Commission critical of civil rights efforts at Agriculture, Interior

Efforts to better enforce civil rights laws at the Agriculture and Interior departments have fallen short of what is needed, according to a new report issued by the Commission on Civil Rights.

Over the last decade, the commission examined the efforts of some federal agencies and departments to address civil rights issues. The commission reviewed policies, procedures, planning and budgeting information, and conducted interviews with civil rights staffers before recommending how those agencies could improve their compliance with, and enforcement of, civil rights laws. In reviewing the Agriculture and Interior departments, the Environmental Protection Agency and the Small Business Administration, the commission found that Agriculture and Interior had not sufficiently improved their civil rights enforcement activities.

"USDA has done little to coordinate all of its civil rights responsibilities effectively," the report said. "The department's agencies have undergone reorganizations, name changes, and realignments; however with inconsistent result."

The Agriculture Department has faced a series of discrimination suits from black farmers and from its own minority employees in recent years and currently faces a motion for contempt by a group of Forest Service employees who claim the agency has failed to implement sexual harassment reforms agreed to under a 2001 settlement.

An Agriculture spokesman said officials would take any actions necessary to step up civil rights enforcement at the department.

"We will expeditiously examine the content and the recommendations of the new report and take action that is prudent to further improve the civil rights conditions at the Department of Agriculture," said Jim Brownlee. "There is no principle more important than the secretary's commitment to ensuring USDA compliance with all aspects of the civil rights laws for everyone."

In March, the Agriculture Department got its first assistant secretary for civil rights, Vernon Parker. He is responsible for guaranteeing that the department has measurable goals for fair and nondiscriminatory treatment, ensuring compliance with all civil rights and related laws, and holding Agriculture agency heads and senior executives accountable for civil rights compliance.

Lawrence Lucas, president of the USDA Coalition of Minority Employees, expressed skepticism at the department's efforts to improve civil rights enforcement.

"I don't see where any reshuffling of the cards has done any good in improving the administration and processing of civil rights at USDA," said Lucas. "They are not implementing the recommendations of those bodies that have gone in and have taken a look at their programs. They are still depending on themselves to take a look at their programs and it's not working."

The Civil Rights Commission recommended that Agriculture officials consolidate all civil rights functions into one office and determine which offices would be more effective under Parker's direct leadership.

At the Interior Department, the commission found that the department's "commitment to civil rights is imperiled due to inaction" on the recommendations.

"The department does not dedicate specific resources for civil rights enforcement, thus initiatives such as education and outreach have gone unsupported," the report said.

An Interior spokesman said he could not respond to the commission's charges because he had not reviewed the report.

The commission recommended that Interior Secretary Gale Norton raise the status of the Office for Equal Opportunity in order to make civil rights compliance and enforcement part of the department's mission. Norton should also increase the budget for the office, establish a legal department for the office and ensure that civil rights specialists are properly trained.

Both the EPA and the Small Business Administration made some improvements, the commission found, with EPA addressing most of the commission's earlier concerns. "The agency has undertaken initiatives such as a structured staff training program and a comprehensive complaint process that are models worthy of emulating by other agencies," the report said.

Though SBA had a hard time getting started due to budget constraints, the agency was able to issue some new compliance and enforcement regulations earlier this year. "[SBA] has made vast improvements in areas pertaining to compliance reviews, publications, and technical assistance based on previous recommendations," the report said.