Title VI Plan and Program

The Atlanta Regional Commission (ARC), as a federal grant recipient, conforms to Title VI of the Civil Rights Act of 1964 and its amendments.

Title VI of the Civil Rights Act of 1964 requires that no person in the United States shall, on the grounds of race, color or national origin, be excluded from participation in, be denied the benefits of, or be subjected to discrimination under any program or activity receiving Federal financial assistance. Presidential Executive Order 12898, as amended by Executive Order 14008, addresses environmental justice in minority and low-income populations, as well as disadvantaged communities. Presidential Executive Order 13166 addresses services to those individuals with limited English proficiency.

ARC is committed to enforcing the provisions of Title VI and to taking positive and realistic affirmative steps to ensure the protection of rights and opportunities for all persons affected by its programs.

ARC’s current Title VI Program and Plan was adopted by the ARC Board in September 2022:

Title VI Plan and Resolution (PDF 2.1MB)

Purpose

ARC’s complaint process covers complaints filed by an individual or group of individuals under Title VI of the Civil Rights Act of 1964, relating to any planning process, program or activity administered by the Atlanta Regional Commission. The process does not deny the right of the complainant to file formal complaints with other state or federal agencies, or to seek private counsel.

Definitions

Title VI of the Civil Rights Act of 1964 states: No person in the United States shall, on the ground of race, color, or national origin, be excluded from participation in, be denied the benefits of, or be subjected to discrimination under any program or activity receiving federal financial assistance.

Complaint: Any verbal or written communication received by the Office of the Executive Director from members of the public referencing a general complaint regarding the inequitable distribution of benefits, services, amenities, programs or activities financed in whole or in part with federal funds is perceived as an informal charge. A complaint is further defined as any written complaint by an individual or group seeking to remedy perceived discrimination by policies, practices or decisions, which have an adverse impact resulting in inequitable distribution of benefits, services, amenities, programs or activities financed in whole or in part with federal funds.

Title VI Policy and Complaint Form:

Responsibility

The ARC Executive Director is responsible for Title VI and has designated the following as Title VI Officer:

Ms. Brittany Zwald
Title VI Officer
Atlanta Regional Commission
Tel: 470.378.1494
bzwald@atlantaregional.org

Filing

A complaint should be filed within 180 days of the alleged incident. Complaints may be filed with the ARC Title VI Officer via the contact information above.
Complainant may also file a complaint directly with the applicable funding agencies listed below:
- Federal Transit Administration: Office of Civil Rights, Attention: Title VI Program Coordinator, East Building, 5th Floor- TCR, 1200 New Jersey Ave., SE, Washington, DC 20590
- The Director, Civil Rights Center (CRC), U.S. Department of Labor, 200 Constitution Avenue NW., Room N-4123, Washington, DC 20210 or electronically as directed on the CRC Web site at www.dol.gov/crc.
- Centralized Case Management Operations, U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, 200 Independence Avenue, S.W., Room 509F HHH Bldg., Washington, D.C. 20201

Intake and Processing

Any ARC employee may receive a verbal or written communication of a concern and shall direct the complainant to report the concern directly to one of ARC’s designated Title VI Officers.
All complaints will be assigned a tracking number upon completion of the complaint form.

An investigation will occur unless there is omission of facts which could establish intentional unequal treatment as described in the definitions section of this document or the complainant is not a primary beneficiary of the federal funding received by ARC.
If determination is made that the matter is outside the scope of Title VI, notification will be provided complainant in writing within 10 working days of receipt of complaint.
If the matter is determined to be within the scope of Title VI, the Title VI Officer will notify the complainant and begin an investigation within 10 working days of receipt of the complaint.

Investigation, Determination and Recommendation

The Title VI Officer, in consultation with the affected department, will conduct an investigation inclusive of the following steps: the basis of the alleged unequal treatment; ascertain when and where the alleged unequal treatment occurred; identify and interview all relevant parties, review documents; and obtain other factual information from appropriate sources.
A record of all discussions will be maintained and documents relating to the investigation retained in a confidential file by Title VI officials.
Based upon conclusion of a thorough investigation, a report will be prepared summarizing findings and suggesting appropriate corrective action along with proposed resolution.
The investigation will be conducted and completed within 60 days of the receipt of the formal complaint.
The investigative report will be submitted to the ARC Executive Director.

Communication of Findings and Complaint Resolution

The Executive Director of ARC will accept, reject, or modify the investigative report.
Written notification will be provided to the complainant of the findings and proposed resolution within 30 days.

Appeal

The complainant may appeal to the officers of the ARC.

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ARC is committed to enforcing the provisions of Title VI of the Civil Rights Act of 1964 and taking positive and realistic affirmative steps to ensure the protection of rights and opportunities for all persons affected by its programs, services, and activities.