[Federal Register Volume 86, Number 155 (Monday, August 16, 2021)]
[Notices]
[Pages 45766-45767]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 2021-17426]


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NATIONAL ARCHIVES AND RECORDS ADMINISTRATION

[NARA-21-0011; NARA-2021-041]


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 of certain Federal agency requests for records 
disposition authority (records schedules). We publish notice in the 
Federal Register and on regulations.gov for records schedules in which 
agencies propose to dispose of records they no longer need to conduct 
agency business. We invite public comments on such records schedules.

DATES: NARA must receive comments by September 30, 2021.

ADDRESSES: You may submit comments by the following method. You must 
cite the control number, which appears on the records schedule in 
parentheses after the name of the agency that submitted the schedule.

     Federal eRulemaking Portal: http://www.regulations.gov.

    Due to COVID-19 building closures, we are currently temporarily not 
accepting comments by mail. However, if you are unable to comment via 
regulations.gov, you may contact [email protected] for 
instructions on submitting your comment.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Kimberly Keravuori, Regulatory and 
External Policy Program Manager, by email at 
[email protected]. For information about records schedules, 
contact Records Management Operations by email at 
[email protected], by mail at the address above, or by phone at 
301-837-1799.

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION:

Public Comment Procedures

    We are publishing notice of records schedules in which agencies 
propose to dispose of records they no longer need to conduct agency 
business. We invite public comments on these records schedules, as 
required by 44 U.S.C. 3303a(a), and list the schedules at the end of 
this notice by agency and subdivision requesting disposition authority.
    In addition, this notice lists the organizational unit(s) 
accumulating the records or states that the schedule has agency-wide 
applicability. It also provides the control number assigned to each 
schedule, which you will need if you submit comments on that schedule.
    We have uploaded the records schedules and accompanying appraisal 
memoranda to the regulations.gov docket for this notice as ``other'' 
documents. Each records schedule contains a full description of the 
records at the file unit level as well as their proposed disposition. 
The appraisal memorandum for the schedule includes information about 
the records.
    We will post comments, including any personal information and 
attachments, to the public docket unchanged. Because comments are 
public, you are responsible for ensuring that you do not include any 
confidential or other information that you or a third party may not 
wish to be publicly posted. If you want to submit a comment with 
confidential information or cannot otherwise use the regulations.gov 
portal, you may contact [email protected] for instructions on 
submitting your comment.
    We will consider all comments submitted by the posted deadline and 
consult as needed with the Federal agency seeking the disposition 
authority. After considering comments, we will post on regulations.gov 
a ``Consolidated Reply'' summarizing the comments, responding to them, 
and noting any changes we have made to the proposed records schedule. 
We will then send the schedule for final approval by the Archivist of 
the United States. You may elect at regulations.gov to receive updates 
on the docket, including an alert when we post the Consolidated Reply, 
whether or not you submit a comment. If you have a question, you can 
submit it as a comment, and can also submit any concerns or comments 
you would have to a possible response to the question. We will address 
these items in consolidated replies along with any other comments 
submitted on that schedule.
    We will post schedules on our website in the Records Control 
Schedule (RCS) Repository, at https://www.archives.gov/records-mgmt/rcs, after the Archivist approves them. The RCS contains all schedules 
approved since 1973.

Background

    Each year, Federal agencies create billions of records. To control 
this accumulation, agency records managers prepare schedules proposing 
retention periods for records and submit these schedules for NARA's 
approval. Once approved by NARA, records schedules provide mandatory 
instructions on what happens to records when no longer needed for 
current Government business. The records schedules authorize agencies 
to preserve records of continuing value in the National

[[Page 45767]]

Archives or to destroy, after a specified period, records lacking 
continuing administrative, legal, research, or other value. 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.
    Agencies may not destroy Federal records without the approval of 
the Archivist of the United States. The Archivist grants this approval 
only after thorough consideration of the records' administrative use by 
the agency of origin, the rights of the Government and of private 
people directly affected by the Government's activities, and whether or 
not the records have historical or other value. Public review and 
comment on these records schedules is part of the Archivist's 
consideration process.

Schedules Pending

    1. Department of Health and Human Services, Office of the Assistant 
Secretary for Health, Office for Human Research Protections Records 
(DAA-0514-2019-0001).
    2. Department of State, Bureau of Political-Military Affairs, 
Consolidated Schedule (DAA-0059-2019-0012).
    3. Department of the Treasury, Treasury Inspector General for Tax 
Administration, Disclosure Section Files (DAA-0056-2018-0013).
    4. Federal Communications Commission, Agency-wide, Diversity and 
Inclusion Programs (DAA-0173-2020-0012).
    5. Office of Government Ethics, Agency-wide, General Administrative 
and Operations Support (DAA-0522-2020-0003).

Laurence Brewer,
Chief Records Officer for the U.S. Government.
[FR Doc. 2021-17426 Filed 8-13-21; 8:45 am]
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