[Federal Register Volume 64, Number 98 (Friday, May 21, 1999)] [Notices] [Pages 27820-27822] From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov] [FR Doc No: 99-12845] ======================================================================= ----------------------------------------------------------------------- NATIONAL ARCHIVES AND RECORDS ADMINISTRATION Records Schedules; Availability and Request for Comments AGENCY: National Archives and Records Administration, Office of Records Services--Washington, DC. 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 [[Page 27821]] 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 July 6, 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 [email protected]. 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: [email protected]. 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 Agriculture, National Appeals Division (N1-16-98- 1, 1 item, 1 temporary item). Correspondence, hearing notices, reports, authorizations for representation, and other supporting materials accumulated in connection with administrative appeal hearings and reviews. Actions arise from adverse decisions affecting beneficiaries of USDA programs. 2. Department of Agriculture, Agricultural Stabilization and Conservation Service (N1-145-98-1, 32 items, 29 temporary items). Facilitative records pre-dating 1962 that relate to such matters as acreage allotments, commodities' sales, loan rates, subsidies, cost surveys, and price supports. Records were accumulated primarily in the 1950s and 1960s. Procedural issuances and files relating to the development of milk industry regulation are proposed for permanent retention as are records pertaining to a multi-million dollar claim stemming from the spoilage of stored grain. 3. Department of Commerce, Census Bureau (N1-29-99-4, 2 items, 2 temporary items). Completed questionnaires in paper and electronic format of the Survey of Minority-Owned and Women-Owned Business Enterprises. The final survey data in electronic form was previously approved for permanent retention. 4. Department of Defense, Office of the Inspector General (N1-509- 99-2, 3 items, 3 temporary items). Memoranda of Understanding or Agreement Files consisting of agreements with other Defense agencies regarding audit procedures and related matters and with non-Defense agencies and non-Federal entities regarding training and other services. Included are electronic copies of documents created using electronic mail, word processing, and other office automation applications. 5. Department of Education, Office of Postsecondary Education (N1- 441-98-1, 5 items, 5 temporary items). Paper and electronic records (CD-ROM) relating to the evaluation of applications from governmental and non-governmental entities seeking Department of Education recognition as accrediting agencies. Included are accreditation case files for agencies recommended for approval or disapproval, containing applications for accreditation, interim reports, and other correspondence, and CD-ROM copies of case files for agencies recommended for approval. Also included are working papers, consisting of drafts, notes, and other background materials, and electronic copies of documents created using electronic mail and word processing. 6. Department of Health and Human Services, National Institutes of Health (N1-443-99-4, 4 items, 4 temporary items). Records relating to clinical care including PET (Positron Emission Topography) files, records which identify and describe blood products received from other collection facilities, laboratory testing records, and records associated with patient testing, donor testing, or blood product manufacturing, which contain documentation related to validation, maintenance and quality assurance of equipment, supplies, reagents and processes. 7. Department of Justice, U.S. Parole Commission (N1-438-98-1, 1 item, 1 temporary item). District of Columbia Board of Parole Case Files which include data on sentence and information concerning the prisoner's background and behavior during incarceration and while on parole. Also included are parole hearings on individual prisoners. 8. Department of State, Bureau of Educational and Cultural Affairs (N1-59-99-19, 1 item, 1 temporary item). Designated Exchange Visitor Case Files [[Page 27822]] dating from 1950 to 1973 that pertain to applications for the establishment, revision, or cancellation of exchange programs. More recent records accumulated after the Bureau was transferred to the United States Information Agency were previously approved for disposal. 9. Department of State, Bureau of European Affairs, (N1-59-99-20, 11 items, 8 temporary items). Administrative files relating to the logistics of organizing the 1998 Washington Conference on Holocaust-Era Assets. Included are electronic copies of records created using electronic mail and word processing. Proposed for permanent retention are the record-keeping copies of files relating to the substantive issues addressed by the Conference. 10. Securities and Exchange Commission, Office of the Inspector General (N1-266-99-1, 7 items, 5 temporary items). Files relating to investigations and audits including correspondence, reports, notes, attachments, drafts, and background papers. Also included are electronic copies of documents created using electronic mail and word processing. Recordkeeping copies of significant investigative files and final audit reports are proposed for permanent retention. 11. Department of Veterans Affairs, Veterans Health Administration (N1-15-98-3, 4 items, 4 temporary items). Means test verification records used to determine individual veterans' fiscal eligibility for health care provided by the VA. Included are paper records and records on optical disk and other electronic media. Records also include computer tapes provided by the Internal Revenue Service and the Social Security Administration. 12. Tennessee Valley Authority, Communications Program (N1-142-99- 4, 2 items, 1 temporary item). Electronic copies of documents created using word processing pertaining to Inside TVA, a newspaper for employees that has limited external distribution. Recordkeeping copies of these files are proposed for permanent retention. Dated: May 12, 1999. Michael J. Kurtz, Assistant Archivist for Record Services--Washington, DC. [FR Doc. 99-12845 Filed 5-20-99; 8:45 am] BILLING CODE 7515-01-P