State and Local Programs

State and Local Contracts / Worksharing Agreements 

The Equal Employment Opportunity Commission (EEOC) works with the Fair Employment Practices Agencies (FEPAs) to manage charges of employment discrimination.  The EEOC contracts with FEPAs nationwide to process over 40,000 employment discrimination charges each year.  These charges raise claims under state and local laws prohibiting employment discrimination as well as the federal laws enforced by the EEOC.  The contracts identify, among other things, the number and types of charges resolutions and intake services to which the EEOC will reimburse FEPAs to initiate and/or investigate and resolve. 

In general, Worksharing Agreements between the EEOC and FEPAs allow for charges to be dual-filed with both, making it more efficient for processing and customer friendly for charging parties who only need lodge one complaint with either the EEOC or the FEPA.  The agencies agree that one agency will investigate.  Federal and state rights are preserved for the charging parties with the dual-filing process. 

Sample Worksharing Agreement

Sample FEPA contract

Joint Activities, Data Sharing, Training 

The EEOC and our FEPA partners may participate in outreach events together in an effort to assist stakeholders with learning more about our agencies. 

Both the EEOC and FEPAs may work together on investigations of some cases.  The cases in these instances tend to involve a class or group of employees or applicants for employment alleging discrimination against an employer.  However, there may also be other reasons and types of cases that may involve the EEOC and FEPAs working together. 

The EEOC and the FEPAs agree to share relevant data with each other that assists to advance the common work and bring cases to the appropriate resolutions.   

The EEOC provides training to FEPA staff or includes FEPA staff in training that the EEOC presents for EEOC staff. 

The EEOC’s State, Local and Tribal Programs Coordinators/Program Managers in our field offices around the country serve as the EEOC liaisons with the FEPAs and TEROs.