CBO’s Implementation of a Training and Education Program About Workplace Rights

The Congressional Budget Office is submitting this report to the Committee on House Administration of the House of Representatives and the Committee on Rules and Administration of the Senate in accordance with section 509 of the Congressional Accountability Act of 1995 Reform Act (henceforth called the “CAA Reform Act”). Section 509 requires each employing office, including CBO, to submit to those committees a report on its implementation of a program to train employees about the rights and protections provided by the Congressional Accountability Act of 1995 (“CAA”). The training program also must cover the procedures available to consider alleged violations of the CAA.

CBO takes seriously its responsibilities under the CAA and promotes a culture that values the principles of equality, fairness, and accountability. As a result, CBO has long provided regular training to its employees about the rights and protections provided by the act and about the employees’ related responsibilities in the workplace.

To implement the CAA Reform Act, CBO is expanding and formalizing that past practice. CBO will now provide employees with annual training through the Office of Congressional Workplace Rights (OCWR) that will specifically cover the rights, protections, and procedures that are available under the CAA. That annual training will be offered to all employees and interns. Participation will be recorded, and supervisors will be expected to attend. CBO has already begun offering such training. For example, on April 12, 2019, CBO hosted staff of the OCWR for in-person training about the CAA Reform Act’s new procedures and expanded rights and protections.

CBO will supplement the annual OCWR training with periodic training on related subjects, such as unlawful harassment, unconscious biases, the reasonable accommodation process, administering veterans’ preferences, and preventing reprisal. That supplemental training will help prevent situations in which a potential CAA violation might occur. Courses may be provided by OCWR, experts at CBO, or contractors. OCWR’s extensive online training and resources, which are located at www.ocwr.gov/resources-and-training and which CBO has used previously for bystander training, provide additional examples of the types of courses that may be offered. Also, new supervisors will continue to be required to take OCWR’s training on preventing sexual harassment.

To formalize the training program described above, CBO is adding a section titled “Training on Workplace Rights” to its administrative manual, the document that communicates the agency’s policies to its employees. That new section of the administrative manual describes CBO’s training program and establishes the expectation that supervisors will attend the new annual training. CBO will seek continuous improvement in the content and delivery of this important information.

CBO is committed to having a workplace that is free of harassment and discrimination. A workplace culture that prizes equality, fairness, and accountability helps CBO succeed in its core mission—providing the Congress with objective, high-quality analyses of budgetary and economic issues.