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- - - - - - - ESTABLISHING
A WHITE HOUSE COUNCIL ON WOMEN AND GIRLS
By the authority
vested in me as President by the Constitution and the laws
of the United States of America, I hereby order as follows:
Section 1. Policy. Over the past generation, our society has
made tremendous progress in eradicating barriers to women's
success. A record number of women are attending college and
graduate school. Women make up a growing share of our workforce,
and more women are corporate executives and business owners
than ever before, helping boost the U.S. economy and foster
U.S. competitiveness around the world. Today, women are serving
at the highest levels of all branches of our Government.
Despite this progress,
certain inequalities continue to persist. On average, American
women continue to earn only about 78 cents for every dollar
men make, and women are still significantly underrepresented
in the science, engineering, and technology fields. Far too
many women lack health insurance, and many are unable to take
time off to care for a new baby or an ailing family member.
Violence against women and girls remains a global epidemic.
The challenge of ensuring equal educational opportunities
for women and girls endures. As the current economic crisis
has swept across our Nation, women have been seriously affected.
These issues do
not concern just women. When jobs do not offer family leave,
that affects men who wish to help care for their families.
When women earn less than men for the same work, that affects
families who have to work harder to make ends meet. When our
daughters do not have the same educational and career opportunities
as our sons, that affects entire communities, our economy,
and our future as a Nation.
The purpose of
this order is to establish a coordinated Federal response
to issues that particularly impact the lives of women and
girls and to ensure that Federal programs and policies address
and take into account the distinctive concerns of women and
girls, including women of color and those with disabilities.
Sec. 2. White House Council on Women and Girls. There is established
within the Executive Office of the President a White House
Council on Women and Girls (Council). (a) Membership of the
Council. The Council shall consist of the following members:
(1) the Senior Advisor and Assistant to the President for
Intergovernmental Affairs and Public Liaison, who shall serve
as Chair of the Council; (2) the Secretary of State; (3) the
Secretary of the Treasury; (4) the Secretary of Defense; (5)
the Attorney General; (6) the Secretary of the Interior; (7)
the Secretary of Agriculture; (8) the Secretary of Commerce;
(9) the Secretary of Labor; (10) the Secretary of Health and
Human Services; (11) the Secretary of Housing and Urban Development;
(12) the Secretary of Transportation; (13) the Secretary of
Energy; (14) the Secretary of Education; (15) the Secretary
of Veterans Affairs; (16) the Secretary of Homeland Security;
(17) the Representative of the United States of America to
the United Nations; (18) the United States Trade Representative;
(19) the Director of the Office of Management and Budget;
(20) the Administrator of the Environmental Protection Agency;
(21) the Chair of the Council of Economic Advisers; (22) the
Director of the Office of Personnel Management; (23) the Administrator
of the Small Business Administration; (24) the Assistant to
the President and Director of the Domestic Policy Council;
(25) the Assistant to the President for Economic Policy and
Director of the National Economic Council; and (26) the heads
of such other executive branch departments, agencies, and
offices as the President may, from time to time, designate.
A member of the Council may designate, to perform the Council
functions of the member, a senior-level official who is a
part of the member's department, agency, or office, and who
is a full-time officer or employee of the Federal Government.
At the direction
of the Chair, the Council may establish subgroups consisting
exclusively of Council members or their designees under this
section, as appropriate. (b) Administration of the Council.
The Department of Commerce shall provide funding and administrative
support for the Council to the extent permitted by law and
within existing appropriations. The Chair shall convene regular
meetings of the Council, determine its agenda, and direct
its work. The Chair shall designate an Executive Director
of the Council, who shall coordinate the work of the Council
and head any staff assigned to the Council. Sec. 3. Mission
and Functions of the Council. The Council shall work across
executive departments and agencies to provide a coordinated
Federal response to issues that have a distinct impact on
the lives of women and girls, including assisting women-owned
businesses to compete internationally and working to increase
the participation of women in the science, engineering, and
technology workforce, and to ensure that Federal programs
and policies adequately take those impacts into account. The
Council shall be responsible for providing recommendations
to the President on the effects of pending legislation and
executive branch policy proposals; for suggesting changes
to Federal programs or policies to address issues of special
importance to women and girls; for reviewing and recommending
changes to policies that have a distinct impact on women in
the Federal workforce; and for assisting in the development
of legislative and policy proposals of special importance
to women and girls. The functions of the Council are advisory
only. Sec. 4. Outreach. Consistent with the objectives set
out in this order, the Council, in accordance with applicable
law, in addition to regular meetings, shall conduct outreach
with representatives of nonprofit organizations, State and
local government agencies, elected officials, and other interested
persons that will assist with the Council's development of
a detailed set of recommendations. Sec. 5. Federal Interagency
Plan. The Council shall, within 150 days of the date of this
order, develop and submit to the President a Federal interagency
plan with recommendations for interagency action consistent
with the goals of this order. The Federal interagency plan
shall include an assessment by each member executive department,
agency, or office of the status and scope of its efforts to
further the progress and advancement of women and girls. Such
an assessment shall include a report on the status of any
offices or programs that have been created to develop, implement,
or monitor targeted initiatives concerning women or girls.
The Federal interagency
plan shall also include recommendations for issues, programs,
or initiatives that should be further evaluated or studied
by the Council. The Council shall review and update the Federal
interagency plan periodically, as appropriate, and shall present
to the President any updated recommendations or findings.
Sec. 6. General Provisions. (a) The heads of executive departments
and agencies shall assist and provide information to the Council,
consistent with applicable law, as may be necessary to carry
out the functions of the Council. Each executive department
and agency shall bear its own expense for participating in
the Council. (b) Nothing in this order shall be construed
to impair or otherwise affect: (i) authority granted by law
to an executive department, agency, or the head thereof; or
(ii) functions of the Director of the Office of Management
and Budget relating to budgetary, administrative, or legislative
proposals. (c) This order shall be implemented consistent
with applicable law and subject to the availability of appropriations.
(d) This order is not intended to, and does not, create any
right or benefit, substantive or procedural, enforceable at
law or in equity by any party against the United States, its
departments, agencies, or entities, its officers, employees,
or agents, or any other person. BARACK OBAMA THE WHITE HOUSE,
March 11, 2009.
CONTACT The White
House 1600 Pennsylvania Ave NW Washington, DC 20500
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