The Nebraska Equal Opportunity Commission is the state administrative agency that investigates and enforces Nebraska civil rights laws. The commission consists of seven members appointed by the Governor and an executive director. The commission receives, investigates and makes decisions on civil rights complaints that allege unlawful discrimination in housing, employment and public accommodations practices within the state. The NEOC maintains offices in Lincoln, Omaha, and Scottsbluff. Commissioners Executive director Paula Gardner Current commissioners Patrick Borchers - Chairperson John Arnold - Vice-chairperson Royce Jeffries - Commissioner Eric Drumheller - Commissioner Arla Jo Meyer - Commissioner Tyeisha Kosmicki - Commissioner Lynn Brennan - Commissioner The current Executive Director (Paula Gardner) accepted the position in February 2022 after acting as the Interim Executive Director since September 2021 when the previous Executive Director (Marna Munn) resigned. Gardner previously held the position of Unit Director of Conciliation before her promotion. Chairperson Borchers is a Law Professor at Creighton University. Commissioners Royce Jeffries, John Arnold and Eric Drumheller are current or former business executives. Commissioners Arla Jo Meyer, Lynn Brennan and Tyeisha Kosmicki are Realtors. NEOC Historical Background The Nebraska Equal Opportunity Commission (NEOC) was established by statute in 1965 as a response to the Civil Rights Movement. The unicameral legislature sought to implement its own state laws to complement the recent passage of the Civil Rights Act of 1964. The NEOC was originally authorized to enforce the Nebraska Fair Employment Practice Act (FEPA), which prohibited discrimination in employment. Their enforcement authority has been expanded several times, including coverage of the Nebraska Equal Pay Act in 1967 (Equal Pay in Employment), the Nebraska Civil Rights Act in 1969 (Public Accommodations), the Age Discrimination in Employment Act in 1972, and the Nebraska Fair Housing Act in 1991. The NEOC receives annual funding from the United States Department of Housing and Urban Development as a Fair Housing Assistance Program (FHAP) agency, which authorizes the agency to investigate complaints that additionally allege violations of federal civil rights laws, including Title VII of the Title VII of the Civil Rights Act, Title I of the Americans with Disabilities Act, and the Federal Fair Housing Act. Criticism The commission has been criticized for being slow to process civil rights charges, with a 7+ month delay reported for cases being assigned to investigators and upwards of a year for resolutions. Between 2014 and 2019, the NEOC's reported percentage of determinations with positive