Sep, 08, 2022

OMB Launches New Public Listening Sessions on Federal Race and Ethnicity Standards Revision

The Office of Management and Budget (OMB) announced a formal review to revise OMB’s Statistical Policy Directive No. 15: Standards for Maintaining, Collecting, and Presenting Federal Data on Race and Ethnicity. This Directive provides minimum standards that ensure the federal government’s ability to compare race and ethnicity information and data across federal agencies, and also helps to understand how well federal programs serve a diverse America. Earlier this year, Dr. Karin Orvis, Chief Statistician of the United States, convened an Interagency Technical Working Group of federal government career staff representing over 20 agencies across the federal government, including almost every CFO Act agency and recognized statistical agency that collect or use race and ethnicity data, as well as the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission. The Working Group has begun developing a set of recommendations for improving the quality and usefulness of federal race and ethnicity data and now invites public input through virtual, bi-monthly listening sessions. These listening sessions will begin Thursday, September 15, 2022.