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ORANGE COUNTY <br />BOARD OF COMMISSIONERS <br />ACTION AGENDA ITEM ABSTRACT <br />Meeting Date: March 15, 2005 <br />Action Agen~ <br />Item No. <br />SUBJECT: Approval of Contract for Development of a Limited English Proficiency <br />Assessment Tool <br />DEPARTMENT: Human Rights and Relations/ <br />Purchasing and Central <br />Services <br />PUBLIC HEARING: (Y/N) No <br />ATTACHMENT: <br />1, Proposal <br />2. Letter of Support from the Health <br />Department and Department of <br />Social Services <br />INFORMATION CONTACT: <br />Milan T. Pham, 960-3877 <br />Pam Jones, 245-2650 <br />TELEPHONE NUMBERS: <br />Hillsborough <br />Chapel Hill <br />Durham <br />Mebane <br />732-8181 <br />968-4501 <br />688-7331 <br />336-227-2031 <br />PURPOSE: To authorize staff to contract with the Chapel Hill Institute for Culture and <br />Language Education, Inc, (CHICLE), with all costs to be paid by the U.S. Department of <br />Housing and Urban Development (HUD), to develop a Limited English Proficiency (LEP) <br />Assessment TcoL <br />BACKGROUND: The development of this tool, which will be "owned" by Orange County, will <br />allow the County to enhance current efforts to comply with Title VI of the Civil Rights Act <br />prohibiting discrimination in government services on the basis of national origin and to increase <br />the County's capability to serve LEP communities. County departments will be provided with a <br />"certified" tool they can use to assess the spoken language proficiencies of staff and volunteers <br />who may be called upon to speak Spanish, thereby improving the correct and efficient utilization <br />of those individuals. <br />Title VI <br />Title VI of the Civil Rights Act of 1964 prohibits recipients of federal financial assistance <br />from discriminating against or otherwise excluding individuals on the basis of race, color, or <br />national origin in any of their activities, Section 601 of Title VI, 42 U,S.C.. Sec. 2000d, provides: <br />"No person in the United States shall, on the ground of race, color, or national origin, be <br />excluded from participation in, be denied fhe benefits of, or be subjected to discrimination under <br />an,y program or activity receiving Federal financial assistance." <br />