Fiscal Note
No appropriation required.
Title
Extending the Civil Rights Compliance Plan deadline until December 31, 2019 to allow the Department of Civil Rights to investigate the impacts these changes will have and incorporate those impacts into the plan.
Body
WHEREAS, Title VI of the 1964 Civil Rights Act provides that no person in the United States shall, on the grounds of race, color, or national origin, be excluded from participation in, be denied the benefits of, or be otherwise subjected to discrimination under any program or activity receiving federal financial assistance; and,
WHEREAS the Civil Rights Restoration Act of 1987 broadened the scope of Title VI coverage by expanding the definition of terms “programs and activities” to include all programs and activities of Federal Aid Recipients, subrecipients, and contractors, whether such programs and activities are federally assisted or not; and,
WHEREAS, the City of Madison adopted Resolution RES-13-00828 declaring its intent to adopt an equity impact model; and equity model is necessary to meet the requirements for Environmental Justice under Title VI; and,
WHEREAS, the City of Madison adopted Resolution RES-18-00164 approving a comprehensive Language Access Plan that serves to meet requirements laid out in the Civil Rights Compliance Plan; and,
WHEREAS, enforcement of Title VI requirements is spread across City departments with varying levels of existing enforcement, and the City of Madison recognizes the need for a more comprehensive plan with centralized administration; and,
WHEREAS, Madison General Ordinances Sec. 39.02 requires that a Civil Rights Compliance Plan be developed and submitted to the Mayor and Common Council for approval in order to maintain City compliance with Title VI of the Civil Rights Act of 1964, that the Department of Civil Rights coordinates the development and implementation of individual department plans for civil rights compliance; and,
WHEREAS, the Civil Rights Compliance Plan was last updated in 2012 and was due to be updated in 2018, but it was determined by staff that more time is needed to ensure appropriate compliance mechanisms are established;
THEREFORE BE IT RESOLVED that the current Civil Rights Compliance Plan be extended until December 31, 2019 to allow the department to investigate the impacts these changes will have and incorporate those impacts into the plan; and,
BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED that the Department of Civil Rights will bring together an interdepartmental team focused on streamlining Title VI administration to provide more comprehensive compliance to benefit our residents and visitors.