President Clinton Takes Action to Increase Opportunities
For Hispanic Americans in the Federal Workforce
October 12, 2000
Today, President Clinton signed a new Executive Order to increase efforts to
employ Hispanic Americans in the federal government. Building on the
President's commitment to creating an Administration that reflects America's
diversity and increasing prosperity for all Americans, this Order will improve
government recruitment and career development of Hispanic Americans -- a group
historically under-represented in the federal workforce.
TAKING ACTION TO IMPROVE FEDERAL GOVERNMENT RECRUITMENT OF HISPANIC AMERICANS.
The Hispanic Employment in the Federal Government Executive Order, signed today
by President Clinton, will improve efforts to increase federal employment of
Hispanic Americans and build on the President?s work to create a diverse
Administration that looks like America. Specifically, through this Executive
Order, the President will:
Direct all Administration departments and agencies to establish and
maintain programs for the recruitment and career development of Hispanic
Americans in federal employment.
Direct all Administration departments and agencies to eliminate systemic
barriers to recruitment of Hispanic Americans and incorporate objectives of this
Executive Order into their agency?s Government Performance and Results Act
planning.
Establish an Interagency Task Force, chaired by the Director of the Office
of Personnel Management, to assess overall Executive Branch progress in
complying with the requirements of the Order, provide advice on ways to increase
Hispanic community involvement, assess best practices in strategic human
resources management planning and report findings and recommendations annually
to the President.
Direct the Office of Personnel Management to provide policy guidance to
address Hispanic American under-representation in the federal government and
lead the effort to promote diversity in the federal workforce.
WORKING TO ENSURE THAT ALL AMERICANS SHARE IN OUR NATION?S PROSPERITY.
President Clinton is committed to ensuring that all Americans participate in our
nation?s unprecedented prosperity, including benefiting from federal employment
opportunities. Studies published by the Office of Personnel Management, the
General Accounting Office and the Merit Systems Protection Board document that
Hispanic Americans are under-represented in the federal government. Hispanic
Americans represent 6.4 percent of the federal workforce and only 2.7 percent of
the Senior Executive Service, despite the fact that they represent 11.4 percent
of the U.S. labor force. To correct this historic under-representation ,
President Clinton is taking action to ensure that opportunities within the
federal workforce are available to all Americans, including Hispanic Americans.
CREATING AN ADMINISTRATION THAT LOOKS LIKE AMERICA. President Clinton has
appointed the most diverse Cabinet and Administration, with the most Hispanic
American appointments and judicial nominees, in history:
Hispanic Americans make up seven percent of Senate confirmed appointments,
including Secretary of Energy Bill Richardson and Small Business Administrator
Aida Alvarez.
Nine percent of Presidential appointments, including boards and commissions,
are held by Hispanic Americans, including Assistant to the President and White
House Deputy Chief of Staff Maria Echaveste; Assistant to
the President and Director of Intergovernmental Affairs Mickey Ibarra; Secretary
of the Army Luis Caldera; Equal Employment Opportunity Commissioner Ida Castro;
Office of Personnel Management Deputy Director John U. Sepulveda; Federal
Communications Commissioner Gloria Tristani; and Selective Service Systems
Director Gil Coronado.
Six percent of all President Clinton?s judicial appointments are Hispanic
Americans, including the Honorable Richard Paez, Judge, Ninth Circuit U.S. Court
of Appeals; the Honorable Jose Cabranes, Judge, Second Circuit U.S. Circuit
Court; the Honorable Julio Fuentes, Judge, Third Circuit U.S. Court of Appeals;
the Honorable Carlos Moreno, Judge, Central District of California, U.S.
District Court; and the Honorable Hilda Tagle, Judge, Southern District of
Texas, U.S. District Court. President Clinton has appointed as many
Hispanic-Americans to the federal judiciary (23 total) as Presidents Bush and
Reagan combined, and has appointed more Hispanic-Americans to the federal
appeals courts than Presidents Bush, Reagan, and Carter combined.
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