GLICKMAN ANNOUNCES CIVIL RIGHTS PLANS
                                            Release No. 0065.97
                                                               
                                   Tom Amontree  (202) 720-4623
                                   Laura Trivers (202) 720-4623


GLICKMAN ANNOUNCES CIVIL RIGHTS PLANS 

     WASHINGTON, Feb. 28, 1997--As part of his continuing efforts to ensure
fair and equitable treatment for both employees and customers at the
Department of Agriculture, Secretary Dan Glickman today announced a series
of steps that will fundamentally change the way USDA operates.   

     At a meeting with his Subcabinet and other senior USDA officials that
was available via satellite for employees in Washington and across the
country, Glickman announced a new civil rights mission statement and a zero-tolerance policy for retaliation against employees or customers.

     "I am not here today to point fingers or to cast blame," Glickman
said.  "I'm here to say, it is time to heal.  We cannot change the past, but
we can and will set a new course for the future of this department."

     Glickman also announced the appointment of  Pearlie S. Reed, team
leader for the Civil Rights Action Team, as acting Assistant Secretary for
Administration. This position is responsible for civil rights and civil
rights enforcement at USDA.  

     In December, Glickman created the Civil Rights Action Team to review
civil rights policy and process at USDA.  Glickman today thanked the members
of the team for their tireless efforts and for completing the report on such
a tight deadline.  

     Glickman said, "I've already told Pearlie that this report will not
gather dust.  It contains  92 recommendations. Most are feasible.  Some may
need further review. I've set a hard-and-fast deadline of 6 months for
implementation of those recommendations that can move forward immediately. 
And, I expect full cooperation from the Subcabinet and all my senior
managers."  

     Glickman said that the most dramatic changes will come from efforts to
reign in authority to ensure accountability.  USDA will seek legislative
authority to convert all non-federal county positions in the Farm Services
Agency  to federal employee status. "That will cover everyone who receives
their salary from the federal government. This action will put us in a
better position to bring uniform accountability to federal civil rights
laws, while preserving what's good about our county field structure -- a
strong, local USDA presence," Glickman said.

     Glickman said that pending farm foreclosures will continue to be
reviewed to ensure that discrimination or unfair treatment was not a factor. 

     Glickman also announced the release of an Office of the Inspector
General report, requested in December 1996, on discrimination complaints
within farm loan programs. The OIG found that "staffing problems, obsolete
procedures, and little direction from management" resulted in a "climate of
disorder" within the civil rights staffs at the Farm Services Agency and at
the departmental level. The OIG will next review state and county operations
in key areas where there have been complaints of discrimination in farm loan
programs. 

     "We have problems that each of us must commit ourselves to the
healing," Glickman said. That's the opportunity given to us by this report. 
It is now our highest obligation."

     Other actions announced today include:

     Working to eliminate the backlog in both program and Equal Employment
     Opportunity complaints within 120 days; 

     Vesting the office of the Assistant Secretary for Administration with
     the authority to review the civil rights records of agency heads and
     Subcabinet officials;

     Creating a civil rights arm of the Office of the General Counsel;

     Establishing a national commission on small farms to develop an
     aggressive strategy for keeping this important American tradition
     alive and well;

     Creating a department-wide workforce planning and recruitment effort;
     and,

     Requiring annual civil rights training for employees;

     Continuing the civil rights hotline -- 1-800 358-4309 -- for employees
     and customers to call if they feel that their cases have not been
     adequately addressed.


     Copies of the Civil Rights Action Team Report, the Inspector General's
evaluation of farm lending programs, and the new Civil Rights Mission
Statement are available on the USDA home page at www.usda.gov.  The media
may contact USDA's Office of Communications at (202) 720-4623.  For
information on the Inspector General's evaluation, the media may contact
(202) 720-6915.

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