1: National Conversation
Shape a national conversation on current and future civil rights issues that identifies civil rights priorities for policy
makers
Other Information:
Fifty years after the founding of the Commission on Civil Rights, an extensive governmental structure has been erected to
protect civil rights. Bulwarks against discrimination are well entrenched features of America’s legal landscape and include
the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission (EEOC); the Office of Federal Contract Compliance Programs (OFCCP) of the Department
of Labor; the Civil Rights Division of the Department of Justice; the Office for Civil Rights of the Department of Education;
the Office of Civil Rights of the Department of Health and Human Services; the Office of Fair Housing and Equal Opportunity
of the Department of Housing and Urban Development; the various state civil rights commissions; the innumerable local civil
rights commissions; the tens of thousands of, private attorneys who pursue actions under Title VII of the Civil Rights Act
of 1964, Title VI and Title IX of the 1972 Education Amendments, the Voting Rights Act of 1965, the Fair Housing Act of 1968,
the Civil Rights Act of 1991, Executive Order 11246, the Americans with Disabilities Act, the Age Discrimination and Employment
Act, and their state and local comparatives; and affirmative action compliance officers in thousands of corporations and political
subdivisions. 1. How the Goal Will Be Achieved The nation is indeed fortunate to have this panoply of entities and legislation
dedicated to the advancement and protection of civil rights. Lost in the numbers and scope of civil rights entities and legislation,
however, is the continuing need to enhance enforcement of civil rights laws and to continually appraise laws and policies
of the Federal government with respect to the civil rights challenges of the 21st Century. The Commission on Civil Rights’
unique statutory mandate affords it the enviable opportunity to continue to address these issues in a way no other civil rights
agency can. The Commission’s annual enforcement report, for example, provides a review of civil rights enforcement that can
be tailored to current issues and concerns. Similarly, the Commission’s robust mandate for investigating and reporting on
civil rights issues affords it the flexibility to stay at the vanguard of developing civil rights issues while other agencies
remained tethered to particular causes or purposes. The Commission’s unique position in the civil rights landscape allows
it to think and act prospectively regarding civil rights and to ask the question: Is the nation’s civil rights infrastructure
equipped to address the civil rights challenges of the 21st Century? Forty years after the civil rights movement galvanized
the Congress to pass broad and sweeping civil rights laws and remedies, protections for many individuals are stronger but
it is unarguable that group disparities still persist. What civil rights issues and remedies will emerge over the next five,
ten and 25 years? What are the thorniest challenges facing enforcement agencies and the private bar in safeguarding fundamental
civil rights in an era of dwindling resources? What are the most promising enforcement strategies for identifying pervasive
discrimination and for promoting equal opportunity for all? What are the root causes of disparities in health, education,
housing and wealth, and are disparities caused by discrimination? The Commission hopes to answer these questions and shape
a national conversation on current civil rights issues by: • Reinvigorating the Commission’s State Advisory Committees (SACs),
consistent with budgetary resources. • Energizing the Commission’s SACs by enhancing their institutional role in program planning
and increasing their productivity. • Commissioning a multi-state report, in which the Commission’s individual SACs identify
civil rights priorities facing their states/regions. • Convening a national conference in FY 2009 to elicit diverse, multi-disciplinary
and bipartisan perspectives on civil rights in the 21st century. The Commission has already begun the process of reinvigorating
the State Advisory Committees. In early 2006, the Commission modified the membership requirements to comport with Federal
anti-discrimination laws and to create a more flexible application process which has aided in recruitment of new participants.
Additionally, the Commission has formally requested Congressional action to increase the charters from two years to four years.
The increased charter period will allow the Commission to recruit and retain members to serve through longer-term projects.
More progress was made with the SACs when the Commission adopted a process and timeline for eliminating a backlog of expired
SAC charters. Successfully eliminating this long-time backlog will contribute to the effective use of the advisory committees
because federal law prohibits advisory committees from functioning with expired charters. Similarly, the Commission will continue
to work to decrease the amount of time required to re-charter SACs with current charter due to expire after January 30, 2007.
The Commission will further integrate the SACs into the work of the Commission by completing a multi-state report in FY 2009.
The opportunity for the SACs to identify emerging civil rights issues in their states fulfills GAO recommendations and reaffirms
the national office’s commitment to incorporate the SACs into our project planning and execution. The Commission is also planning
to hold a national conference which endeavors to be a significant convening of scholars, practitioners, policy makers and
issue specialists addressing broad civil rights themes. The Commission will seek to draw at least 100 civil rights practitioners,
experts and others to the conference. In addition to broad discussions on civil rights, sessions will be held on discrete
topics drawn from the responses of the SACs and pending matters before Congress. The conference will result in a report of
findings entitled “Civil Rights Priorities for the 21st Century.” Any findings of widespread or systemic discrimination will
be followed with investigations by the Commission in those areas. 2. How Results Will Be Measured Successful implementation
of these strategies will substantially enhance the Commission’s position as a leader in civil right research. Ideally, the
Commission’s work will have a ripple effect throughout the academic community and within the nation’s law-making institutions,
inspiring follow-up research, policy initiatives and oversight agendas. Success will be evidenced by, among other things:
• Identifying 21st century civil rights issues by convening a national conference in FY 2009 and, by FY 2010, issuing a report
based on conference findings for policy makers and others with civil rights responsibilities. • Incorporating into the Commission’s
annual program planning process a discussion of identified 21st century civil rights priorities for concentrated study and
research. • Increasing the Commission’s use of its network of 51 SACs as its “eyes and ears” on civil rights matters of concern
at the state and local levels through issuing joint national and SAC reports biennially. • Publishing a multi-state report
in FY 2009 that utilizes the advisory committees to identify for policy-makers, researchers, and the public state and regional
civil rights issues and priorities. • Eliminating the backlog of SACs with charters that expire on or before January 30, 2007
by FY 2011. • Re-chartering SACs with active charters expiring after January 30, 2007 within 60 days of charter expiration.
Objective(s):
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