FEDERAL-AID POLICY GUIDE
July 21, 1995, Transmittal 13
NS 23 CFR 230A
OPI: HCR-1
(1) The required contract provisions relating to equal opportunity as set forth in Form FHWA-1273, Required Contract Provisions-Federal-Aid Construction Contracts (see Title 23 CFR, Part 633A), as appropriate, shall be included in all Federal-aid highway construction contracts.
(2) With the advice of the Regional Civil Rights Director and approval of the Regional Federal Highway Administrator, each Division Administrator shall assign an employee to serve as Division Equal Opportunity Officer, with necessary authority to carry out these functions. As considered appropriate, the individual selected shall possess adequate knowledge of the Federal-aid highway program. In some States this may entail full-time assignment to equal opportunity activities.
(1) counseling,
(2) recruiting efforts within particular minority, women or disadvantaged groups,
(3) pre-entry training,
(4) off-season training, and
(5) administrative changes.
(1) The FHWA field staffs should provide information, advice, and assistance to States to develop workable strategies to effectively use the 1/2 of 1 percent OJT/SS funds.
(2) The FHWA field office should initiate compliance determinations and corrective actions to accurately correct deficiencies in those instances where compliance reviews, routine monitoring, or investigations reveal the objectives of the OJT program are not being met.
(3) The FHWA field staffs should encourage States to use the 1/2 of 1 percent optional SS funds (23 U.S.C. 140(b)) for increasing the utilization of minority group workers, and women.
(4) To assist States in using OJT/SS funds and meeting their responsibilities for ensuring the recruitment, hiring, training and retention of minorities and women in the highway construction crafts, such community service programs as the Urban Youth Corp (UYC) and the Job Opportunities and Basic Skills Training (JOBS) Programs may be included as partners in this effort. Information on these Programs can be obtained from the Regional Civil Rights Offices
(1) States should carefully review contractor workstatements and proposals to provide supportive services, to determine the contractor's familiarity with the transportation industry and capability to fulfill a State's contract requirements.
(2) States should be advised that statewide efforts may not be feasible, especially where the land mass is so great that travel requirements would dilute the effectiveness of widespread and sporadic efforts, or where various union geographical jurisdictions are intermingled. In such instances, regional approaches focused on specific geographical areas will probably prove more effective.
(3) States should closely monitor initial efforts to ensure the objectives of the program have been met.
(4) States should be advised to make every attempt to avoid duplication of efforts when establishing training and supportive services programs. Although some overlap is unavoidable, scarce funds must not be wasted developing approaches, training, and intervention strategies which already exist.
(1) Supportive services funds need not be matched by State funds although voluntary State participation in funding of the activity is encouraged.
(2) Projects should be numbered 110-1, 110-2, etc., in each State.