[Federal Register Volume 67, Number 235 (Friday, December 6, 2002)]
[Notices]
[Pages 72704-72705]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 02-30880]


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NATIONAL ARCHIVES AND RECORDS ADMINISTRATION


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.

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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 
January 21, 2003. 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 Lifecycle 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-
837-3698 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: Paul M. Wester, Jr., Director, 
Lifecycle Management Division (NWML), National Archives and Records 
Administration, 8601 Adelphi Road, College Park, MD 20740-6001. 
Telephone: 301-837-3120. 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 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.
    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 Commerce, National Oceanic and Atmospheric 
Administration (N1-370-03-1, 10

[[Page 72705]]

items, 9 temporary items). Records of the Office of Response and 
Restoration, including such files as incident response and waste site 
financial records, data, documentation, inputs, and outputs for an 
electronic system used to coordinate watershed information, coastal 
resource coordinator records, and hazardous materials response records 
relating to medium and minor spills. Also included are electronic 
copies of records created using electronic mail and word processing. 
Proposed for permanent retention are recordkeeping copies of hazardous 
materials response records that document major spills, including 
related finding aids. Files relating to medium and minor spills that 
significantly document agency policies or spills in ecologically 
sensitive areas will be brought to NARA's attention for appraisal on a 
case-by-case basis.
    2. Department of Defense, Defense Intelligence Agency (N1-373-03-1, 
1 item, 1 temporary item). Backup tapes containing information used for 
accountability and control of access regarding agency information 
systems.
    3. Department of Defense, Defense Commissary Agency (N1-506-02-6), 
53 items, 53 temporary items). Records relating to inspections and 
investigations conducted by the Office of the Inspector General. 
Included are such records as congressional correspondence, process 
reviews, referrals, complaints, hotline case files, trends and analysis 
files, and staff assistance reports. Also included are electronic 
copies of documents created using electronic mail and word processing. 
This schedule authorizes the agency to apply the proposed disposition 
instructions to any recordkeeping medium.
    4. Department of Health and Human Services, Centers for Medicare 
and Medicaid Services (N1-440-02-1, 7 items, 5 temporary items). Media 
relations files relating to the clearance and dissemination of press 
materials as well as articles appearing in the press concerning health 
care issues. Also included are electronic copies of records created 
using electronic mail and word processing. Proposed for permanent 
retention are recordkeeping copies of news releases, press conference 
transcripts, and related background materials.
    5. Department of Justice, Civil Division (N1-60-02-7, 6 items, 1 
temporary item). Electronic versions of comments relating to the 
``September 11th Victim Compensation Fund of 2001'' received by the 
agency or created for posting on the agency Web site. Proposed for 
permanent retention are recordkeeping copies of comments as well as an 
electronic database used for tracking the comments.
    6. Department of State, Bureau of Public Affairs (N1-59-03-2, 4 
items, 3 temporary items). Bibliographic and biographic card files and 
source documents for special historical projects carried out by the 
Office of the Historian. Proposed for permanent retention are general 
files relating to a project on U.S.-Russian relations in the period 
1816 to 1865.
    7. National Aeronautics and Space Administration, Agency-wide (N1-
255-01-1, 7 items, 6 temporary items). Problem reporting and corrective 
action reports, quality assurance surveillance records, including 
audits, studies, and inspection stamp issuance documents, and 
electronic copies of records created using electronic mail and word 
processing. Proposed for permanent retention are recordkeeping copies 
of safety, reliability and quality assurance records that relate to 
flight hardware.
    8. National Aeronautics and Space Administration, Agency-wide (N1-
255-01-2, 3 items, 2 temporary items). Project-level records that 
support the certification of flight readiness and flight readiness 
reviews. Also included are electronic copies of records created using 
electronic mail and word processing. Proposed for permanent retention 
are recordkeeping copies of programmatic records for the certification 
of flight readiness and flight readiness reviews for manned space 
flight programs and projects.
    9. National Aeronautics and Space Administration, Agency-wide (N1-
255-01-3, 5 items, 5 temporary items). Forms that document the shipment 
of equipment to and from agency installations by commercial shippers or 
contractors. Also included are electronic copies of records created 
using electronic mail and word processing.
    10. National Aeronautics and Space Administration, Office of Public 
Affairs (N1-255-03-01, 1 item, 1 temporary item). Water-damaged 
materials from the agency's headquarters still photograph reference 
collection that could not be recovered, including captions, 
transparencies, negatives, and hardcopy prints and slides.
    11. National Commission on Library and Information Science, Library 
Statistics Program (N1-220-02-29, 3 items, 2 temporary items). 
Electronic copies of records created using electronic mail and word 
processing that relate to forums sponsored by the agency and the 
National Center for Education Statistics. Recordkeeping copies of these 
files are proposed for permanent retention.
    12. Office of Navajo and Hopi Indian Relocation, Relocation 
Operations Division (N1-220-02-20, 1 item, 1 temporary item). A slide 
presentation stored in two projector cartridges for which there is no 
accompanying script nor are the slides annotated.
    13. Office of Navajo and Hopi Indian Relocation, Executive 
Direction Division (N1-220-02-21, 2 items, 1 temporary item). Sound 
recordings of public hearings and meetings conducted by the agency 
during calendar years 1979 to 1983 from which no information is 
retrievable. Proposed for permanent retention are sound recordings of 
public hearings and meetings conducted by the agency during these years 
from which information is retrievable.
    14. Overseas Private Investment Corporation, Human Resources 
Department (N1-420-03-1, 3 items, 3 temporary items). Forms and other 
records completed by separating employees. Included are electronic 
copies of records created using electronic mail and word processing.
    15. Peace Corps, Office of the Inspector General (N1-490-02-4, 11 
items, 8 temporary items). Records relating to inspections and 
evaluations, investigations, and audits. Also included are electronic 
copies of records created using word processing and electronic mail. 
Proposed for permanent retention are recordkeeping copies of selected 
audit files, reports to Congress, and country evaluation reports.
    16. Tennessee Valley Authority, Education, Training and Diversity 
(N1-142-02-1, 10 items, 9 temporary items). Correspondence files, 
training manuals, and course materials. Also included are electronic 
copies of documents created using electronic mail and word processing. 
Proposed for permanent retention are electronic versions of 
correspondence files created by the Senior Vice President for 
Education, Training, and Diversity.

    Dated: November 29, 2002.
Michael J. Kurtz,
Assistant Archivist for Record Services--Washington, DC.
[FR Doc. 02-30880 Filed 12-5-02; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 7515-01-P