AC 18. 2020
May 4, 2020
MEMORANDUM TO FEDERAL AGENCY CONTACTS: General Records Schedule Transmittal 31 and Updates to GRS FAQs
The Office of the Chief Records Officer is pleased to announce the publication of General Records Schedule (GRS) Transmittal 31. It is now available on our website at http://www.archives.gov/records-mgmt/grs/. Along with this transmittal, we are also issuing the following updated FAQs:
FAQs for Human Resources Schedules (GRS 2.1-2.8)
FAQs for GRS 2.3, Employee Relations Records
FAQs for GRS 5.7, Agency Accountability Records
FAQs for GRS 6.1, Email Managed under a Capstone Approach
This transmittal publishes revisions to GRS 6.1, Email Managed Under a Capstone Approach, requiring that agencies using the Capstone GRS resubmit form NA-1005 at least every four years. Agencies should consult a new “resubmission” section in the GRS 6.1 FAQ for details.
This transmittal also publishes updates to fifteen previously approved schedules to add a requirement to offer to NARA records created prior to January 1, 1921 before implementing disposition. This requirement existed in older GRS and we are now reinstating it via this transmittal:
GRS 1.1 Financial Management and Reporting Records
GRS 2.1 Employee Acquisition Records
GRS 2.2 Employee Management Records
GRS 2.3 Employee Relations Records
GRS 2.5 Employee Separation Records
GRS 2.6 Employee Training Records
GRS 2.7 Employee Health and Safety Records
GRS 4.1 Records Management Records
GRS 4.2 Information Access and Protection Records
GRS 5.3 Continuity and Emergency Planning Records
GRS 5.4 Facility, Equipment, Vehicle, Property, and Supply Records
GRS 5.5 Mail, Printing, and Telecommunication Service Management Records
GRS 5.6 Security Records
GRS 5.7 Agency Accountability Records
GRS 6.4 Public Affairs Records
This transmittal publishes updates to five previously approved schedule items. Notes have been added to certain items requiring agencies to offer the records to NARA before implementing disposition. Each note indicates how this requirement only relates to records created before a specific date.
GRS 1.1, items 010 and 011, Financial transaction records related to procuring goods and services, paying bills, collecting debts, and accounting.
GRS 5.4, items 070 and 071, Facility, space, and equipment inspection, maintenance, and service records.
GRS 5.6, item 120, Personal identification credentials, and cards - Application and activation records.
GRS 5.6, item 130, Local facility identification, and card access records.
GRS 6.4, item 030, Public affairs product production files.
Finally, this transmittal rescinds GRS 6.6, items 010, 020, and 030 (DAA-GRS-2017-0012-0001 through 0003), which covered rulemaking records. Remaining items 040 and 050 from GRS 6.6 have been moved to GRS 5.7 as items 070 and 080. GRS 6.6, Rulemaking Records, will no longer appear on the GRS website. If your agency was using GRS 6.6, items 010-030, for rulemaking records you will need to submit an agency-specific schedule for these records.
Agency Records Officers must disseminate the revised schedules within their agencies no later than October 2020.
Use of the new GRS is mandatory and applies retrospectively and day-forward for all described records. Since we are not issuing any new authorities in this transmittal, there should be no need for your agency to notify NARA if you intend to use agency-specific schedule items instead of any revised GRS item.
The transmittal includes only schedules that have been revised since the last transmittal. All current General Records Schedules are available on our website.
For more information, please see the GRS web page. If you have any questions about the GRS, please contact GRS_Team@nara.gov.
LAURENCE BREWER
Chief Records Officer
for the U.S. Government