2012-25485. Records Schedules; Availability and Request for Comments

AGENCY:

National Archives and Records Administration (NARA).

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 November 16, 2012. 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:

You may request a copy of any records schedule identified in this notice by contacting Records Management Services (ACNR) using one of the following means:

Mail: NARA (ACNR), 8601 Adelphi Road, College Park, MD 20740-6001.

Email: [e-mail].

Fax: [phone].

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:

Margaret Hawkins, Director, Records Management Services (ACNR), National Archives and Records Administration, 8601 Adelphi Road, College Park, MD 20740-6001. Telephone: [phone]. Email: [e-mail].

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 them 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.

The schedules listed in this notice are media neutral unless specified otherwise. An item in a schedule is media neutral when the disposition instructions may be applied to records regardless of the medium in which the records are created and maintained. Items included in schedules submitted to NARA on or after December 17, 2007, are media neutral unless the item is limited to a specific medium. (See 36 CFR 1225.12(e).)

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 Agriculture, Food Safety and Inspection Service (N1-462-08-2, 1 item, 1 temporary item). Master files of an electronic system used to track food product samples.

2. Department of Defense, Army and Air Force Exchange Service (N1-334-12-1, 1 item, 1 temporary item). Case files relating to debts owed by individuals including dishonored checks, liability claims, and bank notices.

3. Department of Health and Human Services, Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (DAA-0440-2012-0015, 1 item, 1 temporary item). Agreement forms used to receive reimbursements filed by hospitals who participate in graduate medical education programs.

4. Department of Health and Human Services, Office of the Secretary (DAA-0468-2012-0004, 1 item, 1 temporary item). Records of the Office of the Assistant Secretary for Preparedness and Response, including exercise plans, training documents, agendas, situational manuals, lessons learned, and after action reports related to the preparation cycle for emergency public health and medical response.

5. Department of Justice, Civil Rights Division (DAA-0060-2011-0021, 1 item, 1 temporary item). Master files of an electronic information system used to track employee language skills.

6. Department of Justice, Federal Bureau of Investigation (N1-65-11-42, 4 items, 4 temporary items). Records related to processing and maintaining lab DNA samples.

7. Department of State, Bureau of Administration (DAA-0059-2012-0007, 1 item, 1 temporary item). Master files of an electronic information system containing case files related to domestic financial assistance.

8. Department of State, Bureau of Information Resource Management (DAA-0059-2012-0008, 1 item, 1 temporary item). Master files of an electronic information system used to centralize data from other administrative systems of the Department.

9. Department of Transportation, Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration (N1-557-11-2, 15 items, 15 temporary items). Inputs, outputs, master files, system documentation of electronic information systems and associated records used to ensure the physical qualifications of commercial motor vehicle drivers.

10. Department of Transportation, National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (N1-416-11-10, 1 item, 1 temporary item). Master files of an electronic information system used to process rebates.

11. Consumer Financial Protection Bureau, Agency-wide (N1-587-12-1, 3 items, 1 temporary item). Records consist of raw footage of historically significant videos. Proposed for permanent retention are final videos and scripts.

12. Office of the Director of National Intelligence, Civil Liberties and Privacy Office (N1-576-11-7, 13 items, 8 temporary items). Records include internal briefings, Web site records, non-substantive drafts and reference materials. Also included are records related to policy development and complaint files typically covered by the General Records Schedule. Proposed for permanent retention are compliance and assessment reports, System of Records Notices, community level board records, external speeches, and substantive working papers.

13. Office of Personnel Management, Human Resource Solutions (DAA-0478-2012-0008, 1 item, 1 temporary item). Application information for students accepted into a scholarship program.

Dated: October 9, 2012.

Laurence Brewer,

Director, National Records Management Program.