Agency records schedules; availability,

[Federal Register: June 25, 1999 (Volume 64, Number 122)]

[Notices]

[Page 34297-34299]

From the Federal Register Online via GPO Access [wais.access.gpo.gov]

[DOCID:fr25jn99-95]

NATIONAL ARCHIVES AND RECORDS ADMINISTRATION

Records Schedules; Availability and Request for Comments

AGENCY: National Archives and Records Administration, Office of Records Services--Washington, DC.

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ACTION: Notice of availability of proposed records schedules; request for comments.

SUMMARY: The National Archives and Records Administration (NARA) publishes notice at least once monthly of certain Federal agency requests for records disposition authority (records schedules). Once approved by NARA, records schedules provide mandatory instructions on what happens to records when no longer needed for current Government business. They authorize the preservation of records of continuing value in the National Archives of the United States and the destruction, after a specified period, of records lacking administrative, legal, research, or other value. Notice is published for records schedules in which agencies propose to destroy records not previously authorized for disposal or reduce the retention period of records already authorized for disposal. NARA invites public comments on such records schedules, as required by 44 U.S.C. 3303a(a).

DATES: Requests for copies must be received in writing on or before August 9, 1999. Once the appraisal of the records is completed, NARA will send a copy of the schedule. NARA staff usually prepare appraisal memorandums that contain additional information concerning the records covered by a proposed schedule. These, too, may be requested and will be provided once the appraisal is completed. Requesters will be given 30 days to submit comments.

ADDRESSES: To request a copy of any records schedule identified in this notice, write to the Life Cycle Management Division (NWML), National Archives and Records Administration (NARA), 8601 Adelphi Road, College Park, MD 20740-6001. Requests also may be transmitted by FAX to 301- 713-6852 or by e-mail to records.mgt@arch2.nara.gov. Requesters must cite the control number, which appears in parentheses after the name of the agency which submitted the schedule, and must provide a mailing address. Those who desire appraisal reports should so indicate in their request.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Marie Allen, Director, Life Cycle Management Division (NWML), National Archives and Records Administration, 8601 Adelphi Road, College Park, MD 20740-6001. Telephone: (301) 713-7110. E-mail: records.mgt@arch2.nara.gov.

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: Each year Federal agencies create billions of records on paper, film, magnetic tape, and other media. To control this accumulation, agency records managers prepare schedules proposing retention periods for records and submit these schedules for NARA's approval, using the Standard Form (SF) 115, Request for Records Disposition Authority. These schedules provide for the timely transfer into the National Archives of historically valuable records and authorize the disposal of all other records after the agency no longer needs to conduct its business. Some schedules are comprehensive and cover all the records of an agency or one of its major subdivisions. Most schedules, however, cover records of only one office or program or a few series of records. Many of these update previously approved schedules, and some include records proposed as permanent.

No Federal records are authorized for destruction without the approval of the Archivist of the United States. This approval is granted only after a thorough consideration of their administrative use by the agency of origin, the rights of the Government and of private persons directly affected by the Government's activities, and whether or not they have historical or other value.

Besides identifying the Federal agencies and any subdivisions requesting disposition authority, this public notice lists the organizational unit(s) accumulating the records or indicates agency- wide applicability in the case of schedules that cover records that may be accumulated throughout an agency. This notice provides the control number assigned to each schedule, the total number of schedule items, and the number of temporary items (the records proposed for destruction). It also includes a brief description of the temporary records. The records schedule itself contains a full description of the records at the file unit level as well as their disposition. If NARA staff has prepared an appraisal memorandum for the schedule, it too, includes information about the records. Further information about the disposition process is available on request.

Schedules Pending

1. Department of the Air Force, Headquarters, U.S. Air Force (N1- AFU-99-1, 2 items, 2 temporary items). Air Force litigation case files stored at the Washington National Records Center that did not establish major precedents or policy changes and/or did not attract widespread public or Congressional attention. Records document legal actions involving the Air Force, its personnel, or contractors, along with administrative proceedings, investigations, and legal processing. Files that relate to environmental matters are proposed for disposal 50 years after case is closed.

2. Department of Commerce, National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (N1-370-99-6, 3 items, 3 temporary items). Audit case files of internal agency programs, operations, and procedures, and external audits of agency contractors and grantees. Records consist of audit reports, correspondence, memorandums, comments, and supporting work papers. Also included are electronic copies of documents created using electronic mail and word processing.

3. Department of Justice, Office of Professional Responsibility (N1-60-99-6, 5 items, 4 temporary items). Files relating to investigations of alleged misconduct by attorneys and other employees of the Department of Justice. Included are original complaints or allegations, attorney's notes and evaluations, investigative reports, collected documents, and statements of case disposition. Also included are electronic copies of documents created using electronic mail and word processing. Recordkeeping copies of significant investigative case files are proposed for permanent retention.

4. Department of Labor, Bureau of Labor Statistics (N1-257-99-1, 2 items, 2 temporary items). Survey Of Occupational Injuries and Illness data collection booklets and related word processing and electronic mail copies. The data, which is collected by states, is tabulated by BLS and included in a Census of Fatal Occupational Injuries (CFOI) survey report, which was previously approved for permanent retention.

5. Department of Transportation, Federal Highway Administration (N1-406-99-1, 3 items, 2 temporary items). Records relating to highway construction and rehabilitation projects on Federal property. Included are such records as contracts, inspection reports, field notebooks, work orders, and project reports. Also included are electronic copies of documents created using electronic mail and word processing. Recordkeeping copies of final construction reports, project tracings, and reconnaissance reports are proposed for permanent retention.

6. Department of the Treasury, Internal Revenue Service (N1-58-99- 3, 26 items, 18 temporary items). Copies of Service-wide directives other than recordkeeping copies. Included are electronic copies created using office automation, paper copies that have been

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   microfilmed, CD-ROM copies, and reference copies. Recordkeeping copies are proposed for permanent retention.

7. Corporation for National Service, Office of the Inspector General (N1-362-99-1, 5 items, 5 temporary items). Investigative case files and audit case files relating to agency personnel, volunteers, contractors, programs, procedures and operations. Included are complaints, allegations, investigations, audit reports, correspondence, memorandums, work papers, and electronic copies of documents created using electronic mail and word processing. Recordkeeping copies of significant investigative case files were scheduled for permanent retention in a previously approved schedule.

8. Nuclear Regulatory Commission, Office of International Programs (N1-431-99-3, 57 items, 41 temporary items). Electronic records in the Commission's Agencywide Document Access and Management System (ADAMS) pertaining to international programs, including electronic copies of records created using office automation tools and records that are used to create ADAMS portable document format files. Records, which were previously authorized for disposal in paper form, include files relating to committees and conferences for which the Commission is not the sponsor, copies of Department of State cables, foreign visitor files, routine correspondence files, and representation fund files. Proposed for permanent retention are electronic recordkeeping copies of files pertaining to committees and conferences sponsored by the Commission, records relating to the export/import of nuclear materials, international agreements, formal arrangements, program correspondence files at the office director level, international organization files, and regulatory history files.

9. Nuclear Regulatory Commission, Office of State Programs, (N1- 431-99-4, 24 items, 18 temporary items). Electronic records in the Commission's Agencywide Document Access and Management System (ADAMS) pertaining to state programs, including electronic copies of records created using office automation tools and records that are used to create ADAMS portable document format files. Records, which were previously authorized for disposal in paper form, include such files as low-level and routine program correspondence, training files, and files pertaining to states with which the Commission has not made agreements. The electronic recordkeeping copies of the state agreement files, integrated materials performance evaluation program records, and general program correspondence files are proposed for permanent retention.

10. Nuclear Regulatory Commission, Office of Public Affairs (N1- 431-99-6, 14 items, 10 temporary items). Electronic records in the Commission's Agencywide Document Access and Management System (ADAMS) pertaining to public affairs, including electronic copies of records created using office automation tools and records that are used to create ADAMS portable document format files. Records consist of low- level and routine program correspondence files which were previously authorized for disposal in paper form. The electronic recordkeeping copies of general program correspondence files at the Office Director level, press releases, official speeches, and other informational releases and publications are proposed for permanent retention.

11. U.S. Office of Government Ethics, Financial Disclosure Division (N1-522-99-2, 30 items, 30 temporary items). Records of the Financial Disclosure Division relating primarily to the filing of disclosure reports. Included are such records as reading files, requests for filing extensions and exemptions, late filing fee waivers, delinquent filer correspondence, delinquent agency submissions, notifications of conflict of interest, ethics agreement correspondence, monthly ethics agreement status reports, announcements of presidential nominations, logs documenting review of disclosure reports, and requests to inspect copies of completed financial disclosure reports. Also included are electronic copies of documents created using electronic mail and word processing.

    Dated: June 17, 1999. Michael J. Kurtz, Assistant Archivist for Record Services--Washington, DC.

    [FR Doc. 99-16176Filed6-24-99; 8:45 am]

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