Federal Records Management

AC 10.2016

November 5, 2015

MEMORANDUM TO FEDERAL AGENCY CONTACTS: Release of NARA Bulletin 2016-01: Guidance on NARA Bulletin Expiration Dates

I am pleased to announce the release of NARA Bulletin 2016-01: Guidance on NARA Bulletin Expiration Dates.  This administrative bulletin announces a change to NARA policy regarding the expiration date of NARA bulletins.

Previously, all NARA bulletins had an expiration date of three years, which required NARA to regularly review bulletins to determine whether the policies were still relevant, accurate, and useful. Then, at the start of the fiscal year, NARA would issue an annual bulletin stating which ones were still in effect. Frequently, this practice caused confusion regarding the status of certain bulletins.

Going forward, NARA bulletins will no longer have specific expiration dates, unless there is a valid reason based on the content. Instead, bulletins will state “Expires when revoked or superseded.”

NARA has updated the expiration date on all bulletins that are still in effect to reflect this new policy. These changes can be seen on the NARA Bulletins page. Several bulletins had been superseded and NARA has moved those to the Past NARA Bulletins section of the NARA website. NARA continues to regularly review bulletins to ensure their accuracy and usefulness.

LAURENCE BREWER
Acting Chief Records Officer
for the U.S. Government

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