In a recent New York Times article, U.S. Attorney General Eric Holder, Jr. revealed that the Department of Justice (DOJ) intends to substantially increase the Civil Rights Division and enforcement of antidiscrimination laws. The Civil Rights Division prosecutes violations of criminal civil rights statutes and enforces federal statutes prohibiting discrimination on the basis of race, color, sex, disability, religion, and national origin. Such laws enforced by this division include the Civil Rights Act, the Americans with Disabilities Act, and the Immigration Reform and Control Act.

According to the article, the fiscal year 2010 budget requests an increase of approximately $22 million for the Civil Rights Division, up 18 percent from the prior year. The Division seeks to hire more than 50 civil rights attorneys, a significant boost to this department.

The expansion of the Civil Rights Division and its enforcement efforts is part of a greater predicted trend for this administration. Budgets for the Department of Labor (DOL) and Equal Employment Opportunity Commission (EEOC) have similarly received substantial funding increases for fiscal year 2010. Labor Secretary Hilda Solis has emphasized that stepping up enforcement of workplace laws is a top priority, particularly for the Wage and Hour Division, Office of Federal Contract Compliance Programs (OFCCP), and the Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA). For example, the Wage and Hour Division – the DOL sub-agency responsible for enforcing, among other laws, federal minimum wage, overtime, and child labor requirements of the Fair Labor Standards Act (FLSA) – is expected to hire more than 200 new compliance officers for this purpose. Therefore, employers can anticipate increased scrutiny from these agencies, and should take the necessary steps to comply with workplace laws before facing an agency audit or inspection.