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HomeMy WebLinkAboutBack-Up DocumentsU. S. Department of Justice Office of Justice Programs FY 17 Sexual Assault Forensic Evidence -Inventory, Tracking, and Reporting Program AWARD REPORT U.S. Department of Justice Office ofJustice Programs Office of the Assistant Attorney General Washington. D.C. 20531 September 29, 2017 Ms. Lillian P. Blondet City of Miami 3500 Pan American Drive Miami, FL 33133 Dear Ms. Blonder: On behalf of Attorney General Jefferson Sessions III, it is my pleasure to inform you that the Office ofJustice Programs has approved your application for funding under the FY I7 Sexual Assault Forensic Evidence -Inventory, Tracking, and Reporting Program (SAFE-1TR) in the amount of5264,263 for City of Miami. This funding supports the FY 2017 Sexual Assault Forensic Evidence -Inventory. Tracking. and Reporting Program (SAFE-1TR) project titled "City of Miami FY 2017 SAFE- ITR Inventory, Tracking, and Reporting Project." 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 a!l interim audit findings, and the maintenance of a minimum 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, Theodore D. Robinson, Grant Manager at (202) 616-1739; 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, 3116•40.1-- Alan R. Hanson Acting Assistant Attorney General Enclosures OFFICE FOR CIVIL RIGHTS Office of Justice Programs U.S. Department of Justice 810 7th Street, NW Washington, DC 20531 Tel; (202) 307-0690 TTY: (202) 307-2027 E-mail: askOCRausdoj.gov Website: www.ojp.usdoj.gov/ocr September 29, 2017 Ms. Lillian P. Blondet City of Miami 3500 Pan American Drive Miami, FL 33133 Dear Ms. Blondet: 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 (DOJ) is responsible for ensuring that recipients of financial assistance from the OJP, the Office of Community Oriented Policing Services (COPS), and the Office on Violence Against Women (OVW) comply with the applicable federal civil rights laws. We at the OCR are available to help you and your organization meet the civil rights requirements that come with DOJ funding. Ensuring Access to Federally Assisted Programs Federal laws that apply to recipients of financial assistance from the DOJ prohibit discrimination on the basis of race, color, national origin, religion, sex, or disability in funded programs or activities, not only in employment but also in the delivery of services or benefits. A federal law also prohibits recipients from discriminating on the basis of age in the delivery of services or benefits. In March of 2013, President Obama signed the Violence Against Women Reauthorization Act of 2013. The statute amends the Violence Against Women Act of 1994 (VAWA) by including a nondiscrimination grant condition that prohibits discrimination based on actual or perceived race, color, national origin, religion, sex, disability, sexual orientation, or gender identity. The new nondiscrimination grant condition applies to certain programs funded after October 1, 2013. The OCR and the OVW have developed answers to some frequently asked questions about this provision to assist recipients of VAWA funds to understand their obligations. The Frequently Asked Questions are available at http://ojp.gov/aboutfocr/vawafags.htm. Enforcing Civil Rights Laws All recipients of federal financial assistance, regardless of the particular funding source, the amount of the grant award, or the number of employees in the workforce, are subject to prohibitions against unlawful discrimination. Accordingly, the OCR investigates recipients that are the subject of discrimination complaints from both individuals and groups. In addition, based on regulatory criteria, the 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 opportunity standards. Providing Services to Limited English Proficiency (LEP) Individuals In accordance with DOJ guidance pertaining to Title Vl of the Civil Rights Act of 1964, 42 U.S.C. § 2000d, recipients of federal financial assistance must take reasonable steps to provide meaningful access to their programs and activities for persons with limited English proficiency (LEP). See U.S. Department oflustice, Guidance to Federal Financial Assistance Recipients Regarding Title VI Prohibition Against National Origin Discrimination Affecting Limited English Proficient Persons, 67 Fed. Reg. 41,455 (2002). For more information on the civil rights responsibilities that recipients have in providing language services to LEP individuals, please see the website http://www.lep.gov, Ensuring Equal Treatment for Faith -Based Organizations The DOJ regulation, Equal Treatment for Faith -Based Organizations. 28 C.F.R. pt. 38, requires State Administering Agencies (SAAs) to treat faith -based organizations the same as any other applicant or recipient. The regulation prohibits SAAs from making awards 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 DOJ to fund inherently (or explicitly) religious activities. While faith -based organizations can engage in non -funded inherently religious activities, they must hold them separately from the program funded by the DOJ, and recipients cannot compel beneficiaries to participate in them. The Equal Treatment Regulation also makes clear that organizations participating in programs funded by the DOJ 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 the OCR's website at http://wvvw.ojp.usdoj.goviabout/ocr/equal_fbo.htm. SAAs and faith -based organizations should also note that the Omnibus Crime Control and Safe Streets Act (Safe Streets Act) of 1968, as amended, 42 U.S.C. § 3789d(c); the Victims of Crime Act of 1984, as amended, 42 U.S.C. § 10604(e); the Juvenile Justice and Delinquency Prevention Act of 1974, as amended, 42 U.S.C. § 5672(b); and VAWA, Pub, L. No. 113-4, sec. 3(b)(4), 127 Stat. 54, 61-62 (to be codified at 42 U.S.C. § 13925(b)(13)) contain prohibitions against discrimination on the basis of religion in employment. Despite these nondiscrimination provisions, the DOJ has concluded that it may construe the Religious Freedom Restoration Act (RFRA) on a case -by - case basis to permit some faith -based organizations to receive DOJ funds while taking into account religion when hiring staff, even if the statute that authorizes the funding program generally forbids recipients from considering religion in employment decisions. Please consult with the OCR if you have any questions about the regulation or the application of RFRA to the statutes that prohibit discrimination in employment. Using Arrest and Conviction Records in Making Employment Decisions The OCR issued an advisory document for recipients on the proper use of arrest and conviction records in making hiring decisions. See Advisory for Recipients of Financial Assistance from the U.S. Department of Justice on the U.S. Equal Employment Opportunity Commission's Enforcement Guidance: Consideration of Arrest and Conviction Records in Employment Decisions Under Title VII of the Civil Rights Act of 1964 (June 2013), available at http:/lwww.ojp.usdoj.gov//about/ocr/pdfs/UseofConviction_Advisory.pdf. Recipients should be mindful that the misuse of arrest or conviction records to screen either applicants for employment or employees for retention or promotion may have a disparate impact based on race or national origin, resulting in unlawful employment discrimination. In light of the Advisory. recipients should consult local counsel in reviewing their employment practices. If warranted, recipients should also incorporate an analysis of the use of arrest and conviction records in their Equal Employment Opportunity Plans (ESOPs) (see below). Complying with the Safe Streets Act An organization that is a recipient of financial assistance subject to the nondiscrimination provisions of the Safe Streets Act, must meet two obligations: (l) complying with the federal regulation pertaining to the development of an EEOP (see 28 C.F.R. pt. 42, subpt. E) and (2) submitting to the OCR findings of discrimination (see 28 C.F.R. §§ 42.204(c), .205(c)(5)). Meeting the EEOP Requirement If your organization has less than fifty employees or receives an award of less than S25,000 or is a nonprofit organization, a medical institution, an educational institution, or an Indian tribe, then it is exempt from the EEOP requirement. To claim the exemption, your organization must complete and submit Section A of the Certification Fomt, which is available online at http://www.ojp.usdoj.gov/about/ocr/pdfs/cert.pdf, If your organization is a government agency or private business and receives an award of S25,000 or more, but less than $500,000, and has fifty or more employees (counting both full- and part-time employees but excluding political appointees), then it has to prepare a Utilization Report (formerly called an EEOP Short Form), but it does not have to submit the report to the OCR for review. Instead, your organization has to maintain the Utilization Report on tile and make it available for review on request. In addition, your organization has to complete Section B of the Certification Form and return it to the OCR. The Certification Form is available al http://www.ojp.usdoj.goviaboutlacripdfsicert.pidf. If your organization is a government agency or private business and has received an award for $500,000 or more and has fifty or more employees (counting both full- and part-time employees but excluding political appointees), then it has to prepare a Utilization Report (formerly called an EEOP Short Form) and submit it to the OCR for review within sixty days from the date of this letter. For assistance in developing a Utilization Report, please consult the OCR's website at http://www.ojp.usdoj.govlabout'ocr.'eeop.htm. In addition, your organization has to complete Section C of the Certification Form and return it to the OCR. The Certification Form is available at http://www.ojp.usdoj.gov/about/ocripdfskert.pdf. To comply with the EEOP requirements, you may request technical assistance from an EEOP specialist at the OCR by telephone at (202) 307-0690, by TTY at (202) 307-2027, or by e-mail at EEOsubmisson@usdoj.gov. Meeting the Requirement to Submit Findings of Discrimination If in the three years prior to the date of the grant award, your organization has received an adverse finding of discrimination based on race, color, national origin, religion, or sex, after a due -process hearing, from a state or federal court or from a state or federal administrative agency, your organization must send a copy of the finding to the OCR. Ensuring the Compliance of Subrecipients SAAs must have standard assurances to notify subrecipients of their civil rights obligations, written procedures to address discrimination complaints filed against subrecipients, methods to monitor subrecipients' compliance with civil rights requirements, and a program to train subrecipients an applicable civil rights laws. In addition, SAAs must submit to the OCR every three years written Methods of Administration (MOA) that summarize the policies and procedures that they have implemented to ensure the civil rights compliance of subrecipients. For more information on the MOA requirement, see http://www.ojp.usdoj.gov/fundine'other requirements.him. If the OCR can assist you in any way in fulfilling your organization's civil rights responsibilities as a recipient of federal financial assistance, please contact us. Sincerely, a. Al. -A --- Michael L. Alston Director cc: Grant Manager Financial Analyst