Title 45—Public Welfare--Volume 1
PART 701—ORGANIZATION AND FUNCTIONS OF THE COMMISSION
§ 701.1   Establishment.
The United States Commission on Civil Rights (hereinafter referred to as the “Commission”) is a bipartisan agency of the executive branch of the Government. The predecessor agency to the present Commission was established by the Civil Rights Act of 1957, 71 Stat. 634. This Act was amended by the Civil Rights Act of 1960, 74 Stat. 86; the Civil Rights Act of 1964, 78 Stat. 241; by 81 Stat. 582 (1967); by 84 Stat. 1356 (1970); by 86 Stat. 813 (1972); and by the Civil Rights Act of 1978, 92 Stat. 1067. The present Commission was established by the United States Commission on Civil Rights Act of 1983, 97 Stat. 1301, as amended by the Civil Rights Commission Amendments Act of 1994, 108 Stat. 4339. The statutes are codified in 42 U.S.C. 1975 through 1975d. (Hereinafter, the 1994 Act will be referred to as “the Act.”)
§ 701.2   Responsibilities.
(a) The Commission's authority under 42 U.S.C. 1975a(a) may be summarized as follows:
(1) To investigate allegations in writing under oath or affirmation that citizens of the United States are being deprived of their right to vote and have that vote counted by reason of color, race, religion, sex, age, disability, or national origin;
(2) To study and collect information relating to discrimination or a denial of equal protection of the laws under the Constitution because of color, race, religion, sex, age, disability or national origin or in the administration of justice;
(3) To appraise the laws and policies of the Federal Government relating to discrimination or denials of equal protection of the laws under the Constitution because of, color, race, religion, sex, age, disability, or national origin or in the administration of justice;
(4) To serve as a national clearinghouse for information relating to discrimination or denials of equal protection of the laws because of color, race, religion, sex, age, disability, or national origin;
(5) To prepare public service announcements and advertising campaigns to discourage discrimination or denials of equal protection of the laws because of color, race, religion, sex, age, disability, or national origin.
(b) Under 42 U.S.C. 1975a(c), the Commission is required to submit at least one report annually that monitors Federal civil rights enforcement efforts in the United States and other such reports to the President and to the Congress at such times as the Commission, the Congress, or the President shall deem appropriate.
(c) In fulfilling these responsibilities the Commission is authorized by the Act to hold hearings and to issue subpoenas for the attendance of witnesses; to consult with governors, attorneys general; and other representatives of State and local governments, and private organizations; and is required to establish an advisory committee in each State. The Act also provides that all Federal agencies shall cooperate fully with the Commission so that it may effectively carry out its functions and duties.
§ 701.10   Membership of the Commission.
(a) The Commission is composed of eight members (or “Commissioners”), not more than four of whom may be of the same political party. The President shall appoint four members, the President pro tempore of the Senate shall appoint two, and the Speaker of the House of Representatives shall appoint two.
(b) The Chairperson and Vice Chairperson of the Commission are designated by the President with the concurrence of a majority of the Commissioners. The Vice Chairperson acts as Chairperson in the absence or disability of the Chairperson or in the event of a vacancy in that office.
(c) No vacancy in the Commission affects its powers and any vacancy is filled in the same manner and is subject to the same limitations with respect to party affiliations as previous appointments.
(d) Five members of the Commission constitute a quorum.
§ 701.11   Commission meetings—duties of the Chairperson.
(a) At a meeting of the Commission in each calendar year, the Commission shall, by vote of the majority, adopt a schedule of Commission meetings for the following calendar year.
(b) In addition to the regularly scheduled meetings, it is the responsibility of the Chairperson to call the Commission to meet in a special open meeting at such time and place as he or she shall deem appropriate; provided however, that upon the motion of a member, and a favorable vote by a majority of Commission members, a special meeting of the Commission may be held in the absence of a call by the Chairperson.
(c) The Chairperson, after consulting with the Staff Director, shall establish the agenda for each meeting. The agenda at the meeting of the Commission may be modified by the addition or deletion of specific items upon the motion of a Commissioner and a favorable vote by a majority of the members.
(d) In the event that after consulting with the members of the Commission and consideration of the views of the members the Chairperson determines that there are insufficient substantive items on a proposed meeting agenda to warrant holding a scheduled meeting, the Chairperson may cancel such meeting.
§ 701.12   Staff Director.
A Staff Director for the Commission is appointed by the President with the concurrence of a majority of the Commissioners. The Staff Director is the administrative head of the agency.
§ 701.13   Staff organization and functions.
The Commission staff organization and function are as follows:
(a) Office of the Staff Director. Under the direction of the Staff Director, this Office defines and disseminates to staff the policies established by the Commissioners; develops program plans for presentation to the Commissioners; evaluates program results; supervises and coordinates the work of other agency offices; manages the administrative affairs of the agency; appoints an Equal Employment Opportunity Officer for the agency's in-house Equal Employment Opportunity Program; and conducts agency liaison with the Executive Office of the President, the Congress, and other Federal agencies.
(b) Office of the Deputy Staff Director. Under the direction of the Deputy Staff Director, this Office is responsible for the day-to-day administration of the agency; evaluation of quantity and quality of program efforts; personnel administration; and the supervision of Office Directors who do not report directly to the Staff Director.
(c) Office of the General Counsel. Under the direction of the General Counsel, who reports directly to the Staff Director, this office serves as legal counsel to the Commissioners and to the agency; legal aspects of agency-related personnel actions, employment issues, and labor relations issues; plans and conducts hearings and consultations for the Commission; conducts legal studies; prepares reports of legal studies and hearings; drafts or reviews proposals for legislative and executive action; receives and responds to requests for material under the Freedom of Information Act, Federal Advisory Committee Act, Administrative Procedures Act, and the Sunshine Act; serves as the agency's ethics office and responds to requests for advice and guidance on questions of ethical conduct, conflicts of interest, and reporting financial interest; and reviews all agency publications and congressional testimony for legal sufficiency.
(d) Office of Management. This Office is responsible for all administrative, management, and facilitative services necessary for the operation of the agency, including financial management, personnel, publications, and the National Clearinghouse Library. This office consists of three divisions reporting directly to the Staff Director.
(1) Administrative Services and Clearinghouse Division. Under the direction of the Chief of Administrative Services, this Division is responsible for the identification and acquisition of Commission hearing facilities; oversight of the Rankin Library and the distribution of publications; procurement; information and resources management; security; telecommunications; transportation; space management; repair and maintenance services; supplies; central mailing lists; and assorted other administrative duties and functions;
(2) Budget and Finance Division. Under the direction of the Chief of Budget and Finance, this Division is responsible for budget preparation, formulation, justification, and execution; financial management; and accounting, including travel for Commissioners and staff; and
(3) Human Resources Division. Under the direction of the Director of Human Resources, this Division is responsible for human resources development, including career staffing, classification, benefits, time and attendance, training, and compensation.
(e) Office of Federal Civil Rights Evaluation. Under the direction of an Assistant Staff Director, this Office is responsible for monitoring, evaluating and reporting on the civil rights enforcement effort of the Federal Government; developing concepts for programs, projects, and policies directed toward the achievement of Commission goals; preparing documents that articulate the Commission's views and concerns regarding Federal civil rights to Federal agencies having appropriate jurisdiction; and receiving complaints alleging denial of civil rights because of color, race, religion, sex, age, disability, or national origin and referring these complaints to the appropriate government agency for investigation and resolution.
(f) Congressional Affairs Unit. This Unit is responsible for liaison with committees and members of Congress or their staffs, monitoring legislative activities relating to civil rights, and preparing testimony for presentation before committees of Congress when such testimony has been requested by a committee.
(g) Public Affairs Unit. Under the direction of the Chief of Public Affairs, this Unit is responsible for planning and managing briefings at which the Commission receives information regarding civil rights issues; developing plans for community outreach activities; managing the Commission's public service announcements; media releases and press conferences; preparing for publication periodic updates of Commission activities and a Commission civil rights magazine; and keeping the Commission and Commission staff apprised of civil rights conferences and activities.
(h) Regional Programs Coordination Unit. Under the direction of the Chief of the Regional Programs Coordination Unit, this Unit is responsible for directing and coordinating the programs and work of the regional offices and 51 State Advisory Committees to the Commission and maintaining liaison between the regional offices and the various headquarters' offices of the Commission.
(i) Regional Offices. The Commission has six regional offices, each headed by a Director, that coordinate studies and fact-finding activities on a variety of civil rights issues addressed by the State Advisory Committees (SAC) in their regions and approved by the Staff Director; report to the Commission on the results of SAC activities; submit SAC reports to the Commission for action; and assist with follow-up on recommendations included in SAC or Commission reports. The name of the Director, the address, and telephone and facsimile numbers for each regional office are published annually in the “United States Government Manual”. The regions and the SACs that they serve are:
Connecticut, Delaware, District of Columbia, Maine, Maryland, Massachusetts, New Hampshire, New Jersey, New York, Pennsylvania, Rhode Island, and Vermont, Virginia, West Virginia.
Florida, Georgia, Kentucky, North Carolina, South Carolina, and Tennessee.
Illinois, Indiana, Michigan, Minnesota, Ohio, and Wisconsin.
Alabama, Arkansas, Iowa, Kansas, Louisiana, Mississippi, Missouri, Nebraska, and Oklahoma.
Colorado, Montana, New Mexico, North Dakota, South Dakota, Utah, and Wyoming.
Alaska, Arizona, California, Hawaii, Idaho, Nevada, Oregon, Texas, and Washington.