April 2, 2004

Dear Senators Stevens and Hollings:

     The Equal Employment Opportunity Commission (EEOC) has again requested a total of $5 million for “workforce repositioning,” which would include the establishment of a privatized national call center. As the Committee begins drafting the Fiscal Year 2005 Appropriations Bill for Commerce, Justice, State, and the Judiciary, I am once again writing to express my opposition to this initiative and to ask the Committee not to include funding for this request.

As you will recall, in August 2002, EEOC commissioned a study from the National Academy of Public Administration (NAPA) on the Commission’s structure and program delivery system. That study recommended, among other things, closing 41 of EEOC’s 51 offices and creating a national call center to be run by contracted employees.  Last year, based on concerns that creating a call center where non-attorneys dispense advice about the filing of EEOC charges would impair the EEOC’s mission and lessen the quality of its service, the Committee saw fit not to include funding for this purpose.  

Little has changed since then. There still have been no Congressional hearings on the impact the NAPA plan, and particularly the proposed call center, would have on EEOC’s ability to eliminate illegal discrimination in the workplace. EEOC employees continue to express significant concerns that the NAPA plan will severely impact their ability to carry out the Commission’s important mission. 

I, therefore, urge you to reject the EEOC’s request until the Committee has the opportunity to carefully examine the NAPA plan.  The EEOC, and its dedicated employees work very hard to enforce our Nation’s civil rights laws in the workplace.  In my view, this effort to “reposition” the EEOC without careful study and analysis could severely diminish their ability to do so.

 I appreciate your attention to this important matter.

                                                 Sincerely,

_____________________   

                                                     Paul S. Sarbanes

Cc :  Senator Ted Stevens

        Senator Robert C. Byrd