    [Public Papers of the Presidents of the United States: William J. Clinton (1994, Book II)]
    [August 4, 1994]
    [Pages 1430-1432]
    [From the U.S. Government Publishing Office www.gpo.gov]

    Memorandum on the Civil Rights Working Group
    August 4, 1994

    Memorandum for the Heads of Executive Departments and Agencies

    Subject: Civil Rights Working Group

        I am writing to you about our responsibility to promote equal
    opportunity for all Americans. We have accomplished much in our pursuit
    of a society in which all our people can achieve their God-given
    potential. But we still have a long way to go.
        Americans believe that in spite of our differences, there is in all
    of us a common core of humanity that obliges us to respect one another
    and to live in harmony and peace. We must build on this belief and give
    real meaning to civil rights by tearing down all remaining barriers to
    equal opportunity--in education, employment, housing, and every area of
    American life.
        Throughout the Nation, each of us must bring new energy to our
    efforts to promote an open and inclusive society. Those of us who are
    public servants have a special obligation. At the Federal level, we will
    do this by re-evaluating the civil

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    rights missions, policies, and resources of every agency, so that they
    carry out their missions in a manner consistent with the
    Administration's commitment to equal opportunity. In reviewing our
    activities, we must seek not only to eliminate barriers to equal access
    and opportunity, but also to identify opportunities for innovation. No
    Federal office should be exempt from the obligation to further the
    struggle for civil rights. And every State and local government should
    be encouraged to do the same.
        On January 17, 1994, I issued an Executive order establishing a
    President's Fair Housing Council to be chaired by the Secretary of
    Housing and Urban Development. Working across agencies and programs,
    this Council will bring new focus and leadership to the administration
    of the Federal Government's fair housing programs. On February 11, 1994,
    I issued an Executive order directing agencies to develop strategies to
    identify, analyze, and address environmental inequities that are the
    result of Federal policies. That order will increase public
    participation in the environmental decision-making process.
        In addition to these efforts, I believe more can be done to exercise
    leadership for civil rights enforcement. That is why I hereby establish
    a Civil Rights Working Group, under the auspices of the Domestic Policy
    Council, to evaluate and improve the effectiveness of Federal civil
    rights enforcement missions and policies. The Civil Rights Working Group
    will identify barriers to equal access, impediments to effective
    enforcement of the law, and effective strategies to promote tolerance
    and understanding in our communities and workplaces. More important, I
    expect the Working Group to develop new approaches to address these
    issues.
        The principal focus of the Working Group will be our civil rights
    enforcement efforts. We must recognize, however, that public and private
    enforcement resources will never be fully adequate to the task, and all
    of the remaining obstacles to opportunity cannot be removed through
    litigation alone. Therefore, I direct the Working Group to identify
    innovative strategies that can leverage our limited resources to provide
    new avenues for equal opportunity and equal rights. Among those
    potential strategies are new measures relying on civic education and
    voluntary efforts to engage citizens in overcoming the effects of past
    discrimination. These new strategies should be designed to complement
    our improved and reinvigorated enforcement efforts.
        The Attorney General and the Director of the Office of Management
    and Budget will co-chair the Working Group. The following Administration
    officials will serve as members: the Secretary of the Treasury, the
    Secretary of Commerce, the Secretary of Agriculture, the Secretary of
    the Interior, the Secretary of Education, the Secretary of Health and
    Human Services, the Secretary of Housing and Urban Development, the
    Secretary of Labor, the Secretary of Transportation, the Secretary of
    Veterans Affairs, the Administrator of the Environmental Protection
    Agency, the Chair of the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission, the
    Assistant to the President for Economic Policy, the Assistant to the
    President for Domestic Policy, and the Assistant to the President and
    Director of Public Liaison. I also have invited the Chairperson of the
    Commission on Civil Rights to participate in this crucial endeavor on an
    informal basis, respecting the independent and critical voice we expect
    of that Commission. Finally, this membership list is not exclusive. I
    invite and encourage all Cabinet officers and agency heads to
    participate in the Working Group.
        The Working Group will advise appropriate Administration officials
    and me on how we might modify Federal laws and policies to strengthen
    protection under the laws and on how to improve coordination of the vast
    array of Federal programs that directly or indirectly affect civil
    rights. I direct the Working Group to provide the Cabinet and me with a
    brief progress report no less than every 6 months, and specifically to:
        (a) examine each Federal agency with a significant civil rights
            mission and provide me with an evaluation of how well that
            mission is being implemented. These analyses should examine
            whether each agency uses the experience gained from enforcement
            activities of other agencies and other levels of government.
            Counterproductive and inconsistent practices should be
            identified and proposals for change recommended;
        (b) examine cross-cutting civil rights law enforcement challenges
            such as voting rights and equal access to government benefit
            programs and identify innovative means of coordinating and
            leveraging resources;

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        (c) develop better measures of performance for Federal civil rights
            enforcement programs, taking into account the real impact of
            programs on the daily lives of all Americans; and
        (d) support and advise all agencies as we reinvent our strategies
            for the promotion of an open and inclusive society.
        With this interagency effort, I underscore the commitment of this
    Administration to bring new energy and imagination to the opportunity
    agenda. In departments and agencies throughout the Federal Government,
    this work is already well underway. The Working Group will provide a
    mechanism to expand and accelerate that vital work. Its work will be
    among our greatest contributions to the people we serve.

                                                          William J. Clinton