The American Recovery and Reinvestment Act of 2009 (H.R.1) includes $4 billion in Department of Justice grant funding to enhance state, local, and tribal law enforcement efforts, including the hiring of new police officers, to combat violence against women, and to fight internet crimes against children.

“This funding is vital to keeping our communities strong,” said Attorney General Eric Holder. “As governors, mayors, and local law enforcement professionals struggle with the current economic crisis, we can’t afford to decrease our commitment to fighting crime and keeping our communities safe. These grants will help ensure states and localities can make the concerted efforts necessary to protect our most vulnerable communities and populations.”

The American Recovery and Reinvestment Act of 2009 will provide $2.7 billion to the Office of Justice Programs; $1 billion to the Community Oriented Policing Services (COPS) program; $225 million to the Office on Violence Against Women; and $10 million to the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives.   Read more about where the Recovery Act funds are going

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Notice on Civil Rights Obligations Applicable to the Distribution of Funds under the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act of 2009

Federal Agency Obligations

Federal agencies will shortly begin distributing funding from the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act of 2009 (Recovery Act).  They must do so in accordance with all nondiscrimination and equal opportunity statutes, regulations, and Executive Orders that apply to the distribution of funds under the Recovery Act.  Agencies that grant funds also must ensure that their recipients and subrecipients comply with Title VI of the Civil Rights Act of 1964 (prohibiting race, color, and national origin discrimination including language access for limited English proficient persons), Section 504 of the Rehabilitation Act of 1973 (prohibiting disability discrimination), Title IX of the Education Amendments of 1972 (prohibiting sex discrimination in education and training programs), the Age Discrimination Act of 1975 (prohibiting age discrimination in the provision of services), and a variety of program-specific statutes with nondiscrimination requirements.

Recipient and Subrecipient Obligations

Recipients and subrecipients of Recovery Act funds or other Federal financial assistance must comply with Title VI of the Civil Rights Act of 1964, Section 504 of the Rehabilitation Act of 1973, Title IX of the Education Amendments of 1972, the Age Discrimination Act of 1975, and a variety of program-specific statutes with nondiscrimination requirements.

Other civil rights laws may impose additional requirements on recipients and subrecipients.  These laws include, but are not limited to, Title VII of the Civil Rights Act of 1964 (prohibiting race, color, national origin, religion, and sex discrimination in employment), the Americans with Disabilities Act (prohibiting disability discrimination in employment and in services provided by State and local governments, businesses, and non-profit agencies), and the Fair Housing Act (prohibiting discriminatory housing practices based upon race, color, religion, sex, national origin, disability, or familial status), as well as any other applicable civil rights laws. 

For questions about these civil rights obligations, please contact the Office of Justice Programs, Office for Civil Rights, at 202-307-0690 or e-mail askOCR@ojp.usdoj.gov.

The Antitrust Division provides extensive resources to help you identify fraud and collusion and report possible antitrust violations associated with Recovery Act funding. For more information, see the Antitrust Division: Economic Recovery page.