Public Law 92-261
- AN ACT
To further promote equal employment opportunities for American workers.
Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representatives of the United States of America in Congress assembled, That this Act may be cited as the "Equal Employment Opportunity Act of 1972".
SEC. 2. Section 701 of the Civil Rights Act of 1964 (78 Stat. 253; 42 U.S.C. 2000e) is amended as follows:
(1) In subsection (a) insert "governments, governmental agencies, political subdivisions," after the word "individuals".
(2) Subsection (b) is amended to read as follows:
"(b) The term 'employer' means a person engaged in an industry affecting commerce who has fifteen or more employees for each working day in each of twenty or more calendar weeks in the current or preceding calendar year, and any agent of such a person, but such term does not include (1) the United States, a corporation wholly owned by the Government of the United States, an Indian tribe, or any department or agency of the District of Columbia subject by statute to procedures of the competitive service (as defined in section 2102 of title 5 of the United States Code), or (2) a bona fide private membership club (other than a labor organization) which is exempt from taxation under section 501(c) of the Internal Revenue Code of 1954, except that during the first year after the date of enactment of the Equal Employment Opportunity Act of 1972, persons having fewer than twenty-five employees (and their agents) shall not be considered employers."
(3) In subsection (c) beginning with the semicolon strike out through the word "assistance".
(4) In subsection (e) strike out between "(A)" and "and such labor organization", and insert in lieu thereof "twenty-five or more during the first year after the date of enactment of the Equal Employment Opportunity Act of 1972, or (B) fifteen or more thereafter,".
(5) In subsection (f), insert before the period a comma and the following: "except that the term 'employee' shall not include any person elected to public office in any State or political subdivision of any State by the qualified voters thereof, or any person chosen by such officer to be on such officer's personal staff, or an appointee on the policy making level or an immediate adviser with respect to the exercise of the constitutional or legal powers of the office. The exemption set forth in the preceding sentence shall not include employees subject to the civil service laws of a State government, governmental agency or political subdivision."
(6) At the end of subsection (h) insert before the period a comma and the following: "and further includes any governmental industry, business, or activity".
(7) After subsection (i) insert the following new subsection (j):
"(j) The term 'religion' includes all aspects of religious observance and practice, as well as belief, unless an employer demonstrates that he is unable to reasonably accommodate to an employee's or prospective employee's religious observance or practice without undue hardship on the conduct of the employer's business."
SEC. 3. Section 702 of the Civil Rights Act of 1964 (78 Stat. 255; 42 U.S.C. 2000e-1) is amended to read as follows:
