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�.1 <br /> Department of Justice <br /> s% Office of Justice Programs <br /> Office for Civil Rights <br /> Washington,D.C. 20531 <br /> August 22,2007 <br /> The Honorable Ray Stephanson <br /> City of Everett <br /> 2930 Wetmore Avenue <br /> Everett,WA 98201-4073 <br /> Dear Mayor Stephanson: <br /> Congratulations on your recent award.In establishing financial assistance programs,Congress linked the receipt <br /> of Federal funding to compliance with Federal civil rights laws.The Office for Civil Rights(OCR),Office of <br /> Justice Programs(OW),U.S.Department of Justice is responsible for ensuring that recipients of financial aid from <br /> OW,its component offices and bureaus,the Office on Violence Against Women(OVW),and the Office of <br /> Community Oriented Policing Services(COPS)comply with applicable Federal civil rights statutes and <br /> regulations.We at OCR are available to help you and your organization meet the civil rights requirements that <br /> come with Justice Department funding. <br /> Ensuring Access to Federally Assisted Programs <br /> As you know,Federal laws prohibit recipients of financial assistance from discriminating on the basis of race, <br /> color,national origin,religion,sex,or disability in funded programs or activities,not only in respect to <br /> employment practices but also in the delivery of services or benefits.Federal law also prohibits funded programs <br /> or activities from discriminating on the basis of age in the delivery of services or benefits. <br /> Providing Services to Limited English Proficiency(LEP)Individuals <br /> In accordance with Department of Justice Guidance pertaining to Title VI of the Civil Rights Act of 1964,42 <br /> U.S.C.§2000d,recipients of Federal financial assistance must take reasonable steps to provide meaningful access <br /> to their programs and activities for persons with limited English proficiency(LEP).For more information on the <br /> civil rights responsibilities that recipients have in providing language services to LEP individuals,please see the <br /> website at http://www.lep.gov. <br /> Ensuring Equal Treatment for Faith-Based Organizations <br /> The Department of Justice has published a regulation specifically pertaining to the funding of faith-based <br /> organizations.In general,the regulation,Participation in Justice Department Programs by Religious <br /> Organizations;Providing for Equal Treatment of all Justice Department Program Participants,and known as the <br /> Equal Treatment Regulation 28 C.F.R.part 38,requires State Administering Agencies to treat these organizations <br /> the same as any other applicant or recipient.The regulation prohibits State Administering Agencies from making <br /> award or grant administration decisions on the basis of an organization's religious character or affiliation, <br /> religious name,or the religious composition of its board of directors. <br /> The regulation also prohibits faith-based organizations from using financial assistance from the Department of <br /> Justice to fund inherently religious activities.While faith-based organizations can engage in non-funded <br /> inherently religious activities,they must be held separately from the Department of Justice funded program,and <br /> customers or beneficiaries cannot be compelled to participate in them.The Equal Treatment Regulation also <br /> makes clear that organizations participating in programs funded by the Department of Justice are not permitted to <br /> discriminate in the provision of services on the basis of a beneficiary's religion.For more information on the <br /> regulation,please see OCR's website at http://www.ojp.usdoj.gov/ocr/etfbo.htm. <br /> 16 <br />