OFCCP to open contractor portal on March 31

The Office of Federal Contract Compliance Programs (OFCCP) announced on March 20, 2023, that it will open its contractor portal for the second year on March 31 and that all federal supply and service contractors and subcontractors must certify their compliance with their Affirmative Action Program requirements by June 29.

OFCCP rescinds Trump-era religious exemption rule
On March 1 the OFCCP announced its rescission of the Trump administration religious exemption rule, Implementing Legal Requirements Regarding the Equal Opportunity Clause’s Religious Exemption Rule in the Federal Register. When the OFCCP published its proposal to rescind the rule in November 2021, the agency stated it would return to the prior policy and practice in place under Presidents Bush and Obama.

In an entry to the Department of Labor’s (DOL) blog entitled Protecting Workers and Safeguarding Religious Freedom, OFCCP Director Jenny Yang defended the rescission by saying the Trump rule “weakened nondiscrimination protections for employees of federal contractors, objectives of Executive Order [EO] 11246 to ensure economy and efficiency in federal ­contracting and to promote equal employment ­opportunity.” Director Yang stated the rescission of the rule preserves the EO 11246 religious exemption and “does not change religious entities’ ability to pursue federal contracts.” The OFCCP has created a landing page to provide additional information on the rescission.