Records Management Act
Latest action. Referred to Senate Committee on Government Operations.
Records Management Act - Requires the establishment of standards and procedures to assure efficient and effective government records management. States that such standards and procedures shall seek to effectuate the following goals: (1) accurate and complete documentation of the policies and transactions of the Federal Government; (2) control of the quantity and quality of records produced by the Federal Government; (3) simplification of the processes through which records are created, stored, retrieved, and used; (4) the judicious preservation and disposal of records; (5) the establishment and maintenance of a system which focuses continuous attention upon records from their initial creation to their final disposition; (6) the establishment and maintenance of mechanisms of control with respect to records creation, in order to assure the prevention of unneccessary records; and (7) the establishment and maintenance of such other systems or techniques as the Administrator considers necessary to carry out the purposes of this Act. Provides that the Administrator shall provide guidance and assistance to Federal agencies with respect to records creation, records maintenance and use, and records disposition. Directs the Administrator of General Services to: (1) conduct inspections or paperwork studies, at regular intervals as determined to be necessary by the Administrator, of the records and records management practices and programs of every Federal agency; (2) require the head of every Federal agency to transmit a report to the Administrator with respect to the records management practices and programs of each such Federal agency during each period of two calendar years; (3) prescribe rules with respect to records management; and (4) order, to the extent he considers necessary, the head of any Federal agency to take specific action with respect to the records or records management practices of his agency. Establishes in the executive branch a Records Review Board to review any order issued by Administrator under the provisions of this Act upon appeal by any Federal agency. Directs the head of each Federal agency to make and preserve records containing adequate and proper documentation of the organization, functions, policies, decisions, procedures, and essential transactions of the Federal agency and designed to furnish the information neccessary to protect the legal and financial rights of the Federal Government and of persons directly affected by the activities of the Federal agency. Requires each agency head to establish safeguards against the removal or loss of records he determines to be necessary and required by the rules of the Administrator. Authorizes the establishment on the books of the Treasury of a Federal Records Management Fund which shall be available without fiscal year limitations to meet expenses, including personal services and such costs as are required to provide necessary assistance to the Federal agencies.
Written by analysts at the Congressional Research Service and published on Congress.gov, not by Civibrief. Summarized at the "Introduced in Senate" stage on August 16, 1974. It describes the bill, it is not the legal text.
Where is it in the process, and what happens next?
4 steps remain before this bill could become law.
The record's latest action, on August 16, 1974: Referred to Senate Committee on Government Operations.
- Clearing the committees it was referred to, and being scheduled for a floor vote
- Passage by the Senate
- Passage by the House
- The President's signature. If the President vetoes it, two-thirds of both chambers must vote to override.
How likely is it to become law?
Civibrief does not forecast outcomes and this page has no opinion about this one. What the record supports is a base rate, which is a fact about the whole pile, not a prediction about this measure.
In the 93rd Congress (1973-74), 651 of the 23,396 bills and joint resolutions introduced became law, about 2.8 percent. That count covers every measure at every stage, including the many that never left committee.
This one is not there yet: 4 steps are still outstanding, listed above.
Has anyone actually voted on it?
No. No roll call in this Congress cites this measure. That is the ordinary outcome: most measures never reach a recorded floor vote, and a committee ends most of them simply by not acting.
A vote is not the only thing that happens to a measure. Hearings, markups, and referrals are all recorded actions, and none of them is a vote of the full chamber.
Who is behind it?
FRANK MOSS (D-UT) introduced it on August 16, 1974, and 3 members have since signed on as cosponsors.
They come from both major parties: 2 Democrats, 1 Republican.
Cosponsoring is a formal signature on the text. It is not a commitment to vote for the measure, it does not bind anyone's party, and a long list of cosponsors is a measure of attention rather than of prospects.
How long has it been in play?
It was introduced on August 16, 1974, 19018 days ago. The most recent recorded action was 19018 days ago, on August 16, 1974.
Measures do not carry over. Anything the 93rd Congress has not finished by January 3, 1975 dies when the term ends, and has to be introduced again from the start in the next Congress.
Every answer above is assembled from this measure's own record on Congress.gov and from published counts of what Congress has passed before. Civibrief does not predict outcomes and takes no position on any measure.
Vote history
- SenateIn committee, no floor vote yet
- HouseAwaits Senate passage
- PresidentAwaits both chambers