The U.S. Department of Labor’s Civil Rights Center has announced a Notice of Proposed Rulemaking to provide updates to the existing nondiscrimination and equal opportunity regulations of the Workforce Innovation and Opportunity Act. These regulations have not changed substantially since 1999.

WIOA mandates the department to issue regulations to implement Section 188 of the law, the provisions that require equal opportunity and nondiscrimination in the workforce development system. Section 188 prohibits discrimination because of race, color, religion, sex, national origin, age, disability, political affiliation or belief, and for beneficiaries, applicants, and participants only, citizenship status, or because of an individual’s participation in a program or activity that receives financial assistance under Title I of WIOA.

This NPRM contains substantive changes necessary to address developments in equal opportunity and nondiscrimination law since 1999. In addition, the rule revises procedures and processes for enforcement of the nondiscrimination and equal opportunity provisions to reflect changes in the practices of recipients, including the use of computer-based and Internet-based systems to provide aid, benefits, services, and training through WIOA Title I-financially assisted programs and activities.