The Commission is empowered, as hereinafter provided, to prevent any person from engaging in any unlawful employment practice as set forth in section 2000e-2 or 2000e-3 of this title.
Whenever a charge is filed by or on behalf of a person claiming to be aggrieved, or by a member of the Commission, alleging that an employer, employment agency, labor organization, or joint labor-management committee controlling apprenticeship or other training or retraining, including on-the-job training programs, has engaged in an unlawful employment practice, the Commission shall serve a notice of the charge (including the date, place and circumstances of the alleged unlawful employment practice) on such employer, employment agency, labor organization, or joint labor-management committee (hereinafter referred to as the "respondent") within ten days, and shall make an investigation thereof. Charges shall be in writing under oath or affirmation and shall contain such information and be in such form as the Commission requires. Charges shall not be made public by the Commission. If the Commission determines after such investigation that there is not reasonable cause to believe that the charge is true, it shall dismiss the charge and promptly notify the person claiming to be aggrieved and the respondent of its action. In determining whether reasonable cause exists, the Commission shall accord substantial weight to final findings and orders made by State or local authorities in proceedings commenced under State or local law pursuant to the requirements of subsections (c) and (d). If the Commission determines after such investigation that there is reasonable cause to believe that the charge is true, the Commission shall endeavor to eliminate any such alleged unlawful employment practice by informal methods of conference, conciliation, and persuasion. Nothing said or done during and as a part of such informal endeavors may be made public by the Commission, its officers or employees, or used as evidence in a subsequent proceeding without the written consent of the persons concerned. Any person who makes public information in violation of this subsection shall be fined not more than $1,000 or imprisoned for not more than one year, or both. The Commission shall make its determination on reasonable cause as promptly as possible and, so far as practicable, not later than one hundred and twenty days from the filing of the charge or, where applicable under subsection (c) or (d), from the date upon which the Commission is authorized to take action with respect to the charge.
In the case of an alleged unlawful employment practice occurring in a State, or political subdivision of a State, which has a State or local law prohibiting the unlawful employment practice alleged and establishing or authorizing a State or local authority to grant or seek relief from such practice or to institute criminal proceedings with respect thereto upon receiving notice thereof, no charge may be filed under subsection (a)1 by the person aggrieved before the expiration of sixty days after proceedings have been commenced under the State or local law, unless such proceedings have been earlier terminated, provided that such sixty-day period shall be extended to one hundred and twenty days during the first year after the effective date of such State or local law. If any requirement for the commencement of such proceedings is imposed by a State or local authority other than a requirement of the filing of a written and signed statement of the facts upon which the proceeding is based, the proceeding shall be deemed to have been commenced for the purposes of this subsection at the time such statement is sent by registered mail to the appropriate State or local authority.
In the case of any charge filed by a member of the Commission alleging an unlawful employment practice occurring in a State or political subdivision of a State which has a State or local law prohibiting the practice alleged and establishing or authorizing a State or local authority to grant or seek relief from such practice or to institute criminal proceedings with respect thereto upon receiving notice thereof, the Commission shall, before taking any action with respect to such charge, notify the appropriate State or local officials and, upon request, afford them a reasonable time, but not less than sixty days (provided that such sixty-day period shall be extended to one hundred and twenty days during the first year after the effective day of such State or local law), unless a shorter period is requested, to act under such State or local law to remedy the practice alleged.
The provisions of chapter 6 of title 29 shall not apply with respect to civil actions brought under this section.
In any case in which an employer, employment agency, or labor organization fails to comply with an order of a court issued in a civil action brought under this section, the Commission may commence proceedings to compel compliance with such order.
Any civil action brought under this section and any proceedings brought under subsection (i) shall be subject to appeal as provided in sections 1291 and 1292, title 28.
In any action or proceeding under this subchapter the court, in its discretion, may allow the prevailing party, other than the Commission or the United States, a reasonable attorney's fee (including expert fees) as part of the costs, and the Commission and the United States shall be liable for costs the same as a private person.
1So in original. Probably should be subsection "(b)".
42 U.S.C. § 2000e-5
EDITORIAL NOTES
REFERENCES IN TEXTThis Act, referred to in subsec. (f)(2), means Pub. L. 88-352, July 2, 1964, 78 Stat. 241, known as the Civil Rights Act of 1964, which is classified principally to subchapters II to IX of this chapter (§2000a et seq.). For complete classification of this Act to the Code, see Short Title note set out under section 2000a of this title and Tables.Rules 65 and 53 of the Federal Rules of Civil Procedure, referred to in subsec. (f)(2), (5), are set out in the Appendix to Title 28, Judiciary and Judicial Procedure. Chapter 6 (§101 et seq.) of title 29, referred to in subsec. (h), is a reference to act Mar. 23, 1932, ch. 90, 47 Stat. 70, popularly known as the Norris-LaGuardia Act. For complete classification of this Act to the Code, see Tables.
AMENDMENTS2009-Subsec. (e)(3). Pub. L. 111-2 added par. (3). 1991-Subsec. (e). Pub. L. 102-166, §112, designated existing provisions as par. (1) and added par. (2). Subsec. (g). Pub. L. 102-166, §107(b), designated existing provisions as pars. (1) and (2)(A) and added par. (2)(B).Subsec. (k). Pub. L. 102-166, §113(b), inserted "(including expert fees)" after "attorney's fee".1972-Subsec. (a). Pub. L. 92-261, §4(a), added subsec. (a). Former subsec. (a) redesignated (b) and amended generally.Subsec. (b). Pub. L. 92-261, §4(a), redesignated former subsec. (a) as (b), modified the procedure for the filing and consideration of charges by the Commission, subjected to coverage unlawful employment practices of joint labor-management committees controlling apprenticeship or other training or retraining, including on-the-job training programs, required the Commission to accord substantial weight to final findings and orders made by State or local authorities in proceedings commenced under State or local law in its determination of reasonable cause, and inserted provision setting forth the time period, after charges have been filed, allowed to the Commission to determine reasonable cause. Former subsec. (b) redesignated (c).Subsecs. (c), (d). Pub. L. 92-261, §4(a), redesignated former subsecs. (b) and (c) as (c) and (d), respectively. Former subsec. (d) redesignated (e).Subsec. (e). Pub. L. 92-261, §4(a), redesignated former subsec. (d) as (e), extended from ninety to one hundred and eighty days after the occurrence of the alleged unlawful employment practice the time for filing charges under this section and from two hundred and ten to three hundred days the time for filing such charges where the person aggrieved initially instituted proceedings with a State or local agency, and inserted requirement that notice of the charge be served on the respondent within ten days after filing. Former subsec. (e) redesignated (f)(1). Subsec. (f). Pub. L. 92-261, §4(a), redesignated former subsec. (e) as par. (1), substituted provisions setting forth the procedure for civil actions where the Commission was unable to secure from the respondents a conciliation agreement to prevent further unlawful employment practices for provisions setting forth the procedure for civil actions where the Commission was unable to obtain voluntary compliance with this subchapter and inserted provisions setting forth the procedure for civil action where the respondent is a government, governmental agency, or political subdivision and the Commission could not secure a conciliation agreement, added par. (2), redesignated former subsec. (f) as par. (3), substituted "aggrieved person" for "plaintiff", and added pars. (4) and (5).Subsec. (g). Pub. L. 92-261, §4(a), inserted provisions which authorized the court to order affirmative action not limited solely to the enumerated affirmative acts and such other equitable relief as deemed appropriate, and provisions which set forth the accrual date for back pay.Subsecs. (i), (j). Pub. L. 92-261, §4(b)(1), (2), substituted "this section" for "subsection (e) of this section".
STATUTORY NOTES AND RELATED SUBSIDIARIES
EFFECTIVE DATE OF 2009 AMENDMENT Pub. L. 111-2, §6, Jan. 29, 2009, 123 Stat. 7, provided that: "This Act [amending this section and section 2000e-16 of this title and sections 626, 633a, and 794a of Title 29, Labor, and enacting provisions set out as notes under this section and section 2000a of this title], and the amendments made by this Act, take effect as if enacted on May 28, 2007 and apply to all claims of discrimination in compensation under title VII of the Civil Rights Act of 1964 (42 U.S.C. 2000e et seq.), the Age Discrimination in Employment Act of 1967 (29 U.S.C. 621 et seq.), title I and section 503 of the Americans with Disabilities Act of 1990 [42 U.S.C. 12111 et seq., 12203], and sections 501 and 504 of the Rehabilitation Act of 1973 [29 U.S.C. 791, 794], that are pending on or after that date."
EFFECTIVE DATE OF 1991 AMENDMENT Amendment by Pub. L. 102-166 effective Nov. 21, 1991, except as otherwise provided, see section 402 of Pub. L. 102-166 set out as a note under section 1981 of this title.
EFFECTIVE DATE OF 1972 AMENDMENTPub. L. 92-261, §14, Mar. 24, 1972, 86 Stat. 113, provided that: "The amendments made by this Act to section 706 of the Civil Rights Act of 1964 [this section] shall be applicable with respect to charges pending with the Commission on the date of enactment of this Act [Mar. 24, 1972] and all charges filed thereafter."
FINDINGS Pub. L. 111-2, §2, Jan. 29, 2009, 123 Stat. 5, provided that: "Congress finds the following: "(1) The Supreme Court in Ledbetter v. Goodyear Tire & Rubber Co., 550 U.S. 618 (2007), significantly impairs statutory protections against discrimination in compensation that Congress established and that have been bedrock principles of American law for decades. The Ledbetter decision undermines those statutory protections by unduly restricting the time period in which victims of discrimination can challenge and recover for discriminatory compensation decisions or other practices, contrary to the intent of Congress."(2) The limitation imposed by the Court on the filing of discriminatory compensation claims ignores the reality of wage discrimination and is at odds with the robust application of the civil rights laws that Congress intended. "(3) With regard to any charge of discrimination under any law, nothing in this Act [amending this section and section 2000e-16 of this title and sections 626, 633a, and 794a of Title 29, Labor, and enacting provisions set out as notes under this section and section 2000a of this title] is intended to preclude or limit an aggrieved person's right to introduce evidence of an unlawful employment practice that has occurred outside the time for filing a charge of discrimination. "(4) Nothing in this Act is intended to change current law treatment of when pension distributions are considered paid."
APPLICATION TO OTHER LAWS Pub. L. 111-2, §5(a), (b), Jan. 29, 2009, 123 Stat. 6, provided that: "(a) AMERICANS WITH DISABILITIES ACT OF 1990.-The amendments made by section 3 [amending this section] shall apply to claims of discrimination in compensation brought under title I and section 503 of the Americans with Disabilities Act of 1990 (42 U.S.C. 12111 et seq., 12203), pursuant to section 107(a) of such Act (42 U.S.C. 12117(a)), which adopts the powers, remedies, and procedures set forth in section 706 of the Civil Rights Act of 1964 (42 U.S.C. 2000e-5)."(b) REHABILITATION ACT OF 1973.-The amendments made by section 3 shall apply to claims of discrimination in compensation brought under sections 501 and 504 of the Rehabilitation Act of 1973 (29 U.S.C. 791, 794), pursuant to-"(1) sections 501(g) and 504(d) of such Act (29 U.S.C. 791(g) [now 29 U.S.C. 791(f)], 794(d)), respectively, which adopt the standards applied under title I of the Americans with Disabilities Act of 1990 [42 U.S.C. 12111 et seq.] for determining whether a violation has occurred in a complaint alleging employment discrimination; and "(2) paragraphs (1) and (2) of section 505(a) of such Act (29 U.S.C. 794a(a)) (as amended by subsection (c))."
- practices
- The term "practices" means design, financing, permitting, construction, commissioning, operation and maintenance, and other practices that contribute to achieving zero-net-energy buildings or facilities.