Washington Post, 5/17/05

Stephen Barr

EEOC Vote Delayed

The chairman of the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission yesterday delayed a vote on a reorganization plan for the agency to provide more time for members of Congress, union officials and employees to offer comments.

The decision by Cari M. Dominguez, EEOC chairman, to postpone the vote apparently came at the last minute, Agency officials, including Commissioner Stuart J. Ishimaru, had gathered in the EEOC conference room and, after several minutes, were informed that the vote was off.

In recent days, members of Congress and civil rights leaders have expressed concern about the reorganization, which would reduce the number of district directors by one-third.

“I am pleased that Chairwoman Dominguez has heard our concerns about rushing to a vote on restructuring…. Millions of Americans who face discrimination rely on the EEOC to protect their rights; we cannot allow any change in the agency’s structure to weaken those protections,” Sen. Edward M Kennedy (D-Mass.) said in a statement.

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