It is the policy of the Central Massachusetts MPO that LEP persons are neither discriminated against nor denied meaningful access to and participation in the programs, activities, and services provided by the MPO. The MPO has developed this Language Assistance Plan (LAP) to ensure that staff employs appropriate strategies to assess needs for language services, to implement language services that provide meaningful access to the MPO’s transportation-planning process, and to publish information regarding these services without placing undue burdens on the MPO’s resources.
Title VI of the Civil Rights Act of 1964 prohibits discrimination by federal agencies and recipients and subrecipients of their financial assistance based on national origin, which is signified by LEP. Further, EO 13166, “Improving Access to Services for Persons with Limited English Proficiency,” was signed on August 11, 2000, directing federal agencies, as well as recipients of federal financial assistance (such as MPOs), to provide meaningful language access for LEP persons to agency services. In response to these regulations, the United States Department of Transportation (USDOT) published policy guidance in 2005 for its recipients of financial assistance, describing recipients’ responsibilities to provide meaningful access to LEP persons by identifying the factors they must consider when doing so.
To fulfill these responsibilities, the MPO has developed a LAP based on USDOT and FTA guidance, which it updates every three years. As specified in FTA Circular 4702.1B, the LAP considers the following four factors when determining language needs of LEP persons served by the MPO:
- Factor 1: The number and proportion of LEP persons eligible to be served by or likely to encounter a program, activity, or service of the recipient.
- Factor 2: The frequency with which LEP individuals come in contact with the program, activity, or service.
- Factor 3: The nature and importance of the program, activity, or service provided by the recipient to people’s lives.
- Factor 4: The resources available to the recipient, and their costs.
