NATIONAL ARCHIVES AND RECORDS ADMINISTRATION (NARA)

Statement of Regulatory Priorities

Overview

The National Archives and Records Administration (NARA) issues regulations directed to other Federal agencies and to the public. Records management regulations directed to Federal agencies concern the proper management and disposition of Federal records. Through the Information Security Oversight Office (ISOO), NARA also issues Governmentwide regulations concerning information security classification and declassification programs. NARA regulations directed to the public address access to and use of our historically valuable holdings, including archives, donated historical materials, Nixon Presidential materials, and Presidential records. NARA also issues regulations relating to the National Historical Publications and Records Commission (NHPRC) grant programs.

NARA has two regulatory priorities for fiscal year 2013, which are included in The Regulatory Plan. The first is NARA's revisions to the Federal records management regulations found at 36 CFR chapter XII, subchapter B, to include the Electronic Records Archives (ERA). ERA is NARA's system that Federal agencies use to draft new records retention schedules for records, officially submit those schedules for approval by NARA, request the transfer of records to NARA for accessioning or pre-accessioning, and submit electronic records for storage in the ERA electronic records repository. The revisions will cover provisions in 36 CFR parts 1220, 1225, 1226, and 1235.

The second priority is NARA's revisions to its Freedom of Information Act (FOIA) regulations, clarifying the applicability of the FOIA to categories of records in NARA's accessioned holdings as well as operational records. Furthermore, the revisions explain NARA's responsibility in answering FOIA requests, the procedures for requesting a FOIA and the response a requester can expect for a submitted FOIA. The revisions will cover 36 CFR parts 1250 and 1256.