5 U.S.C. 301; section 101(a) of Pub. L. 105-277, 112 Stat. 2681; Reorganization Plan No. 2 of 1953 (5 U.S.C. App.).
These regulations provide the rights of complainants and the procedures for the processing of certain nonemployment related complaints alleging discrimination by USDA that were filed with USDA prior to July 1, 1997, as authorized under section 741(b) of the Agriculture, Rural Development, Food and Drug Administration, and Related Agencies Appropriations Act, 1999, enacted in Division A, section 101(a) of the Omnibus Consolidated and Emergency Supplemental Appropriations Act, 1999, Pub. L. 105-277.
A person may use these procedures if he or she filed a nonemployment related discrimination complaint with USDA prior to July 1, 1997, that alleged discrimination by USDA at any time during the period beginning January 1, 1981 and ending December 31, 1996 :
(a) In violation of the Equal Credit Opportunity Act (15 U.S.C. 1691
(1) A farm ownership, farm operating, or emergency loan funded from the Agricultural Credit Insurance Program Account; or
(2) A housing program established under title V of the Housing Act of 1949; or
(b) In the administration of a commodity program or a disaster assistance program.
To the maximum extent practicable, a final determination under these procedures will be issued within 180 days after you have filed your request.
(1) A farm ownership, farm operating, or emergency loan funded from the Agricultural Credit Insurance Program Account;
(2) A housing program established under title V of the Housing Act of 1949; or
(3) A commodity program or disaster assistance program.
(1) In violation of the Equal Credit Opportunity Act (15 U.S.C. 1691
(i) A farm ownership, farm operating, or emergency loan funded from the Agricultural Credit Insurance Program Account; or
(ii) A housing program established under title V of the Housing Act of 1949; or
(2) In the administration of a commodity program or a disaster assistance program.
In order for USDA to consider your complaint under these procedures, a Section 741 Complaint Request must be docketed with the Docketing Clerk in the USDA OCR.
(a)
(b)
(c)
If you must file a Section 741 Complaint Request, it should include a copy of your original complaint, a request in writing that USDA consider the complaint in accordance with these procedures, a statement as to when your complaint was filed with USDA, and any other evidence you consider necessary to prove that your complaint is an eligible complaint suitable for consideration under these procedures.
(a) If your Section 741 Complaint Request is automatically docketed as set forth in § 15f.5(a), and you already are represented by counsel of whom you have notified USDA, then this section does not apply.
(b) If you are filing your Section 741 Complaint Request with USDA, and if you are represented by an attorney, your Section 741 Complaint Request should also include an authorization signed by you indicating that the attorney is entitled to represent you on your behalf. If USDA receives such an authorization, all documents in connection with consideration of your complaint under these procedures will be sent to your attorney and not to you.
(c) Once your Section 741 Complaint Request is docketed with USDA, and you afterwards retain an attorney, you should forward an authorization to USDA signed by you indicating that the attorney is entitled to represent you on your behalf. If USDA receives such an authorization, all documents in connection with consideration of your complaint under these procedures will be sent to your attorney and not to you.
All Section 741 Complaint Requests docketed by the OCR Docketing Clerk will be referred to the Director for an informal review. The Director will determine if the complaint is one that can be resolved informally, and, if so, the Director will seek to resolve the complaint informally with the complainant.
The Director will review each Section 741 Complaint Request. If the Director finds that your complaint is an eligible complaint, the Director will: review all documents and evidence submitted by you; review all agency or CR files, if any exist, regarding the circumstances surrounding the alleged discrimination; review any damage claims; and seek any further clarification, if necessary, from either you or the agency. CR also may refer your eligible complaint for a formal investigation by the CR Program Investigation Division or by an outside contractor. Based on his or her review, the Director will either undertake negotiations with you to resolve the complaint; or inform you that CR will not settle the complaint and explain to you your options, including your right to request formal proceedings before an ALJ under subpart D of this part within 30 days of receipt of notice from the Director that CR will not settle the complaint. If the complaint is successfully resolved or settled, the Director will issue a final determination disposing of the matter. If you have received a notice that the Director will not settle the complaint prior to February 14, 2003, you have until 90 days after February 14, 2003 to request formal proceedings under subpart D of this part.
If you do not want the Director to review your Section 741 Complaint Request, you may request a hearing following the procedures below in subpart D. You may request a hearing at any time during informal review or negotiations with the Director, or at any time during USDA consideration of your Section 741 Complaint Request.
If you desire a hearing, you must file a request for a hearing with the Docketing Clerk, citing the docket number assigned to your Section 741 Complaint Request. When the Docketing Clerk receives your request for a hearing, your Section 741 Complaint Request will be assigned to an ALJ. The Docketing Clerk will send a notice of your hearing request to OCR and the agency, notifying them of the docket number and the assigned ALJ. The Docketing Clerk also will send you a notice of receipt of the hearing request that will inform you of the name of the assigned ALJ.
Under section 741, you have a right to a hearing as part of the process for USDA to render a final determination on your eligible complaint. However, if at any time the ALJ determines that your complaint is not an eligible complaint, he or she may dismiss your complaint with a final determination and USDA review of your complaint will then have been completed. You also are not entitled to a hearing if there are no material issues of fact in dispute between you and USDA. In other words, if the only dispute remaining is a question of law, you will not receive a hearing and the ALJ will make a final determination under § 15f.16.
(a)
(b)
(1) The ALJ will not engage in
(i) Discussions of procedural matters related to the complaint; or
(ii) Discussions of the merits of the complaint where all parties to the proceeding on the complaint have been given notice and an opportunity to participate.
(2) In the case of a communication described in paragraph (b)(1)(ii) of this section, a memorandum of any such discussion shall be included in the hearing record.
(3) No party to the proceeding or other interested person shall make or knowingly cause to be made to the ALJ an
(4) If the ALJ receives an ex parte communication in violation of this section, the ALJ will place in the written record:
(i) All such written communications;
(ii) Memoranda stating the substance of all such oral communications; and
(iii) All written responses to such communications, and memoranda stating the substance of any oral responses to such communications.
(c) Upon receipt of a communication knowingly made or knowingly caused to be made by a party in violation of this section the ALJ may, to the extent consistent with the interests of justice and the policy underlying these proceedings, require the party or other interested person making the communication to show cause why such party's claim or interest in the complaint should not be dismissed, denied, disregarded, or otherwise adversely affected on account of such violation.
Within 20 days after you have filed your request for a hearing, ALJ shall file with the Docketing Clerk a notice stating the time, place, and manner of the hearing. The ALJ will have due regard for the public interest and the convenience and necessity of the parties in determining the time, place, and manner of the hearing. The notice will state whether the hearing will be conducted by telephone, audiovisual telecommunication, or personal attendance of any individual expected to participate in the hearing. The Docketing Clerk will send copies of the notice to the complainant and to all other parties to the proceeding.
The first step in this process involves a response to your hearing request by OCR. OCR will turn over its entire file on your complaint to the ALJ. OCR also will file a report with the ALJ stating its position with respect to whether or not your complaint is an eligible complaint, with reasons for its position, as well as stating its position with respect to the merits of your complaint. OCR must turn over its file and make its report on its position on your complaint within 35 days. OCR must provide a copy to you of anything it provides to the ALJ.
(a) At any time after the parties have been notified of your hearing request, you may file a request with the ALJ to make a determination based on the written record. With your request, you should file any other arguments or evidence that you wish the ALJ to consider. The agency and OCR will have 35 days after you file your request to file any additional information, arguments, or evidence for the consideration of the ALJ. The ALJ may recommend dismissal of your complaint on the basis of a finding that it is not an eligible complaint; recommend denial of your eligible complaint on the merits; or make a proposed finding of discrimination on your eligible complaint and recommend to award you such relief as would be afforded under the applicable statute or regulation under which the eligible complaint was filed. The ALJ will make a proposed determination on your complaint based on the original complaint, the Section 741 Complaint Request, the OCR report, and any other evidence or written documents filed by the parties. The proposed determination will become the final determination 35 days after it is filed unless you request review of the proposed determination by the ASCR. The ASCR also may review the proposed determination on his or her own initiative. If the ASCR reviews the decision, he or she will allow the parties a reasonable opportunity to file briefs in support of or opposition to the proposed determination, and afterwards will issue a final determination within 35 days after you request review of the proposed determination.
(b) To the maximum extent practicable, a final determination will be made within 180 days of your filing of the Section 741 Complaint Request.
(a)
(b)
(c)
(a) A party may request an order from the ALJ to take the testimony of any person by deposition upon oral examination or written interrogatories before any officer authorized to administer oaths at the place of examination, for use as evidence. The application for the order must specify the reason and need for taking testimony by deposition.
(b) The time, place, and manner of taking depositions will be as mutually agreed by the parties, or failing agreement, by order of the ALJ.
(c) No testimony taken by depositions will be considered as part of the evidence in the hearing until such testimony is offered and received in evidence at the hearing, and ordinarily it will not be received into evidence if the deponent is present and can testify at the hearing. However, when the deponent is present and can testify, the deposition may be used to contradict or impeach the testimony of the deponent given at the hearing. Where you have requested a final determination by the ALJ based on the written record without a hearing, the ALJ, in his or her discretion, may receive depositions to supplement the record.
(d) Each party will bear its own expenses associated with the taking of any deposition.
In most cases, there will be no parties to a proceeding under these rules, other than the complainant, OCR, and, and if it so desires, the agency. However, if there are circumstances in which additional parties have an interest in the proceeding, such as a bank which participated in a case involving a guaranteed loan, such other interested parties may be permitted to participate in the proceeding at the discretion of the ALJ.
No. USDA has no statutory authority to subpoena witnesses to testify at the hearing.
(a)
(b)
(c)
(d)
(2)
(ii) Only objections made before the ALJ may subsequently be relied upon in the proceeding.
(3)
(4)
(5)
(6)
(7)
(8)
(9)
(ii) If a hearing is recorded verbatim, a party requests the transcript of a hearing or part of a hearing, and the ALJ determines that the disposition of the proceeding would be expedited by a transcript of the hearing or part of a hearing, the ALJ shall order the verbatim transcription of the recording as requested by the party.
(iii) The costs of transcription or verbatim recordings will be paid for by USDA and charged to the agency whose action gave rise to the complaint at issue. Copies of recordings or transcripts of hearings will be made available to any party at the actual cost of duplication.
The ALJ will fix a reasonable time for filing posthearing briefs, proposed findings of fact and conclusions of law, and if permitted, reply briefs. Briefs should include a summary of evidence relied upon together with references to exhibit numbers and citations to the transcript and authorities relied upon. Briefs must be filed with the Docketing Clerk with copies to all parties.
The original complaint, the Section 741 Complaint Request, the OCR report, the agency answer, the transcript of testimony, exhibits, affidavits, depositions, briefs, memoranda of law, and all pleadings, motions, papers, and requests filed in the proceeding, including rulings, and the proposed determination by an ALJ (if applicable) shall constitute the exclusive record for the final determination.
(a) The ALJ will make a proposed determination orally at the close of a hearing, or in writing within 35 days. The ALJ may recommend dismissal of your complaint on the basis of a finding that it is not an eligible complaint; recommend denial of your eligible complaint on the merits; or make a proposed finding of discrimination on your eligible complaint and recommend to award you such relief as would be afforded under the applicable statute or regulation under which the eligible complaint was filed. The proposed determination will become the final determination 35 days after it is made, unless you request review of the proposed determination by the ASCR. The ASCR also may review the proposed determination on his or her own initiative. If the ASCR reviews the proposed determination, he or she will allow the parties a reasonable opportunity to file briefs in support or opposition to the proposed determination, and afterwards file a final determination within 35 days after you request review of the proposed determination.
(b) To the maximum extent practicable, a final determination will be filed within 180 days after you filed your Section 741 Complaint Request.
If you prevail on your eligible complaint, either in whole or in part, after a proceeding before an ALJ under the procedures in this subpart, you may be eligible for an award of attorneys fees as a prevailing party under the Equal Access to Justice Act (EAJA), 5 U.S.C. 504. To get an EAJA award, you must file an application for such fees with the ALJ within 30 days after the final determination is made. Instructions for filing an EAJA application and obtaining an EAJA award are contained in 7 CFR part 1, subpart J. The ALJ must follow those rules, and not these Section 741 Complaint Request rules, in making any EAJA award.
Section 741 provides that you have at least 180 days after a final determination denying your eligible complaint
A document, or other item, that must be “filed” under these rules is considered filed when postmarked or when it is received and date-stamped by the Docketing Clerk.
Unless otherwise specifically noted, a “day” refers to a calendar day and a document that must be filed by a certain date must either be postmarked on that date or received by the Docketing Clerk on that date. For documents that must be or are “filed” under these regulations, you count the number of days after filing starting with the day after the filing date as day one. For other time periods, you calculate the time period by counting the day after receipt by the party as day one. If the last day of a time period expires on a Saturday, a Sunday, or a Federal holiday, the last day of the time period will expire on the next business day.
You may request that the ALJ extend a deadline in these rules, or afford you relief for missing a deadline, which he or she may do, consistent with the principles of sovereign immunity, the terms of any applicable statute, these rules, and the necessity of expeditious completion of the public business. It is the intent of USDA that the time deadlines expressed in these regulations be construed equitably to ensure resolution of eligible complaints, to the extent permitted by law.