Federal Sector Equal Employment Opportunity

Document Headings Document headings vary by document type but may contain the following: the agency or agencies that issued and signed a document the number of the CFR title and the number of each part the document amends, proposes to amend, or is directly related to the agency docket number / agency internal file number the RIN which identifies each regulatory action listed in the Unified Agenda of Federal Regulatory and Deregulatory Actions See the Document Drafting Handbook for more details. Equal Employment Opportunity Commission 29 CFR Part 1614 RIN 3046-AB46 ( printed page 55690) AGENCY: Equal Employment Opportunity Commission. ACTION: Proposed rule. SUMMARY: The Equal Employment Opportunity Commission (EEOC) proposes revising Federal sector EEO complaint rules to streamline processing, improve effectiveness, and implement the Cummings Act. The rule would end mandatory pre complaint counseling and remove the option to request administrative judge proceedings before a final agency decision. Complainants could seek such proceedings only on appeal, and the EEOC would order them only when necessary or efficient. The rule would bar administrative class complaint adjudication while preserving putative class assertions for exhaustion. The rule also allows joint processing of related individual complaints and updates pleading standards, mixed case procedures, attorney fee provisions, and required reports. DATES: Comments must be received on or before September 28, 2026. ADDRESSES: You may submit comments for this proposed rule within the Federal eRulemaking Portal at https://www.regulations.gov/​ . Follow the instructions for submitting comments. All comments must be received by the end of the comment period for them to be considered. All comments and other submissions received generally will be posted on the internet at regulations.gov as they are received, without change, including any personal information provided. However, EEOC retains discretion to redact p…