Congress moves to lock in 60-year-old contractor nondiscrimination rule
H.R. 989 — To codify Executive Order 11246 titled "Equal Employment Opportunity". · Filed by Shontel Brown (D-OH) · 92 cosponsors · Introduced Feb 5, 2025 · Referred to committee
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What it does
This bill converts Executive Order 11246—a 1965 rule requiring federal contractors and subcontractors to follow nondiscrimination standards in hiring and employment—into permanent federal law. Currently, the order exists only as an executive directive, meaning a future president could revoke it. Codification would require Congress to change or repeal it, protecting the nondiscrimination mandate from executive reversal.
Why we flagged it
The bill converts a 60-year-old executive order on federal contractor nondiscrimination into statutory law, cementing existing regulatory protections against reversal by future administrations.
What the text implies
- Codification would prevent future presidents from revoking or weakening EO 11246 via executive action alone, requiring congressional action to modify contractor nondiscrimination standards.
- May trigger litigation from business groups arguing the statute imposes compliance costs on federal contractors; defense contractors and large procurement vendors could face heightened scrutiny.
The full analysis lists 3 implications of this text.