Announced Proposal to Change OMB Dir.15 7/9/97

July 9, 1997 - The federal Interagency Committee for the Review of the Racial and Ethnic Standards announced today it's recommendations regarding Office of Management and Budget (OMB) Statistical Directive 15, the federal regulation which dictates the reporting of racial and ethnic classifications at all levels of government in the United States.

     For the first time, the OMB will permit multiple checkoffs on forms which ask for racial and ethnic information, a complete break with the "check-one-only" rule which had been in effect previously.

     The Interagency Committee ruled out the addition of a multiracial classification in Directive 15, but did not specifically mention whether government agencies will be prevented from using such a classification.

     The Association of MultiEthnic Americans (AMEA) and its allied groups regard the recommendations of the Interagency Committee as a major victory, even though we had sought both multiple checkoffs and a multiracial/ethnic classification.  AMEA had all along regarded the check-one-only rule as the fundamental obstacle to counting multiracial/ethnic individuals.

     The Office of Management and Budget has submitted the recommendations of the Interagency Committee to the Federal Register today.  The OMB is soliciting public comments during the next 60 days after which time the decision to enact the recommended changes to OMB Directive 15 will be made.

     Paper copies of the Interagency Recommendations published in the Federal Register can be had from the OMB Publications Office, 725 - 17th Street, Room 2200, Washington DC 20503, phone (202) 395-7332, fax (202) 395-6137.

     The Interagency Recommendations in the Federal Register can also be found at the following website:   Federal Register Notice Re: OMB 15 7/9/97

"Mixed Race People Cheer Census Proposal" SF Chronicle 7/9/97