adminOn Tuesday, federal agencies issued a final interagency policy statement establishing joint standards for assessing the diversity policies and practices of the entities they regulate.
Section 342 of the Dodd-Frank Wall Street Reform and Consumer Protection Act of 2010 (Dodd-Frank Act) required the Federal Reserve Board, the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau, the Federal Deposit Insurance Corporation, the National Credit Union Administration, the Office of the Comptroller of the Currency, and the Securities and Exchange Commission to establish an Office of Minority and Women Inclusion (OMWI) at each agency to be responsible for all matters relating to diversity in management, employment, and business activities. The Dodd-Frank Act also instructed each OMWI director to develop standards for assessing the diversity policies and practices of the agencies’ regulated entities.
The final standards, which are generally similar to the proposed standards, provide a framework for regulated entities to create and strengthen their diversity policies and practices—including their organizational commitment to diversity, workforce and employment practices, procurement and business practices, and practices to promote transparency of organizational diversity and inclusion within the entities’ U.S. operations.
In addition to the final standards issued Tuesday, the agencies are asking for public comments on the information collection aspects of the final joint standards as required by the Paperwork Reduction Act. Comments are due within 60 days following publication in the Federal Register. The effective date of the collection of information will be announced in the Federal Register following Office of Management and Budget (OMB) approval.
