[Federal Register Volume 85, Number 226 (Monday, November 23, 2020)]
[Rules and Regulations]
[Pages 74610-74611]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 2020-25428]


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DEPARTMENT OF DEFENSE

Defense Acquisition Regulations System

48 CFR Parts 204, 209, and 252

[Docket DARS-2020-0030]
RIN 0750-AK89


Defense Federal Acquisition Regulation Supplement: Repeal of 
DFARS Provision and Clause on Reserve Officer Training Corps and 
Military Recruiting on Campus (DFARS Case 2020-D002)

AGENCY: Defense Acquisition Regulations System, Department of Defense 
(DoD).

ACTION: Final rule.

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SUMMARY: DoD is issuing a final rule amending the Defense Federal 
Acquisition Regulation Supplement (DFARS) to remove a provision and a 
clause that are no longer necessary.

DATES: Effective November 23, 2020.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Ms. Carrie Moore, telephone 571-372-
6093.

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: 

I. Background

    DFARS provision 252.209-7003, Reserve Officer Training Corps and 
Military Recruiting on Campus-Representation, and DFARS clause 252.209-
7005, Reserve Officer Training Corps and Military Recruiting on Campus, 
are included in all solicitations and contracts with institutions of 
higher education. The provision and clause implement 10 U.S.C. 983, 
which prohibits funds from being provided via a contract to 
institutions of higher education that prohibit or prevent: (1) The 
maintenance, establishment, or operation of a Senior Reserve Officer 
Training Corps (ROTC) unit at the institution, or (2) a student at that 
institution from enrolling in a unit of the Senior ROTC at another 
institution of higher education; and/or (3) the Secretary of a military 
department or Secretary of Homeland Security from gaining access to 
campuses, or students on campuses, for military recruiting purposes, or 
(4) access by military recruiters, for the purposes of military 
recruiting, to certain information pertaining to students enrolled at 
the institution.
    The provision advises offerors that, by submitting an offer, they 
represent that the institution does not have any prohibitive policies 
or practices subject to the statute. The clause requires contractors, 
during performance of the contract, to not have any policies or 
practices subject to the prohibition at 10 U.S.C. 983, and identifies 
the actions available to the Government as a result of a contractor's 
misrepresentation or noncompliance with the clause.
    10 U.S.C. 983(d)(1) states that the prohibition applies to any 
funds made available for: DoD; the Department of Homeland Security; the 
National Nuclear Security Administration of the Department of Energy; 
the Department of Transportation; the Central Intelligence Agency; and 
any department or agency for which regular appropriations are made in a 
Departments of Labor, Health and Human Services, and Education, and 
Related Agencies Appropriations Act. As the legislation applies to 
several Federal agencies, a FAR clause has been implemented to create a 
single standard for all agencies that are subject to the statute. A 
final rule (85 FR 67619) issued under FAR case 2018-021 amended the FAR 
to implement the requirements of 10 U.S.C. 983 for all affected Federal 
agencies. As such, DFARS provision 252.209-7003 and clause 252.209-7005 
are duplicative and no longer necessary, and can be removed from the 
DFARS.
    The removal of this DFARS text supports a recommendation from the 
DoD Regulatory Reform Task Force. On February 24, 2017, the President 
signed Executive Order (E.O.) 13777, ``Enforcing the Regulatory Reform 
Agenda,'' which established a Federal policy ``to alleviate unnecessary 
regulatory burdens'' on the American people. In accordance with E.O. 
13777, DoD established a Regulatory Reform Task Force to review and 
validate DoD regulations, including the DFARS. A public notice of the 
establishment of the DFARS Subgroup to the DoD Regulatory Reform Task 
Force, for the purpose of reviewing DFARS provisions and clauses, was 
published in the Federal Register at 82 FR 35741 on August 1, 2017, and 
requested public input. Public comment was received on the provision. 
The respondents advised that the provision only applies to institutions 
of higher education, yet it appears in the System for Award Management 
(SAM) as a provision all contractors must complete in order to register 
as a vendor in SAM. As a result of this final rule, DFARS provision 
252.209-7003 will be removed from SAM.
    The DoD Task Force reviewed the requirements of DFARS provision 
252.209-7003 and DFARS clause 252.209-7005, and determined that the 
DFARS coverage would not be necessary, and recommended removal, 
contingent upon a similar clause being implemented in the FAR that is 
available for use by all Federal agencies, when applicable.

II. Applicability to Contracts at or Below the Simplified Acquisition 
Threshold and for Commercial Items, Including Commercially Available 
Off-the-Shelf Items

    This rule only removes obsolete DFARS provision 252.209-7003, 
Reserve Officer Training Corps and Military Recruiting on Campus-
Representation, and DFARS clause 252.209-7005, Reserve Officer Training 
Corps and Military Recruiting on Campus. The rule does not impose any 
new requirements on contracts at or below the simplified acquisition 
threshold and for commercial items, including commercially available 
off-the-shelf items.

III. Publication of This Final Rule for Public Comment Is Not Required 
by Statute

    The statute that applies to the publication of the FAR is the 
Office of Federal Procurement Policy statute (codified at title 41 of 
the United States Code). Specifically, 41 U.S.C. 1707(a)(1) requires 
that a procurement policy, regulation, procedure or form (including an 
amendment or modification thereof) must be published for public comment 
if it relates to the expenditure of appropriated funds, and has either 
a significant effect beyond the internal operating procedures of the 
agency issuing the policy, regulation, procedure, or form, or has a 
significant cost or administrative impact on contractors or offerors. 
This final rule is not required to be published for public comment, 
because DoD is not issuing a new regulation; rather, this rule is 
merely removing an obsolete provision and clause from the DFARS.

IV. Executive Orders 12866 and 13563

    Executive Orders (E.O.s) 12866 and 13563 direct agencies to assess 
all costs and benefits of available regulatory alternatives and, if 
regulation is necessary, to select regulatory approaches that maximize 
net benefits (including potential economic, environmental, public 
health and safety effects, distributive impacts, and

[[Page 74611]]

equity). E.O. 13563 emphasizes the importance of quantifying both costs 
and benefits, of reducing costs, of harmonizing rules, and of promoting 
flexibility. This is not a significant regulatory action and, 
therefore, was not subject to review under section 6(b) of E.O. 12866, 
Regulatory Planning and Review, dated September 30, 1993. This rule is 
not a major rule under 5 U.S.C. 804.

V. Executive Order 13771

    This rule is not subject to E.O. 13771, because this rule is not a 
significant regulatory action under E.O. 12866.

VI. Regulatory Flexibility Act

    Because a notice of proposed rulemaking and an opportunity for 
public comment are not required to be given for this rule under 41 
U.S.C. 1707(a)(1) (see section III. of this preamble), the analytical 
requirements of the Regulatory Flexibility Act (5 U.S.C. 601 et seq.) 
are not applicable. Accordingly, no regulatory flexibility analysis is 
required, and none has been prepared.

VII. Paperwork Reduction Act

    The rule does not contain any information collection requirements 
that require the approval of the Office of Management and Budget under 
the Paperwork Reduction Act (44 U.S.C. chapter 35).

List of Subjects in 48 CFR Parts 204, 209, and 252

    Government procurement.

Jennifer D. Johnson,
Regulatory Control Officer, Defense Acquisition Regulations System.

    Therefore, 48 CFR parts 204, 209, and 252 are amended as follows:

0
1. The authority citation for 48 CFR parts 204, 209, and 252 continues 
to read as follows:

    Authority:  41 U.S.C. 1303 and 48 CFR chapter 1.

PART 204--ADMINISTRATIVE AND INFORMATION MATTERS


204.1202   [Amended]

0
2. Amend section 204.1202 by--
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a. Removing paragraph (2)(iii); and
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b. Redesignating paragraphs (2)(iv) through (xvi) as paragraphs 
(2)(iii) through (xv).

PART 209--CONTRACTOR QUALIFICATIONS


209.470   [Removed and Reserved]

0
3. Remove and reserve section 209.470.


209.470-1 through 209.470-4  [Removed]

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4. Remove sections 209.470-1 through 209.470-4.

PART 252--SOLICITATION PROVISIONS AND CONTRACT CLAUSES


252.204-7007   [Amended]

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5. Amend section 252.204-7007 by--
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a. Removing the clause date of ``(DEC 2019)'' and adding ``(NOV 2020)'' 
in its place;
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b. Removing paragraph (d)(1)(ii); and
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c. Redesignating paragraphs (d)(1)(iii) through (ix) as paragraphs 
(d)(1)(ii) through (viii).


252.209-7003   [Removed and Reserved]

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6. Remove and reserve section 252.209-7003.


252.209-7005   [Removed and Reserved]

0
7. Remove and reserve section 252.209-7005.

[FR Doc. 2020-25428 Filed 11-20-20; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 5001-06-P