FRA published the Risk Reduction Program (RRP) final rule on February 18, 2020, as required by 49 U.S.C. 20156. The RRP final rule established regulations at 49 CFR part 271, requiring Class I freight railroads and Class II and III freight railroads that demonstrate inadequate safety performance to develop and implement an RRP to improve the safety of their operations. This NPRM would address a procedural issue raised in an Association of American Railroads (AAR) petition to remove 49 CFR 271.3(c), which states that employees of railroad contractors that perform a "Significant portion of a railroad's operation" are considered the railroad's "directly affected employees" for purposes of the RRP rule.