Washington, D.C. – U.S. Senator Catherine Cortez Masto (D-Nev.) cosponsored the Federal Jobs Act introduced by U.S. Senator Bob Menendez (D-N.J.) to establish a government wide initiative to promote diversity and inclusion in the federal workforce and for other purposes.
“In order to best serve the American public, our federal government needs to reflect the diversity of its people and communities. In 2016, about 36% of all federal employees were people of color and only 35.5% were women, but we know those numbers don’t reflect the country as a whole. We need a workforce that comes from different backgrounds and experiences representing their communities and creating solutions to issues that they know best. This is why I’m proud to support the Federal Jobs Act and will continue to push for diversity and inclusion in all levels of government.”
BACKGROUND:
The Federal Jobs Act would require the creation and implementation of a diversity and inclusion strategic plan for the executive branch, agencies, legislative branch, and the judiciary. It would also require federal contractors to report funding spent on subcontractors who are economically and socially disadvantaged, and agencies to submit a report on minority businesses and groups’ access to the federal contracting and grant process.
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