Title VI of the Civil Rights Act of 1964 requires that “no person in the United States shall, on the ground of race, color, or national origin, be excluded from participation in, be denied the benefits of, or be subjected to discrimination under any program or activity receiving Federal financial assistance.” This document reviews the Title VI requirements for organizations that receive federal funding from the Federal Transit Administration (FTA) and Federal Highway Administration (FHWA) as outlined in 49 CFR Part 21 and FTA Circular 4702.1B.

Following the requirements laid out in 49 CFR 21 and FTA Circular 4702.1B, Tri-County Regional Planning Commission and PeoriaPekin Urbanized Area Transportation Study are required to prepare a Title VI Program comprised of the twelve general requirements, which outline the certain reporting conditions necessary for ensuring no discrimination in the federal transportation planning process. The FTA Circular 4702.1B outlines additional requirements for Metropolitan Planning Organizations (MPOs) to fulfill, most notably a demographic profile of the metropolitan area.

This report also reviews Environmental Justice (EJ) as outlined in Executive Order 12898 “Federal Actions to Address Environmental Justice in Minority Population and Low-Income Populations.” EJ builds on Title VI activities by considering impacts to low-income and minority populations within transportation planning and decision-making processes.