§ 6711 — Prohibited Discrimination

(a) No person in the United States shall be excluded from participating in, be denied the benefits of, or be subject to discrimination under, a program or activity of a unit of general local government because of race, color, national origin, or sex if the government receives a payment under this chapter. (b) The following prohibitions and exemptions also apply to a program or activity of a unit of general local government if the government receives a payment under this chapter: (1) A prohibition against discrimination because of age under the Age Discrimination Act of 1975. (2) A prohibition against discrimination against an otherwise qualified handicapped individual under section 504 of the Rehabilitation Act of 1973. (3) A prohibition against discrimination because of religion, or an exemption from that prohibition, under the Civil Rights Act of 1964 or title VIII of the Act of April 11, 1968 (popularly known as the Civil Rights Act of 1968). (c) Subsections (a) and (b) do not apply if the government shows, by clear and convincing evidence, that a payment received under this chapter is not used to pay for any part of the program or activity with respect to which the allegation of discrimination is made. (d) The Secretary shall try to make agreements with heads of agencies of the United States Government and State agencies to investigate noncompliance with this section. An agreement shall— (1) describe the cooperative efforts to be taken (including sharing civil rights enforcement personnel and resources) to obtain compliance with this section; and (2) provide for notifying immediately the Secretary of actions brought by the United States Government or State agencies against a unit of general local government alleging a violation of a civil rights law or a regulation prescribed under a civil rights law.