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Overview of Executive Order 13166
On August 11, 2000, President Clinton signed
Executive Order 13166, "Improving Access to Services for Persons with Limited English
Proficiency." The Executive Order requires Federal agencies to examine the
services they provide, identify any need for services to those with limited English
proficiency (LEP), and develop and implement a system to provide those services so LEP
persons can have meaningful access to them. It is expected that agency plans will
provide for such meaningful access consistent with, and without unduly burdening, the
fundamental mission of the agency. The Executive Order also requires that the
Federal agencies work to ensure that recipients of Federal financial assistance provide
meaningful access to their LEP applicants and beneficiaries.
To assist Federal agencies in carrying out these
responsibilities, the U.S. Department of Justice has issued a Policy Guidance
Document, "Enforcement of Title VI of the Civil Rights Act of 1964 - National
Origin Discrimination Against Persons With Limited English Proficiency" (LEP
Guidance). This LEP Guidance sets forth the compliance standards that recipients of
Federal financial assistance must follow to ensure that their programs and activities
normally provided in English are accessible to LEP persons and thus do not discriminate on
the basis of national origin in violation of Title VI's prohibition against national
origin discrimination.
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