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<br />Submitting Findings of Discrimination <br /> <br />In the event a Federal or State court or Federal or State administrative agency makes an adverse finding of <br />discrimination against your organization after a due process hearing, on the ground of race, color, religion, <br />national origin, or sex, your organization must submit a copy of the finding to OCR for review. <br /> <br />Providing Services to Limited English Proficiency (LEP) Individuals <br /> <br />In accordance with recent Department of Justice Guidance pertaining to Title VII of the Civil Rights Act of 1964, <br />42 V.S.C. ~ 2000d, recipients of Federal financial assistance must take reasonable steps to provide meaningful <br />access to their programs and activities for persons with limited English proficiency (LEP). For more information <br />on the civil rights responsibilities that recipients have in providing language services to LEP individuals, please <br />see the website www.lep.gov. <br /> <br />Ensuring the Compliance of Subrecipients <br /> <br />If your organization makes subawards to other agencies, you are responsible for assuring that subrecipients also <br />comply with all of the applicable Federal civil rights laws, including the requirements pertaining to developing <br />and submitting an EEOP, reporting Findings of Discrimination, and providing language services to LEP persons. <br />State agencies that make subawards must have in place standard grant assurances and review procedures to <br />demonstrate that they are effectively monitoring the civil rights compliance of subrecipients. <br /> <br />Enforcing Civil Rights Laws <br /> <br />All recipients of Federal financial assistance, regardless of the particular funding source, the amount of the grant <br />award, or the number of employees in the workforce, are subject to the prohibitions against unlawful <br />discrimination. Accordingly, OCR investigates recipients that are the subject of discrimination complaints from <br />both individuals and groups. In addition, based on regulatory criteria, OCR selects a number of recipients each <br />year for compliance reviews, audits that require recipients to submit data showing that they are providing <br />services equitably to all segments of their service population and that their employment practices meet equal <br />employment opportunity standards. <br /> <br />Ensuring Equal Treatment for Faith-Based Organizations <br /> <br />The Department of Justice has published a regulation specifically pertaining to the funding offaith-based <br />organizations. In general, the regulation, 28 C.F.R. part 38, requires State Administering Agencies to treat these <br />organizations the same as any other applicant or recipient. The regulation prohibits State Administering <br />Agencies from making award or grant administration decisions on the basis of an organization's religious <br />character or affiliation, religious name, or the religious composition of its board of directors. <br /> <br />The regulation also prohibits faith-based organizations from using direct financial assistance from the <br />Department of Justice to fund inherently religious activities. While faith-based organizations can engage in <br />non-funded inherently religious activities, they must be held separately from the Department of Justice funded <br />program, and customers or beneficiaries cannot be compelled to participate in them. The Equal Treatment <br />Regulation also makes clear that organizations participating in programs directly funded by the Department of <br />Justice are not permitted to discriminate in the provision of services on the basis of a beneficiary's religion. For <br />more information on the regulation, please see OCR's website at http://www.ojp.usdoj.gov/ocr/etfbo.htm. <br />