Civil Rights Compliance in Program Delivery

405.1 Policy

A. It is the policy of NRCS that all USDA Federally-Assisted and Federally-Conducted programs be administered in accordance with the requirements of Title VI of the Civil Rights Act of 1964, Title IX of the Education Amendments of 1972, Section 504 of the Rehabilitation Act of 1973, the Age Discrimination Act of 1975, the Equal Credit Opportunity Act, Executive Orders, U.S. Department of Justice (DOJ) regulations enforcing nondiscrimination requirements, and departmental rules and regulations. Compliance with the policies ensures access of program delivery to customers without regards to their race, color, national origin, sex, religion, age, disability, sexual orientation, marital status, family status, political beliefs, parental status, or because all or a part of an individual's income is derived from any public assistance program.

B. The policy of NRCS is to use positive examples of program participation by minorities, women, persons with disabilities, and other individuals protected by Federal nondiscrimination law. This may be in the form of pictures and other visual and audio public information materials.

C. No person shall be subjected to reprisal or harassment because he or she filed a discrimination complaint, participated in, or contributed to the identification, investigation, prosecution, or resolution of a civil rights violation.

D. Any person or any specific class of individuals or minority groups who believes that he/she has been discriminated against in any NRCS program or activity may personally, or through a designated representative, file a complaint.

< Back to Civil Rights