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 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 the records to conduct its business. Routine administrative records common to most agencies are approved for disposal in the General Records Schedules (GRS), which are disposition schedules issued by NARA that apply Government-wide.

On March 25, 1999, the Archivist issued NARA Bulletin 99-04, which told agencies what they must do to schedule electronic copies associated with previously scheduled program records and certain administrative records that were previously scheduled under GRS 20, Items 13 and 14. On December 27, 1999, the Archivist issued NARA Bulletin 2000-02, which suspended Bulletin 99-04 pending NARA's completion in FY 2001 of an overall review of scheduling and appraisal. On completion of this review, which will address all records, including electronic copies, NARA will determine whether Bulletin 99-04 should be revised or replaced with an alternative scheduling procedure. However, NARA will accept and process schedules for electronic copies prepared in accordance with Bulletin 99-04 that are submitted after December 27, 1999, as well as schedules that were submitted prior to this date.

Schedules submitted in accordance with NARA Bulletin 99-04 only cover the electronic copies associated with previously scheduled series. Agencies that wish to schedule hitherto unscheduled series must submit separate SF 115s that cover both recordkeeping copies and electronic copies used to create them.

In developing SF 115s for the electronic copies of scheduled records, agencies may use either of two scheduling models. They may add an appropriate disposition for the electronic copies formerly covered by GRS 20, Items 13 and 14, to every item in their manuals or records schedules where the recordkeeping copy has been created with a word processing or electronic mail application. This approach is described as Model 1 in Bulletin 99-04. Alternatively, agencies ( printed page 20209) may group records by program, function, or organizational component and propose disposition instructions for the electronic copies associated with each grouping. This approach is described as Model 2 in the Bulletin. Schedules that follow Model 2 do not describe records at the series level.

For each schedule covered by this notice the following information is provided: name of the Federal agency and any subdivisions requesting disposition authority; the organizational unit(s) accumulating the records or a statement that the schedule has agency-wide applicability in the case of schedules that cover records that may be accumulated throughout an agency; the control number assigned to each schedule; the total number of schedule items; the number of temporary items (the record series proposed for destruction); a brief description of the temporary electronic copies; and citations to previously approved SF 115s or printed disposition manuals that scheduled the recordkeeping copies associated with the electronic copies covered by the pending schedule. If a cited manual or schedule is available from the Government Printing Office or has been posted to a publicly available Web site, this too is noted.

Further information about the disposition process is available on request.

Schedules Pending

1. Social Security Administration, Agency-wide (N9-47-00-28, 7 items, 7 temporary items). Electronic copies of records created using electronic mail and word processing that relate to communications. Included are electronic copies of such documents as published issuances and related production and control files, records relating to audiovisual products, graphics reference files, and talent files. This schedule follows Model 2 as described in the SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION section of this notice. Record keeping copies of these files are included in Disposition Job Nos. NC174-176, NC-47-75-9, NC-47-75-24, NC1-47-76-12, NC1-47-76-14, and NC1-47-81-5.

2. Occupational Safety and Health Review Commission, Office of the Executive Director (N9-455-00-1, 14 items, 14 temporary items). Electronic copies of records created using electronic mail and word processing that are accumulated by the agency's Public Information Office. Included are electronic copies of such documents as subject files, speeches and articles, activity reports, congressional testimony, publications, and administrative studies. This schedule follows Model 1 as described in the SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION section of this notice. Recordkeeping copies of these files are included in Disposition Job No. N1-455-87-1.

3. United States International Trade Commission, Agency-wide (N9-81-00-1, 14 items, 14 temporary items). Electronic copies of records created using electronic mail and word processing. Included are electronic copies of such documents as publications, press releases, minutes of meetings, litigation case files, informal investigation files, congressional correspondence, directives, budget estimates, and files pertaining to commodities. This schedule follows Model 2 as described in the SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION section of this notice. Recordkeeping copies of these files are included in Disposition Job Nos. NC1-81-78-1, N1-81-89-1, and N1-81-97-1.

65 FR 20208