Agriculture Department,
By this rule, the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) amends its regulations implementing Title VI of the Civil Rights Act of 1964 (7 CFR part 15) to eliminate disparate-impact liability. These amendments align USDA's regulations with the original public meaning of this statute, avoid constitutional concerns, reduce compliance costs, and serve the public interest. In addition, these revisions conform to Executive Order 14281.
Document Headings Document headings vary by document type but may contain the following: the agency or agencies that issued and signed a document the number of the CFR title and the number of each part the document amends, proposes to amend, or is directly related to the agency docket number / agency internal file number the RIN which identifies each regulatory action listed in the Unified Agenda of Federal Regulatory and Deregulatory Actions See the Document Drafting Handbook for more details. Department of Agriculture Office of the Secretary 7 CFR Part 15 [Docket No. USDA-2026-0002] RIN 0503-AA89 ( printed page 36511) AGENCY: Office of the Assistant Secretary for Civil Rights, USDA. ACTION: Final rule. SUMMARY: By this rule, the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) amends its regulations implementing Title VI of the Civil Rights Act of 1964 ( 7 CFR part 15 ) to eliminate disparate-impact liability. These amendments align USDA's regulations with the original public meaning of this statute, avoid constitutional concerns, reduce compliance costs, and serve the public interest. In addition, these revisions conform to Executive Order 14281 . DATES: Effective June 17, 2026. FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Mr. Theodore Gutman, Associate Assistant Secretary for Civil Rights, USDA, 1400 Independence Avenue SW, Washington, DC 20250-1400, (202) 720-3808. SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: I. Executive Summary USDA is rescinding portions of its regulations promulgated pursuant to Title VI, 42 U.S.C. 2000d-1 , to more closely align its regulations to Title VI, which prohibits intentionally discriminatory conduct, see 42 U.S.C. 2000d . There are serious statutory and constitutional concerns with the legality of USDA's Title VI regulations that go beyond intentional discrimination by prohibiting conduct that has an unintentional disparate impact. This rule accordingly rescinds those portions of the regulations that prohibit conduct having a disparate impact, which are in considerable …
Citation: 91 FR 36511
