of all applications and maintain a tracking system of recruitment activities to permit analyses of these efforts in any examination of potential barriers to equality of opportunity. Management Directive 715 requires agencies to conduct an internal review and analysis of the effects of all current and proposed policies, practices, procedures and conditions that directly or indirectly, relate to the employment of individuals with disabilities based on their race, national origin, gender and disabilities. EPA must collect and evaluate the information and data necessary to make an informed assessment about the extent to which the Agency is meeting its responsibility to provide employment opportunities for qualified applicants and employees with disabilities, especially those with targeted disabilities.
The purpose of this information collection request is to seek approval to use the Environmental Protection Agency EZhire, vacancy announcement and job application system to collect gender, race, national origin and disability information from employees within the agency and outside job applicants. All job applicants, whether internal or external, would be asked to complete, on a voluntary basis, an Applicant Background Questionnaire: Race, National Origin, Gender, and Disability Demographics. This information is not currently being collected nor being reported to the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission and the Office of Personnel Management (OPM). Therefore, EPA is not in compliance with regulations which require the submission of race, national origin, gender, and disability data for various reporting purposes.
The Equal Employment Opportunity Commission Management Directive 715 requires agencies to: maintain a system that collects and maintains accurate information on the race, national origin, gender and disability of agency employees in accordance with 29 CFR 1614.601; maintain a system that tracks applicant flow data, which identifies applicants by race, national origin, gender, and disability status and disposition of all applications; and maintain a tracking system of recruitment activities to permit analyses of these efforts in any examination of potential barriers to equality of opportunity. Management Directive 715 requires agencies to conduct an internal review and analysis of the effects of all current and proposed policies, practices, procedures and conditions that directly or indirectly, relate to the employment of individuals with disabilities based on their race, national origin, gender and disabilities. EPA must collect and evaluate the information and data necessary to make an informed assessment about the extent to which the Agency is meeting its responsibility to provide employment opportunities for qualified applicants and employees with disabilities, especially those with targeted disabilities.
Additionally, not later than November 1 of each year, EPA is required to submit to the Office of Personnel Management, an annual Federal Equal Employment Opportunity Recruitment Program report to determine Agency success in recruiting, hiring, developing, and training a diverse workforce. An annual statistical report of race and national origin data is required and utilized by the EPA Office of Human Resources that consolidates information gathered from a job applicant's OPM Form 1386 B (Applicant Race and National Origin Questionnaire).
Management Directive 715 reports are to be submitted to the EEOC, annually by January 31, for the preceding fiscal year. Since EPA does not have an OMB approved Applicant Flow Data Collection Form, it does not collect this required information, and consequently the annual MD715 report EPA submitted to the EEOC does not contain this required information.
The EEOC has determined that EPA is in noncompliance in this regard and is expecting EPA to start collecting and reporting this information, as soon as possible.
OHR and OCR consider this request to be an emergency situation and would appreciate OMB approving the drafted Applicant Background Questionnaire: Race, National Origin, Gender, and Disability Demographics, (applicant flow data), within 30 days of receiving the request. There are other Federal agencies (Departments of Labor and Interior) that have OMB approved forms very similar to the questionnaire that EPA has developed.
If this questionnaire is not approved on an emergency basis, OCR and OHR will not be able to submit the next MD 715 and FEORP reports to the EEOC and OPM with the required information.
On behalf of this Federal agency, I certify that the collection of information encompassed by this request complies with 5 CFR 1320.9 and the related provisions of 5 CFR 1320.8(b)(3).
The following is a summary of the topics, regarding the proposed collection of information, that the certification covers:
(i) Why the information is being collected;
(ii) Use of information;
(iii) Burden estimate;
(iv) Nature of response (voluntary, required for a benefit, or mandatory);
(v) Nature and extent of confidentiality; and
(vi) Need to display currently valid OMB control number;
If you are unable to certify compliance with any of these provisions, identify the item by leaving the box unchecked and explain the reason in the Supporting Statement.
Form 2248.01 Applicant Background Questionnaire: Race, National Origin, Gender and Disability Demographics
2248ss.01.doc
Applicant Background Questionnaire: Race, National Origin, Gender and Disability Demographics