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Orange County suspends minority/women business enterprise program to comply with federal executive‑order requirements; board approves Head Start application
Summary
County lawyers advised suspending the county’s Minority and Women Business Enterprise program to comply with federal Executive Order 14173 and avoid False Claims Act risk; commissioners also approved the Head Start grant application after pulling it from consent for concurrent consideration.
Orange County commissioners on Tuesday voted to temporarily suspend the county’s Minority and Women Business Enterprise (M/WBE) program after legal staff warned that a recent federal executive order requires certifications that could expose the county to False Claims Act liability if the county’s existing DEI practices are not in strict alignment with federal directives.
Assistant County Attorney Heather Wallace told the board that Executive Order 14173 and related federal guidance require grant recipients to certify they do not operate DEI programs that violate anti‑discrimination directives. Wallace warned the county faces potential False Claims Act penalties — including treble damages — for improperly executed certifications and cited the risk to…
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