In this issue:

- Government Contracts

- Capital Hill

- Small Business

- Excerpt from Government Contracts: DoD Issues Interim Final Rule Related to the National Industrial Security Program:

The Department of Defense (DoD) issued an interim final rule to assign responsibilities and establish requirements related to the National Industrial Security Program (NISP) to ensure maximum uniformity and effectiveness for both DoD and non-DoD Components, as defined in this rule, for which the Department serves as the Cognizant Security Agency (CSA) and provides industrial security services in accordance with Executive Order (EO) 12829, “National Industrial Security Program,” 79 Fed. Reg. 19467. The rule provides guidance on the procedures used to ensure classified information will be properly safeguarded if a contractor has reported foreign ownership, control or influence (FOCI) information which DoD must evaluate, mitigate, or negate as appropriate. The rule also provides guidance for the evaluation, mitigation, and/or negation of FOCI information reported by a company, as defined in the rule, which is in process for a facility security clearance. This interim rule will be effective April 9, 2014. Comments are due June 9, 2014.