Basic Laws and Authorities of the US National Archives and Records Administration(NARA)

The Federal Records Act (44 U.S.C. 31) and corresponding Code of Federal Regulations (CFRs) require all federal agencies to maintain records that document their activities, file records for safe storage and efficient retrieval, and dispose of records according to agency schedules.

The DOI( US DEPT of Interior) Records Program is leading a strategic effort to streamline records management, including electronic records management, across the Department.

Highlights:

• Federal Register (44 U.S.C. Chapter 15)
• NARA (44 U.S.C. Chapter 21)
• Presidential Records (44 U.S.C. Chapter 22)
• Trust Fund (44 U.S.C. Chapter 23)
• NHPRC (44 U.S.C. Chapter 25)
• Records of Congress (44 U.S.C. Chapter 27)
• Records Management NARA (44 U.S.C. Chapter 29)
• Records Management/Federal Agencies (44 U.S.C. Chapter 31)
• Disposal of Records (44 U.S.C. Chapter 33)

Markup version of Public Law 113-187, The Presidential and Federal Records Act Amendments of 2014 showing changes to NARA Statutes found below in Chapters 21, 22, 29, 31, 33, of Title 44 in PDF.

Legislative History of NARA Statutes

Summary of Non-NARA Statutes

Appendixes

USA NARA basic-laws-book-2016

NARA Statutes

Acts and Resolutions; Formalities of Enactment; Repeals; Sealing of Instruments (1 U.S.C. §§ 106a-b, 112-13, 201)

Presidential Elections and Vacancies (3 U.S.C. §§ 6, 11-13)

Former Presidents Act (3 U.S.C. § 102 note)

Official Territorial Papers (4 U.S.C. §§ 141-46)

Inspector General Act of 1978 (5 U.S.C. App. 3 § 8G)

Concealment, Removal, or Mutilation of Records (18 U.S.C. § 2071)

Dissemination of Information within the United States (22 U.S.C. § 1461(b))

Foreign Relations of the U.S. Historical Series (22 U.S.C. § 4352)

Custody of records; Oklahoma Historical Society (25 U.S.C. § 199a)

Internal Revenue Code (26 U.S.C. § 6103)

Independent Counsel (28 U.S.C. § 594)

Congressional Printing and Binding (Title 44, Chapter 7)

Copies of Acts furnished to Public Printer (§ 710)

Printing Acts, joint resolutions, and treaties (§ 711)

United States Statutes at Large: references in margins (§ 729)

Federal Register and Code of Federal Regulations (Title 44, Chapter 15)

Definitions (§ 1501)

Custody and printing of Federal documents; appointment of Director (§ 1502)

Filing documents with Office; notation of time; public inspection; transmission for printing (§ 1503)

“Federal Register”; printing; contents; distribution; price (§ 1504)

Documents to be published in Federal Register (§ 1505)

Administrative Committee of the Federal Register; establishment and composition; powers and duties (§ 1506)

Filing document as constructive notice; publication of validity; judicial notice; citation (§ 1507)

Publication in Federal Register as notice of hearing (§ 1508)

Costs of publication, etc. (§ 1509)

Code of Federal Regulations (§ 1510)

International agreements excluded from provision of Chapter (§ 1511)

Publications for use of National Archives and Records Administration (44 U.S.C. § 1714)

National Archives and Records Administration (Title 44, Chapter 21)

Definitions (§ 2101)

Establishment (§ 2102)

Transfer of Functions, Transfer of Personnel, Saving Provisions (§ 2102 notes)

Officers (§ 2103)

Administrative provisions (§ 2104)

Personnel and services (§ 2105)

Reports to Congress (§ 2106)

Acceptance of records for historical preservation (§ 2107)

President John F. Kennedy Assassination Records Collection Act of 1992 (§ 2107 note)

Civil Rights Cold Case Records Collection Act of 2018 (§ 2107 note)

Establishment of National Database for Records of Servitude, Emancipation, and Post-Civil War Reconstruction (§ 2107 note)

Responsibility for custody, use, and withdrawal of records (§ 2108)

Procedures to Prevent Unauthorized Removal of Classified Records from National Archives (§ 2108 note)

Preservation, arrangement, duplication, exhibition of records (§ 2109)

Servicing records (§ 2110)

Material accepted for deposit (§ 2111)

Presidential Recordings and Materials Preservation Act (§ 2111 note)

Presidential archival depository (§ 2112)

Capital Improvement Plan for Presidential Archival Depositories; Report (§ 2112 note)

Depository for agreements between States (§ 2113)

Preservation of audio and visual records (§ 2114)

Reports; correction of violations (§ 2115)

Legal status of reproductions; official seal; fees for copies and reproductions (§ 2116)

Limitation on liability (§ 2117)

Records of Congress (§ 2118)

Cooperative agreements (§ 2119)

Online access of founding fathers documents (§ 2120)

Transfer of Funds (§ 2120 note)

Presidential Records (Title 44, Chapter 22)

Definitions (§ 2201)

Ownership of Presidential records (§ 2202)

Management and custody of Presidential records (§ 2203)

Restrictions on access to Presidential records (§ 2204)

Exceptions to restricted access (§ 2205)

Regulations (§ 2206)

Vice-Presidential records (§ 2207)

Rule of Construction (§ 2207 note)

Claims of constitutionaly based privilege against dislcosure (§ 2208)

Disclosure requirement for official business conducted using non-official electronic messaging accounts (§ 2209)

National Archives Trust Fund Board (Title 44, Chapter 23)

Establishment of Board; membership (§ 2301)

Authority of the Board; seal; services; bylaws; rules; regulations; employees (§ 2302)

Powers and obligations of the Board; liability of members (§ 2303)

Compensation of members availability of trust funds for expenses of the Board (§ 2304)

Acceptance of gifts (§ 2305)

Investment of funds (§ 2306)

Trust fund account; disbursements; sales of publications and releases (§ 2307)

Tax exemption for gifts (§ 2308)

National Historical Publications and Records Commission (Title 44, Chapter 25)

Creation; composition; appointment and tenure; meetings (§ 2501)

Vacancies (§ 2502)

Executive director, staff, transportation expenses (§ 2503)

Duties; authorizations of grants for historical publications and records authorization for appropriations (§ 2504)

Grants for Establishment of State and Local Databases For Records of Servitude, Emancipation, and Post-Civil War Reconstruction (§ 2504 note)

Special advisory committees; membership; reimbursement (§ 2505)

Advisory Committee to Review Founding Fathers Editorial Projects (§ 2505 note)

Records to be kept grantees (§ 2506)

Advisory Committee on the Records of Congress (Title 44, Chapter 27)

Advisory Committee on the Records of Congress (§ 2701)

Membership; chairman; meetings (§ 2702)

Functions of the Committee (§ 2703)

Powers of the Committee (§ 2704)

Compensation and travel expenses (§ 2705)

Administrative provisions (§ 2706)

Records Management by the Archivist of the United States (Title 44, Chapter 29)

Definitions (§ 2901)

Records Center Revolving Fund (§ 2901 note)

Objectives of records management (§ 2902)

Custody and control of property (§ 2903)

General responsibilities for records management (§ 2904)

Establishment of standards for selective retention of records; security measures (§ 2905)

Inspection of agency records (§ 2906)

Records centers and centralized microfilming services (§ 2907)

Regulations (§ 2908)

Retention of records (§ 2909)

Preservation of Freedmen’s Bureau records (§ 2910)

Disclosure requirement for official business conducted using non-official electronic messaging accounts (§ 2911)

Records Management by Federal Agencies (Title 44, Chapter 31)

Records management by agency heads; general duties (§ 3101)

Establishment of program of management (§ 3102)

Transfer of records to records centers (§ 3103)

Certifications and determinations on transferred records (§ 3104)

Safeguards (§ 3105)

Unlawful removal, destruction of records (§ 3106)

Authority of comptroller general (§ 3107)

Disposal of Records (Title 44, Chapter 33)

Definition of records (§ 3301)

Regulations covering lists of records for disposal, procedure for disposal, and standards for reproduction (§ 3302)

Lists and schedules of records to be submitted to the Archivist by head of each Government agency (§ 3303)

Examination by Archivist of lists and schedules of records lacking preservation value; disposal of records (§ 3303a)

Disposal of similar records where prior disposal was authorized (§ 3308)

Preservation of claims of Government until settled in the Government Accountability Office; disposal authorized upon written approval of Comptroller General (§ 3309)

Disposal of records constituting menace to health, life or property (§ 3310)

Destruction of records outside continental U.S. in time of war or when hostile action seems imminent; written report to Archivist (§ 3311)

Photographs or microphotographs of records considered as originals; certified reproductions admissible in evidence (§ 3312)

Moneys from sale of records payable into the Treasury (§ 3313)

Procedures for disposal of records exclusive (§ 3314)

§§ 3315 – 3324 of Title 44, United States Code, are repealed.

Coordination of Federal Information Policy (Title 44, Chapter 35)

E-Government Act of 2002 (§ 3501 note)

Authority and functions of Director (§ 3504)

Administrative powers (§ 3515)

Management and Promotion of Electronic Government Services (Title 44, Chapter 36)

Chief Information Officer’s Council (§ 3603)

Atomic Energy Defense Provisions (Title 50, Chapter 42)

Documents Relating to Japanese Internment (50 App. U.S.C. § 1989b-6)

Nazi War Crimes Disclosure Act (5 U.S.C. § 552 note)

Public Interest Declassification Act of 2000, as amended (50 U.S.C. § 3161 note)

Consolidated Appropriations Act, 2008 (Pub. L. 110-161)

Summary of Non-NARA Statutes

Access to Classified Information (50 U.S.C. § 435)

Administrative Dispute Resolution Act (5 U.S.C. §§ 571-583)

Administrative Procedure Act (5 U.S.C. §§ 551-559, 701-706, 1305, 3105, 3344, 4301, 5335, 5372, 7521)

Americans with Disabilities Act of 1990 (42 U.S.C. § 12101 et seq)

Anti-Deficiency Act (31 U.S.C. § 1341(a)(1)(A)-(B))

Anti-Nepotism Act (5 U.S.C. § 3110)

Augmentation Prohibition (31 U.S.C. §§ 1301 (a), 3302(b))

Debt Collection Act of 1982 (31 U.S.C. §§ 3302, 3701, 3711, 3716-3719)

Debt Collection Improvement Act of 1996 (31 U.S.C. §§ 3720B-3720D)

Depository Library Program (44 U.S.C. §§ 1901-1916)

Dissemination of Information Abroad (22 U.S.C. § 1461)

Economy in Government Act (31 U.S.C.§ 1535)

Electronic Freedom of Information Act Amendments of 1996 (5 U.S.C. § 552 note)

Emergency Preparedness (42 U.S.C.§ 5195)

Equal Access to Justice Act (5 U.S.C. § 504)

Ethics in Government Act of 1978 (5 U.S.C. App. 4 §§ 101-111, 401-408, 501-505; 28 U.S.C. §§ 49, 528-529, 591-598; 2 U.S.C. §§ 118(a), 288(a)-(m), 1365)

Ethics Reform Act of 1989 (2 U.S.C. §§ 29d, 72a-1g, 362-364; 5 U.S.C. §§ 3393a, 7353; 5 U.S.C. App. 4 §§ 110-111, 501-505; 10 U.S.C. § 1601; 18 U.S.C. § 216; 26 U.S.C. § 1043; 31 U.S.C. § 1353)

Executive and Judiciary Printing and Binding (44 U.S.C. §§ 1101-1123)

Federal Activities Inventory Reform Act (38 U.S.C. § 501 note)

Federal Advisory Committee Act (5 U.S.C. App. 2 §§ 1-15)

Federal Tort Claims Act (28 U.S.C. §§ 1291, 1346, 1402, 2401-2402, 2411-2412, 2671-2680)

Government in the Sunshine Act (5 U.S.C. § 552b)

Government Paperwork Elimination Act (5 U.S.C. § 3504 note)

Government Performance and Results Act (31 U.S.C. §§ 1101 note, 1115 note)

Hobby Protection Act (15 U.S.C. § 2101)

Information Technology Management Reform Act (40 U.S.C. §§ 1401-1503)

Paperwork Reduction Act (44 U.S.C. §§ 3501- 3520)

Pay Rates and Systems (5 U.S.C. § 5314)

Public Printing and Documents (44 U.S.C. Chapter 19)

Regulatory Negotiation Act (5 U.S.C. § 561 et seq)

Rehabilitation Act (29 U.S.C. § 701 et seq.)

Use of Government Vehicles (31 U.S.C. § 1344)

Whistleblower Protection Act of 1989 (5 U.S.C. §§ 1211-1219, 1221-1222, 3352)

Whistleblower Protection Laws (10 U.S.C. § 2409; 15 U.S.C. §§ 2622, 2651; 18 U.S.C. § 1031; 29 U.S.C. § 1855; 30 U.S.C. § 1293, 815; 33 U.S.C. § 1367; 42 U.S.C. §§ 300j-9, 5851, 6971, 7622, 9610; 46 U.S.C. App. § 1506; 49 U.S.C. § 31105)

Executive Orders

• 11440  Providing for the Supplemental Use of Exhibits and Displays Created in Furtherance of Authorized Programs of Executive Departments and Agencies
• 12600  Predisclosure Notification Procedures for Confidential Commercial Information
• 12667  Presidential Records, revoked by Executive Order #13233
• 12829  National Industrial Security Program
• 12937  Declassification of Selected Records Within the National Archives of the United States
• 12958  Classified National Security Information, as amended by Executive Order #13292
• 13233  Further Implementation of the Presidential Records Act, revoked by Executive Order #13489
• 13489  Presidential Records
• 13526  Classified National Security Information

The 1952 Exchange of Correspondence Between the Archivist and the Director of the Bureau of the Census

Freedom of Information Act (5 U.S.C. § 552)

Privacy Act of 1974 (5 U.S.C. § 552a)