Nondiscrimination and Participation Assistance
Nondiscrimination
Title VI of the Civil Rights Act of 1964 prohibits federal agencies, recipients, and sub-recipients of federal funds from excluding, discriminating, or denying benefits to individuals on the basis of race, color, or national origin. Other laws prohibit discrimination, exclusion, or denial of benefits on the basis of sex, age, income status, or disability.
As a sub-recipient of federal assistance, FAMPO and its fiscal and staffing agent, the George Washington Regional Commission (GWRC), does not discriminate on the basis of race, color, national origin, gender, gender identity, sexual orientation, age, religion, creed, language barrier, or disability in admission to, access to, or in operations of their programs, services, and activities. Discrimination against any person in recruitment, examination, appointment, training, promotion, retention, discipline, or any other employment practices because of
non-merit factors are prohibited.
Participation Assistance
Public participation is solicited without regard to race, color, national origin, age, sex, religion, disability, or family status. Persons who require special accommodations under the American with Disabilities Act (ADA) or persons who require translation services (free of charge) should contact FAMPO at 540-373-2890 or fampo@gwregion.org. If hearing impaired, telephone 1-800-552-7917 (TTY) or 7-1-1.
Controlling Policy
The FAMPO Community Engagement and Equity Plan contains the policy and procedures that FAMPO follows to ensure equitable participation opportunities are offered for the public and other stakeholders. (The aforementioned plan will be implemented on January 1, 2022. Prior to that date, the controlling policies can be found here and here.)
How to File a Discrimination Complaint
The following steps detail how to file a discrimination complaint against FAMPO, its fiscal agent, GWRC, or a contractor doing work on FAMPO’s behalf. All complaints will be referred to the FAMPO Title VI Coordinator for review and preliminary action. Within 10 days, the FAMPO Title VI coordinator will communicate with the complainant and send written acknowledgment that the complaint was received. Within 10 days, the Title VI coordinator will send the written complaint, along with other necessary facts and information, to the Virginia Department of Transportation (VDOT) Civil Rights Division for investigation, and a copy to the Federal Highway Administration (FHWA) Virginia Division Office.
Steps to file a complaint against FAMPO, its fiscal and staffing agent, GWRC, or contractors doing work on FAMPO’s behalf:
1. Create a hand-written or typed complaint that contains:
- The date of the alleged act of discrimination, or date when the complainant became
aware of the alleged discrimination, or the date in which the conduct was discontinued
or the latest instance. - A detailed description of the issues including the names and job titles of the individuals
perceived to be parties in the incident and the basis of the complaint (e.g. discrimination
due to race, color, national origin, sex, or disability). - The complainant’s signature and contact information including postal address, phone
number, and email, as applicable.
2. The hand-written or typed complaint must be submitted to the FAMPO Title VI coordinator within 180 calendar days of the alleged occurrence or when the alleged discrimination
became known to the complainant.
3. The complainant should also send a copy of the complaint to the Virginia Department of Transportation (VDOT) Civil Rights Division. Learn more about filing a civil rights complaint with VDOT at https://www.transportation.gov/civil-rights/complaint-resolution/complaint-process. The complainant may also send a copy of the complaint to the Federal Highway Administration (FHWA) Virginia Division. Learn more about filing a civil rights complaint with FHWA at https://www.fhwa.dot.gov/civilrights/file/.