**GAO-09-62**                      Published: Oct 22, 2008. Publicly Released: Oct 22, 2008.                  

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## Highlights

For decades, numerous federal reports have described serious weaknesses in USDA's civil rights programs--in particular, in resolving discrimination complaints and providing minority farmers with access to programs. In 2002, Congress authorized the position of Assistant Secretary for Civil Rights (ASCR) at USDA to provide leadership for resolving these long-standing problems. GAO was asked to assess USDA's efforts to (1) resolve discrimination complaints, (2) report on minority participation in farm programs, and (3) strategically plan its efforts. GAO also reviewed experiences of other federal agencies to develop options for addressing the issues. This report is based on new and prior work, including analysis of ASCR's discrimination complaint management, strategic planning, and interviews with officials of USDA and other agencies, as well as 20 USDA stakeholder groups.

## Recommendations

## Matter for Congressional Consideration

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## Topics

Equal Opportunity

Agricultural programsCivic actionCivil rightsCivil rights lawCivil rights law enforcementClaimsData collectionData integrityDisadvantaged personsDiscriminationDiversity managementFair employment programsInternal controlsMinoritiesPerformance measuresProgram managementReporting requirementsStrategic planningProgram goals or objectives