20 USC 3413 – Office for Civil Rights
(a) Establishment; administration; delegation of functions
There shall be in the Department an Office for Civil Rights, to be administered by the Assistant Secretary for Civil Rights appointed under section 3412(b) of this title. Notwithstanding the provisions of section 3472 of this title, the Secretary shall delegate to the Assistant Secretary for Civil Rights all functions, other than administrative and support functions, transferred to the Secretary under section 3441(a)(3) of this title.
(b) Compliance and enforcement reports; copies submitted to Secretary
Terms Used In 20 USC 3413
- Department: means the Department of Education or any component thereof. See 20 USC 3404
- Jurisdiction: (1) The legal authority of a court to hear and decide a case. Concurrent jurisdiction exists when two courts have simultaneous responsibility for the same case. (2) The geographic area over which the court has authority to decide cases.
- office: includes any office, institute, council, unit, organizational entity, or component thereof. See 20 USC 3404
- Secretary: means the Secretary of Education. See 20 USC 3404
(1) The Assistant Secretary for Civil Rights shall make an annual report to the Secretary, the President, and the Congress summarizing the compliance and enforcement activities of the Office for Civil Rights and identifying significant civil rights or compliance problems as to which such Office has made a recommendation for corrective action and as to which, in the judgment of the Assistant Secretary, adequate progress is not being made.
(2) Notwithstanding any other provision of law, the report required by paragraph (1) shall be transmitted to the Secretary, the President, and the Congress by the Assistant Secretary for Civil Rights without further clearance or approval. The Assistant Secretary shall provide copies of the report required by paragraph (1) to the Secretary sufficiently in advance of its submission to the President and the Congress to provide a reasonable opportunity for comments of the Secretary to be appended to the report.
(c) Authority of Assistant Secretary
In addition to the authority otherwise provided under this section, the Assistant Secretary for Civil Rights, in carrying out the provisions of this section, is authorized—
(1) to collect or coordinate the collection of data necessary to ensure compliance with civil rights laws within the jurisdiction of the Office for Civil Rights;
(2) to select, appoint, and employ such officers and employees, including staff attorneys, as may be necessary to carry out the functions of such Office, subject to the provisions of title 5 governing appointments in the competitive service and the provisions of chapter 51 and subchapter III of chapter 53 of such title relating to classification and General Schedule pay rates;
(3) to enter into contracts and other arrangements for audits, studies, analyses, and other services with public agencies and with private organizations and persons, and to make such payments as may be necessary to carry out the compliance and enforcement functions of such Office; and
(4) notwithstanding any other provision of this chapter, to obtain services as authorized by section 3109 of title 5 at a rate not to exceed the equivalent daily rate payable for grade GS-18 of the General Schedule under section 5332 of such title.