Title VI

Title VI of the Civil Rights Act of 1964
and Related Acts of Nondiscrimination Overview

(Some of the text in this section is summarized from and/or extracted from Title VI information provided by the Federal Highway Administration Ohio Division office and the Ohio Department of Transportation.)

No person in the United States shall, on the grounds of race, color, or national origin, be denied the benefits of, or be subject to discrimination under any program or activity receiving Federal financial assistance. (42 USC 2000)

As recipients of federal funds, the Mid-Ohio Regional Planning Commission and other recipients, subrecipients, and contractors have Civil Rights responsibilities under numerous laws and executive orders. These requirements are outlined in the two “assurance” documents signed by the Executive Drector of MORPC, and can be broadly categorized into three classifications:

Nondiscrimination programs require federal-aid recipients, subrecipients, and contractors to prevent discrimination and ensure nondiscrimination in all of their programs and activities, whether those programs and activities are federally-funded or not. The factors prohibited from consideration as a basis for discriminatory action or inaction include race, color, national origin, sex, age and disability.
Equal Employment Opportunity programs require that the Mid-Ohio Regional Planning Commission and their contractors, subcontractors, material suppliers, vendors, and consultants not discriminate in employment based on race, color, religion, sex, national origin, age, or disability;
Affirmative Action programs provide enhanced opportunities or remedial actions to persons, organizations, and institutions that have been historically subjected to discrimination.

The Civil Rights Act of 1964:

Title I -- Voting Rights
Title II -- Public Accommodation
Title III -- Desegregation of Public Facilities
Title IV -- Desegregation of Public Education
Title V -- Commission on Civil Rights
Title VI -- Nondiscrimination in Federally Assisted Programs and Activities
Title VII -- Equal Employment Opportunity
Title VIII -- Registration and Voting Statistics
Title IX -- Intervention & Procedure After Removal in Civil Rights Cases
Title X -- Establishment of Community Relations Service
Title XI -- Miscellaneous

Other Related Nondiscrimination Authorities:

Sex; 23 USC 324
Disability; Section 504 of the Rehabilitation Act of 1973, 29 USC 790
Age; Age Discrimination Act of 1975, 42 USC 6101
Uniform Relocation Assistance and Real Property Acquisition Policies Act of 1970, 42 USC 4601-4655
Environmental Justice; Executive Order 12898, Presidential mandate addressing low income and minority populations, signed February 11, 1994
Disadvantaged Business Enterprise Program 49 CFR 26

The Federal Aid Act of 1973 states:

“No person shall on the grounds of sex be excluded from participation in, be denied the benefits of, or be subjected to discrimination under any program or activity receiving Federal assistance under this title or carried on under this title.” (23 USC 324)

Section 504 of the Rehabilitation Act of 1973 states:

“No qualified handicapped person shall, solely by reason of his (her) handicap, be excluded from participation in, be excluded from participation in, be denied the benefits of, or be subjected to discrimination under any program or activity that receives or benefits from Federal financial assistance.” (29 USC 790)

Age Discrimination Act of 1975 states:

“No person shall on the basis of age, be excluded from participation in, be denied the benefits of, or be subjected to discrimination under any program or activity receiving federal financial assistance.” (42 USC 6101)

The Uniform Relocation Assistance and Real Property Acquisition Policies Act of 1970:

Forbids unfair and inequitable treatment of persons displaced or whose property will be acquired as a result of Federal and Federal –aid programs and projects.

Environmental Justice (Executive Order 12898):

Presidential mandate addressing equity and fairness toward low income and minority persons by:

Avoiding, minimizing, or mitigating disproportionately high and adverse human health and environmental effects, including social and economic effects, on minority population and low-income populations.
To ensure the full and fair participation by all potentially affected communities in the transportation decision-making process.
Disadvantaged Business Enterprise Program:

To ensure nondiscrimination in the award and administration of US DOT- assisted contracts in the Departments of highway, transit, and airport financial assistance program

Selected Federal Websites Related to Title VI and Nondiscrimination:

49 CFR Transportation Subtitle A Part 21 – Nondiscrimination in federally-assisted programs of the Department of Transportation -- Effectuation of Title VI of the Civil Rights Act of 1964:

http://www.fhwa.dot.gov/hep/49cfr21.htm

Americans With Disabilities Act (ADA) of 1990:

http://www.usdoj.gov/crt/ada/pubs/ada.txt

DisabilityInfo.Gov:

http://www.disabilityinfo.gov/digov-public/public/DisplayPage.do%3fparentFolderId=500

US DOT Environmental Justice site:

http://www.fhwa.dot.gov/environment/ej2.htm

Federal Highway Administration (FHWA) Office of Civil Rights:

http://www.fhwa.dot.gov/civilrights/index.htm

US Department of Justice ADA page:

http://www.ada.gov/

US Commission on Civil Rights: