Section 601 of Title VI of the Civil Rights Act of 1964 states the following:
No person in the United States shall, on the ground of race, color, or national origin, be excluded from participation in, be denied the benefits of, or be subjected to discrimination under any program or activity receiving Federal financial assistance.
The Civil Rights Restoration Act of 1987 clarified the broad, institution-wide application of Title VI. Title VI covers all of the operations of covered entities without regard to whether specific portions of the covered program or activity are Federally funded. The term “program or activity” means all of the operations of a department, agency, special purpose district, or government; or the entity of such State or local government that distributes such assistance and each such department or agency to which the assistance is extended, in the case of assistance to a State or local government.
Title VI prohibits recipients of Federal financial assistance (e.g., states, local governments, transit providers) from discriminating on the basis of race, color, or national origin in their programs or activities, and it obligates Federal funding agencies to enforce compliance.
Fresno COG’s Title VI Plan
Fresno COG Title VI Plan 2022
Fresno COG Title VI Plan 2019
Fresno COG’s notice to the public regarding Title VI
Notifying the Public of Rights Under Title VI – In English and Spanish
- Fresno Council of Governments operates its programs and services without regard to race, color, and national origin in accordance with Title VI of the Civil Rights Act. Any person who believes she or he has been aggrieved by any unlawful discriminatory practice under Title VI may file a complaint with the Fresno Council of Governments. TITLE VI COMPLAINT FORM
- Fresno Council of Governments opera sus programas y servicios sin distinción de raza, color y origen nacional, de conformidad con el Título VI del Acta de Derechos Civiles. Cualquier persona que cree o que ha sido perjudicada por una práctica discriminatoria ilegal bajo el Título VI, puede presentar una queja con Fresno Council of Governments. TÍTULO VI FORMULARIO DE QUEJA
Fresno Council of Governments Title VI Complaint Procedures
As a recipient of federal dollars, Fresno COG is required to comply with Title VI of the Civil Rights Act of 1964 and ensure that services and benefits are provided on a non-discriminatory basis. Fresno COG has in place a Title VI Complaint Procedure, which outlines the process for local disposition of Title VI complaints and is consistent with guidelines found in the Federal Transit Administration Circular 4702.1B dated October 1, 2012. The complaint procedure has five steps, outlined below:
Submission of Complaint: Any person who feels that he or she, individually, or as a member of any class of persons, on the basis of race, color, or national origin, has been excluded from or denied the benefits of, or subjected to discrimination under any program or activity receiving federal financial assistance through Fresno COG may file a written complaint to the Fresno COG Title VI Coordinator. Such a complaint must be filed within 60 calendar days after the date the person believes the discrimination occurred.
Referral to Review Officer: Upon receipt of the Complaint, the Title VI Coordinator shall review, investigate and evaluate the Compliant, in consultation with the Executive Director. The Title VI Coordinator shall complete the review no later than 45 calendar days after the date Fresno COG received the Complaint. If more time is required, the Title VI Coordinator shall notify the complainant of the estimated time-frame for completing the review. Upon completion of the review, the Title VI Coordinator shall make a recommendation regarding the merit of the Complaint and whether remedial actions are available to provide redress. Additionally, the Title VI Coordinator may recommend improvements to Fresno COG’s processes relative to Title VI and environmental justice, as appropriate. The Title VI Coordinator shall forward their recommendations to the Executive Director for concurrence. If the Executive Director concurs, he or she shall issue Fresno COG’s written response to the Complainant.
Request for Reconsideration: If the Complainant disagrees with the response, he or she may request reconsideration by submitting the request, in writing, to the Executive Director within 10 calendar days after its receipt. The request for reconsideration shall be sufficiently detailed to contain any items the Complainant feels were not fully understood by the Fresno COG Title VI Coordinator. The Executive Director will notify the complainant of his decision either to accept or reject the request for reconsideration within 10 calendar days. In cases where the Executive Director agrees to reconsider, the matter shall be returned to the Title VI Coordinator to re-evaluate in accordance with Paragraph 2, above.
Appeal: If the request for reconsideration is denied, the complainant may appeal the Executive Director’s response to the Complaint by submitting a written appeal to Fresno COG’s Policy Board no later than 10 calendar days after receipt of the Executive Director’s written decision rejecting reconsideration.
Submission of Complaint to the Federal Transit Administration. If the complainant is dissatisfied with Fresno COG’s resolution of the Complaint, he or she may also submit a complaint to the Federal Transit Administration:
Federal Transit Administration’s Office of Civil Rights
Attention:
Title VI Program Coordinator
East Building 5th Floor – TCR
1200 New Jersey Ave., SE
Washington, DC 20590
Further information, including the complaint form, is available at www.fta.dot.gov.
For more information on Fresno Council of Government’s Title VI program and the procedures to file a complaint, contact Fresno COG Deputy Director Robert Phipps at rphipps@fresnocog.org.
- If information is needed in another language, contact 559-233-4148.
- Si se necesita información en otro idioma, comuníquese con 559-233-4148.
(This notice is posted in the Fresno COG reception area and meeting rooms.)