[Federal Register Volume 82, Number 5 (Monday, January 9, 2017)]
[Notices]
[Pages 2395-2396]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 2017-00157]


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NATIONAL ARCHIVES AND RECORDS ADMINISTRATION

[NARA-2017-020]


Records Management; General Records Schedule (GRS); GRS 
Transmittal 27

AGENCY: National Archives and Records Administration (NARA).

ACTION: Notice of new General Records Schedule (GRS) Transmittal 27.

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SUMMARY: NARA is issuing a new set of General Records Schedules (GRS) 
via GRS Transmittal 27. The GRS provides mandatory disposition 
instructions for administrative records common to several or all 
Federal agencies. Transmittal 27 announces changes we have made to the 
GRS since we published Transmittal 26 in August and September 2016. We 
are concurrently disseminating Transmittal 27 (the memo and the 
accompanying records schedules and documents) directly to each agency's 
records management official and have also posted it on NARA's Web site.

DATES: This transmittal is effective the date it publishes in the 
Federal Register.

ADDRESSES: You can find this transmittal on NARA's Web site at http://www.archives.gov/records-mgmt/grs/. You can download the complete 
current GRS, in PDF format, from NARA's Web site at http://www.archives.gov/records-mgmt/grs.html.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: For more information about this notice 
or to obtain paper copies of the GRS, contact Kimberly Keravuori, 
External Policy Program Manager, at [email protected], or by 
telephone at 301.837.3151.
    You may contact NARA's GRS Team with general questions about the 
GRS at [email protected]. Writing and maintaining the GRS is the GRS 
Team's responsibility. This team is part of Records Management Services 
in the National Records Management Program, Office of the Chief Records 
Officer at NARA.
    Your agency's records officer may contact the NARA appraiser or 
records analyst with whom your agency normally works for support in 
carrying out this transmittal and the revised portions of the GRS. You 
may access a list of the appraisal and scheduling work group and 
regional contacts on our Web site at http://www.archives.gov/records-mgmt/appraisal/index.html.

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: GRS Transmittal 27 announces changes to the 
General Records Schedules (GRS) made since NARA published GRS 
Transmittal 26 in September 2016. The GRS provide mandatory disposition 
instructions for records common to several or all Federal agencies. We 
are more than half-way through a 5-year plan to completely rewrite the 
GRS. With Transmittal 27, 61% of old items are now superseded.
    Transmittal 27 introduces a significant change in the way we 
publish transmittals and indeed the entire GRS. Transmittal 26 included 
all current schedules: new schedules (with new-to-old crosswalks and 
Frequently Asked Questions [FAQs]), old schedules annotated for 
supersession by new schedules, and an old-to-new crosswalk for the 
entire old GRS. Transmittal 27 includes only schedules newly issued or 
updated since the last transmittal (with new-to-old crosswalks and FAQs 
for each).
    Users may find the entire set of GRS at http://www.archives.gov/records-mgmt/grs.html, both individually and in a single document 
containing just schedules (no crosswalks or FAQs). FAQs about the whole 
GRS and the GRS Update Project no longer appear in new Transmittals. 
You can still access them at http://www.archives.gov/records-mgmt/grs.html.

What changes does this transmittal make to the GRS?

    GRS Transmittal 27 publishes five new schedules:

GRS 2.6 Employee Training Records (DAA-GRS-2016-0014)
GRS 5.3 Continuity and Emergency Planning Records (DAA-GRS-2016-0004)
GRS 5.4 Facility, Equipment, Vehicle, Property, and Supply Records 
(DAA-GRS-2016- 0011)
GRS 5.5 Mail, Printing, and Telecommunication Service Management 
Records (DAA-GRS 2016-0012)
GRS 6.4 Public Affairs Records (DAA-GRS-2016-0005)

    It also publishes new or updated items in four schedules:

GRS 1.1 Financial Management and Reporting Records (see question 3)
GRS 2.5 Employee Separation Records (see question 4)
GRS 3.1 General Technology Management Records (see question 5)
GRS 4.2 Information Access and Protection Records (see question 6)

    This transmittal also updates the general FAQs on Deviations, 
clarifying the definition of a deviation to the GRS, and how GRS 
deviations differ from GRS notifications.

[[Page 2396]]

How has GRS 1.1 changed? How might these changes affect my agency?

    We added one new item (001) to cover financial management and 
reporting administrative records.

How has GRS 2.5 changed?

    We added two news items (050 and 051) for records created by phased 
retirement programs.

How has GRS 3.1 changed?

    We added one new item (001) to cover technology management 
administrative records.

How has GRS 4.2 changed?

    We added two new items. Item 001 covers administrative records on 
FOIA, Privacy Act, and classified documents. Item 180 covers virtual 
public access library records. Also, we slightly altered titles of 
items 060, 061, 120, and 121 from what appeared in Transmittal 26 to 
match the titles under which they were approved in ERA. The new titles 
alter neither meaning nor coverage of the items.

What GRS items does GRS Transmittal 27 rescind?

    Many old GRS items are superseded by new GRS items. A few old 
items, however, have outlived their usefulness and cannot be 
crosswalked to new items. The table below lists old items newly 
rescinded by GRS Transmittal 27.

------------------------------------------------------------------------
         GRS               Item             Title            Reason
------------------------------------------------------------------------
10..................             11a  Recordkeeping     Only a very few
                                       copies of         agencies create
                                       maintenance       these records.
                                       manuals for       They relate to
                                       unique or         agencies'
                                       customized        missions and
                                       aircraft.         should
                                                         therefore be
                                                         scheduled on an
                                                         agency-specific
                                                         schedule.
12..................              3b  Copies of         Telegram service
                                       incoming and      in the United
                                       original copies   States ceased
                                       of outgoing       January 27,
                                       messages,         2006. The last
                                       including         telegram in the
                                       Standard Form     world was sent
                                       (SF) 14,          in India on
                                       Telegraphic       July 14, 2013.
                                       Message           The very short
                                       maintained by     two-month
                                       communications    retention of
                                       offices or        these records
                                       centers, and      means that none
                                       EXCLUDING the     should now
                                       copies            exist. SF 14
                                       maintained by     has been
                                       originating       discontinued.
                                       program office.
14..................               3  Press Service     These records
                                       files.            appear to no
                                                         longer exist.
18..................             29a  National Defense  According to
                                       Executive         FEMA, the
                                       Reserve (NDER)    National
                                       case files on     Defense
                                       reservists.       Executive
                                                         Reserve program
                                                         has been
                                                         dormant for the
                                                         past 5 years
                                                         and no agency
                                                         has open
                                                         programs. For
                                                         this reason,
                                                         FEMA suggested
                                                         that we rescind
                                                         these items.
18..................             29b  National Defense
                                       Executive
                                       Reserve case
                                       files on
                                       individuals
                                       whose
                                       applications
                                       were rejected
                                       or withdrawn.
27..................               6  CIO subject and   CIOs are
                                       office records.   considered high-
                                                         level officials
                                                         under Capstone
                                                         email guidance.
                                                         It is therefore
                                                         not appropriate
                                                         to schedule
                                                         these records
                                                         as universally
                                                         temporary.
27..................               7  CIO schedules of
                                       daily
                                       activities.
------------------------------------------------------------------------

    Rescinded items are shown in context of their schedules in the old-
to-new crosswalk.

How do I cite new GRS items?

    When you send records to an FRC for storage, you should cite the 
records' legal authority--the ``DAA'' number--in the ``Disposition 
Authority'' column of the table. For informational purposes, please 
include schedule and item number. For example, ``DAA-GRS-2013-0001-0004 
(GRS 4.3, item 020).''

Do I have to take any action to implement these GRS changes?

    NARA regulations (36 CFR 1226.12(a)) require agencies to 
disseminate GRS changes within six months of receipt.
    Per 36 CFR 1227.12(a)(1), you must follow GRS dispositions that 
state they must be followed without exception.
    Per 36 CFR 1227.12(a)(3), if you have an existing schedule that 
differs from a new GRS item that does not require being followed 
without exception, and you wish to continue using your agency-specific 
authority rather than the GRS authority, you must notify NARA within 
120 days of the date of this transmittal.
    If you do not have an already existing agency-specific authority 
but wish to apply a retention period that differs from that specified 
in the GRS, you must submit a records schedule to NARA for approval via 
the Electronic Records Archives.

How do I get copies of the new GRS?

    You can download the complete current GRS, in PDF format, from 
NARA's Web site at http://www.archives.gov/records-mgmt/grs.html.

Whom do I contact for further information?

    Writing and maintaining the GRS is the responsibility of the GRS 
Team. You may contact the team with general questions about the GRS at 
[email protected]. This team is part of Records Management Services in 
the National Records Management Program of the Office of the Chief 
Records Officer at NARA.
    Your agency's records officer may contact the NARA appraiser or 
records analyst with whom your agency normally works for support in 
carrying out this transmittal. A list of the appraisal and scheduling 
work group and regional contacts is on the NARA Web site at http://www.archives.gov/records-mgmt/appraisal/index.html.

    Dated: January 3, 2017.
David S. Ferriero,
Archivist of the United States.
[FR Doc. 2017-00157 Filed 1-6-17; 8:45 am]
 BILLING CODE 7515-01-P