III 

115TH CONGRESS 

1ST SESSION S. RES. 11 

Encouraging the development of best business practices to fully utilize the 

potential of the United States. 

IN THE SENATE OF THE UNITED STATES 

JANUARY 10, 2017 

Mr. SCOTT (for himself, Mr. PORTMAN, Mr. RUBIO, Mr. BOOKER, Mr. PAUL, 

and Mr. BROWN) submitted the following resolution; which was referred 

to the Committee on Health, Education, Labor, and Pensions 

RESOLUTION 

Encouraging the development of best business practices to 

fully utilize the potential of the United States. 

Whereas the Rooney Rule, formulated by Daniel Rooney, 

chairman of the Pittsburgh Steelers football team in the 

National Football League (referred to in this preamble as 

the ‘‘NFL’’), requires each NFL team with a job opening 

for a coach or general manager position to interview at 

least 1 minority candidate for that position; 

Whereas the Rooney Rule has been successful in increasing 

minority representation in higher leadership positions in 

professional football, as shown by the fact that, in the 80 

years between the hiring of Fritz Pollard as coach of the 

Akron Pros and the implementation of the Rooney Rule 

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•SRES 11 IS 

in 2003, only 7 minority head coaches were hired but, 

since 2003, 15 minority head coaches have been hired; 

Whereas the Rooney Rule has demonstrated that once highly 

qualified and highly skilled diversity candidates are given 

exposure during the hiring process, the abilities of those 

diversity candidates can be better utilized; 

Whereas the RLJ Rule, formulated by Robert L. Johnson, 

founder of Black Entertainment Television (commonly 

known as ‘‘BET’’) and The RLJ Companies, and based 

on the Rooney Rule from the NFL, similarly encourages 

companies to voluntarily establish a best practices policy 

to identify minority candidates and minority vendors by 

implementing a plan to interview— 

(1) not fewer than 2 qualified minority candidates 

for each managerial opening at the director level and 

above; and 

(2) not fewer than 2 qualified minority-owned businesses before approving a vendor contract; 

Whereas, according to Crist-Kolder Associates, as cited in the 

Wall Street Journal, at the top 668 companies in the 

United States, less than 10 percent of Chief Financial 

Officers are African-American, Hispanic, or of Asian descent; 

Whereas underrepresented groups contain members with the 

necessary abilities, experience, and qualifications for any 

position available; 

Whereas business practices such as the Rooney Rule or the 

RLJ Rule are neither employment quotas nor Federal 

law but rather voluntary initiatives instituted by willing 

entities to provide the human resources necessary to ensure success; 

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Whereas experience has shown that people of all genders, colors, and physical abilities can achieve excellence; 

Whereas the increased involvement of underrepresented workers would improve the economy of the United States and 

the experience of the people of the United States; and 

Whereas ensuring the increased exposure, and resulting increased advancement, of diverse and qualified candidates 

would result in gains by all people of the United States 

through stronger economic opportunities: Now, therefore, 

be it 

1 Resolved, That the Senate encourages each corporate, 

2 academic, and social entity, regardless of size or field of 

3 operation, to— 

4 (1) develop an internal rule modeled after a 

5 successful business practice, such as the Rooney 

6 Rule or RLJ Rule, and, in accordance with title VII 

7 of the Civil Rights Act of 1964 (42 U.S.C. 2000e et 

8 seq.), adapt that rule to specifications that will best 

9 fit the procedures of the individual entity; and 

10 (2) institute the individualized rule described in 

11 paragraph (1) to ensure that the entity will always 

12 consider candidates from underrepresented popu13 lations before making a final decision with respect to 

14 selecting a business vendor or filling a leadership po15 sition. 

Æ 

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