HomeMy WebLinkAboutExhibit 1Department of Justice
Office of Justice Programs
Bureau of Justice Assistance
Office of Justice Programs Washington. D.C. 20531
August 15, 2008
Mr. Pedro Hernandez
Miami Police Department
Budget Unit
400 Northwest 2nd Avenue
Miami, FL 33128
Dear Mr. Hemandez:
On behalf of Attorney General Michael B. Mukasey, it is my pleasure to inform you that the Office of Justice Programs has
approved your application for funding under the FY 08 Edward Byrne Memorial Justice Assistance (JAG) Grant Program:
Local Solicitation in the amount of S195,848 for Miami Police Department.
Enclosed you will find the Grant Award and Special Conditions documents. This award is subject to all administrative and
financial requirements, including the timely submission of all financial and programmatic reports, resolution of all interim
audit findings, and the maintenance of a rninimum level of cash -on -hand. Should you not adhere to these requirements, you
will be in violation of the terms of this agreement and the award will be subject to termination for cause or other administrative
action as appropriate.
If you have questions regarding this award, please contact:
- Program Questions, Nadine Fulton -Jones, Program Manager at (202) 514-6661; and
- Financial Questions, the Office of the Chief Financial Officer, Customer Service Center (CSC) at
(800) 458-0786, or you may contact the CSC at ask.ocfo@usdoj.gov.
Congratulations, and we look forward to working with you.
Sincerely,
Domingo S. Herraiz
Director, Bureau of Justice Assistance
Enclosures
RECEIVED
AUG 21 2008
LEGISLATION DETAIL j
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Department of Justice
Office of Justice Programs
Office for Civil Rights
n'oshingron. D.C. 20531
August 15, 2008
Mr. Pedro Hernandez
Miami Police Department
Budget Unit
400 Northwest 2nd Avenue
Miami, FL 33128
Dear Mr. Hernandez:
Congratulations on your recent award. In establishing financial assistance programs, Congress linked the receipt of Federal funding to
compliance with Federal civil rights laws. The Office for Civil Rights (OCR), Office of Justice Programs (OJP), U.S. Department of Justice
is responsible for ensuring that recipients of financial aid from OJP, its component offices and bureaus, the Office on Violence Against
Women (OVW), and the Office of Community Oriented Policing Services (COPS) comply with applicable Federal civil rights statutes and
regulations. We at OCR are available to help you and your organization meet the civil rights requirements that come with Justice
Department funding.
Ensuring Access to Federally Assisted Programs
As you know, Federal laws prohibit recipients of financial assistance from discriminating on the basis of race, color, national origin,
religion, sex, or disability in funded programs or activities, not only in respect to employment practices but also in the delivery of services or
benefits. Federal law also prohibits funded programs or activities from discriminating on the basis of age in the delivery of services or
benefits.
Providing Services to Limited English Proficiency (LEP) Individuals
In accordance with Department of Justice Guidance pertaining to Title VI of the Civil Rights Act of 1964, 42 U.S.C. § 2000d, recipients of
Federal financial assistance must take reasonable steps to provide ntcaningtul access to their programs and activities for persons with limited
English proficiency (LEP). For more information on the civil rights responsibilities that recipients have in providing language services to
LEP individuals, please see the website at http://www.lep.gov.
Ensuring Equal Treatment for Faith -Based Organizations
The Department of Justice has published a regulation specifically pertaining to the funding of faith -based organizations. In general, the
regulation, Participation in Justice Department Programs by Religious Organizations; Providing for Equal Treatment of all Justice
Department Program Participants, and known as the Equal Treatment Regulation 28 C.F.R. part 38, requires State Administering Agencies
to treat these organizations the same as any other applicant or recipient. The regulation prohibits State Administering Agencies from making
award or grant administration decisions on the basis of an organization's religious character or affiliation, religious name, or the religious
composition of its board of directors.
The regulation also prohibits faith -based organizations from using financial assistance from the Department of Justice to fund inherently
religious activities. While faith -based organizations can engage in non -funded inherently religious activities, they must be held separately
from the Department of Justice funded program, and customers or beneficiaries cannot be compelled to participate in them. The Equal
Treatment Regulation also makes clear that organizations participating in programs funded by the Department of Justice are not permitted to
discriminate in the provision of services on the basis of a beneficiary's religion. For more information on the regulation, please see OCR's
website at http://www.ojp.usdoj.gov/ocr/etfbo.htm.
State Administering Agencies and faith -based organizations should also note that the Safe Streets Act, as amended; the Victims of Crime
Act, as amended; and the Juvenile Justice and Delinquency Prevention Act, as amended, contain prohibitions against discrimination on the
basis of religion in employment. Despite these nondiscrimination provisions, the Justice Department has concluded that the Religious
Freedom Restoration Act (RFRA) is reasonably construed, on a case -by -case basis, to require that its funding agencies permit faith -based
organizations applying for funding under the applicable program statutes both to receive DOS funds and to continue considering religion
when hiring staff, even if the statute that authorizes the funding program generally forbids considering of religion in employment decisions
by grantees.
Questions about the regulation or the application of RFRA to the statutes that prohibit discrimination in employment may be directed to this
Office.
Enforcing Civil Rights Laws
All recipients of Federal financial assistance, regardless of the particular finding source, the amount of the grant award, or the number of
employees in the workforce, are subject to the prohibitions against unlawful discrimination. Accordingly, OCR investigates recipients that
are the subject of discrimination complaints from both individuals and groups. In addition, based on regulatory criteria, OCR selects a
number of recipients each year for compliance reviews, audits that require recipients to submit data showing that they are providing services
equitably to all segments of their service population and that their employment practices meet equal employment opportunity standards.
Complying with the Safe Streets Act or Program Requirements
hi addition to these general prohibitions, an organization which is a recipient of financial assistance subject to the nondiscrimination
provisions of the Omnibus Crime Control and Safe Streets Act (Safe Streets Act) of 1968, 42 U.S.C. § 3789d(c), or other Federal grant
program requirements, must meet two additional requirernents:(1) complying with Federal regulations pertaining to the development of an
Equal Employment Opportunity Plan (EEOP), 28 C.F.R. § 42.301-.308, and (2) submitting to OCR Findings of Discrimination (see 28
C.F.R. §§ 42.205(5) or 31.202(5)).
1) Meeting the EEOP Requirement
In accordance with Federal regulations, Assurance No. 6 in the Standard Assurances, COPS Assurance No. 8.B, or certain Federal grant
program requirements, your organization must comply with the following EEOP reporting requirements:
If your organization has received an award for $500,000 or more and has 50 or more employees (counting both full- and part-time
employees but excluding political appointees), then it has to prepare an EEOP and submit it to OCR for review within 60 days from the
date of this letter. For assistance in developing an EEOP, please consult OCR's website at http://www.ojp.usdoj.gov/ocr/eeop.htm. You
may also request technical assistance from an EEOP specialist at OCR by dialing (202) 616-3208.
If your organization received an award between $25,000 and $500,000 and has 50 or more employees, your organization still has to prepare
an EEOP, but it does not have to submit the EEOP to OCR for review. Instead, your organization has to maintain the EEOP on file and
make it available for review on request. In addition, your organization has to complete Section B of the Certification Fonn and retum it to
OCR. The Certification Form can be found at http://www.ojp.usdoj.gov/ocr/eeop.htm.
If your organization received an award for Tess than $25,000; or if your organization has less than 50 employees, regardless of the amount of
the award; or if your organization is a medical institution, educational institution, nonprofit organization or Indian tribe, then your
organization is exempt from the EEOP requirement. However, your organization must complete Section A of the Certification Form and
return it to OCR. The Certification Form can be found at http://www.ojp.usdoj.gov/ocr/eeop.htm.
2) Submitting Findings of Discrimination
In the event a Federal or State court or Federal or State administrative agency makes an adverse finding of discrimination against your
organization after a due process hearing, on the ground of race, color, religion, national origin, or sex, your organization must submit a copy
of the finding to OCR for review.
Ensuring the Compliance of Subrecipients
If your organization makes subawards to other agencies, you are responsible for assuring that subrecipients also comply with all of the
applicable Federal civil rights laws, including the requirements pertaining to developing and submitting an EEOP, reporting Findings of
Discrimination, and providing language services to LEP persons. State agencies that make subawards must have in place standard grant
assurances and review procedures to demonstrate that they are effectively monitoring the civil rights compliance of subrecipients.
If we can assist you in any way in fulfilling your civil rights responsibilities as a recipient of Federal funding, please call OCR at (202) 307-
0690 or visit our website at http://www.ojp.usdoj.gov/ocr/.
Sincerely,
Michael L. Alston
Director
cc: Grant Manager
Financial Analyst