POLICIES

Recommendations from the Interagency Committee for the Review of the Racial and Ethnic Standards to the Office of Management and Budget Concerning Changes to the Standards for the Classification of Federal Data on Race and Ethnicity
AGENCY: Executive Office of the President, Office of Management and Budget (OMB), Office of Information and Regulatory Affairs
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Executive Order No. 13166: Improving Access to Services for Persons with Limited English Proficiency - The White House, Office of Management and Budget (OMB) Released the Benefit-Cost Report of Executive Order No.13166 (Improving Access to Services for Persons with Limited English Proficiency)(Aug.2000), designed to improve access to federally conducted programs and activities and programs and activities of recipients of Federal funding for persons, who as a result of national origin, are limited in their English proficiency (LEP). More

Policy Guidance on the Prohibition Against National Origin Discrimination as It Affects Persons With Limited English Proficiency - Office for Civil Rights (OCR) issued internal guidance to its staff in January 1998 on a recipient's obligation to provide language assistance to LEP persons. That guidance was intended to ensure consistency in OCR's investigation of LEP cases. This current guidance clarifies for recipient/covered entities and the public, the legal requirements under Title VI that OCR has been enforcing for the past 30 years. More

Inclusion of Race and Ethnicity in U.S. Department of Health and Human Services' Data Collection Activities - The Department has adopted a policy that requires all HHS-sponsored data collection and reporting systems to include standard racial and ethnic categories. In addition, the Department has established a policy to implement the Office of Management and Budget's (OMB) revised standards for classifying race and ethnicity in government statistics, making it mandatory for federal data collectors to separate out data on Native Hawaiians and other Pacific Islander groups from Asian American data. These inclusion policies will help monitor HHS programs to determine that Federal funds are being used in a nondiscriminatory manner and to promote the availability of standard racial and ethnic data across various agencies.

Executive Order on Improving Access to Federally Assisted and Federally Conducted Programs and Activities for Persons with Limited English Proficiency - The Federal government is committed to improving the accessibility of Federally-assisted and Federally- conducted programs and activities for eligible persons with limited-English proficiency.

Title VI Prohibition Against National Origin Discrimination As It Affects Persons With Limited English Proficiency Policy Guidance - Although Title VI of the Civil Rights Act of 1964 prohibits discrimination against persons with limited English proficiency, there are statutes in many states that have "English only" requirements. The use of state funds to provide linguistic access services is strictly prohibited by these states. There is a perception that even Federal funds cannot be used for the provision of linguistic access services within English only states. This continues to be litigated at the state and Federal levels. English, Spanish, and Chinese languages versions are available.

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