18-07-02 

SYSTEM NAME: 

 Congressional Grant Notification Control System. 

SECURITY CLASSIFICATION: 

None. 

SYSTEM LOCATION: 

Congressional Outreach, Office of Legislation and 

Congressional Affairs, U.S. Department of Education, 400 

Maryland Avenue, SW., Room 7E301, Washington, DC 20202. 

CATEGORIES OF INDIVIDUALS COVERED BY 

THE SYSTEM: 

The Congressional Grant Notification Control System 

contains records about members of Congress. 

 CATEGORIES OF RECORDS IN THE SYSTEM: 

This system consists of direct inquiries and letters 

of support concerning discretionary grants from Members of 

Congress. 

AUTHORITY FOR MAINTENANCE OF THE SYSTEM: 

5 U.S.C. 301. 

PURPOSE: 

The information in this system is used to provide 

responses to inquiries from Members of Congress regarding 

discretionary grant notification. 
ROUTINE USES OF RECORDS MAINTAINED IN THE SYSTEM, INCLUDING 

CATEGORIES OF USERS AND THE PURPOSE OF SUCH USES: 

The Department of Education (the Department) may 

disclose information contained in a record in this system 

of records under the routine uses listed in this system of 

records without the consent of the individual if the 

disclosure is compatible with the purposes for which the 

record was collected. These disclosures may be made on a 

case-by-case basis or, if the Department has complied with 

the computer matching requirements of the Privacy Act, 

under a computer matching agreement. 

(1) Inter-Agency Disclosure. Inquiries that do not 

pertain to the Department, but fall under the jurisdiction 

of another Federal agency, are transferred to that Agency 

with a request that a direct response be provided to the 

correspondent. 

(2) Congressional Member Disclosure. The Department 

may disclose records to a member of Congress from the 

record of an individual in response to an inquiry from the 

member made at the written request of that individual. The 

member’s right to the information is no greater than the 

right of the individual who requested it. 

(3) Litigation and Alternative Dispute Resolution. 
(a) In the event of litigation where one of the 

parties listed below is involved in litigation or ADR, the 

Department may disclose such records as it deems desirable 

or necessary to the Department of Justice (DOJ) to enable 

DOJ to effectively represent such party, provided such 

disclosure is compatible with the purpose for which the 

records were collected. 

(i) The Department of Education, or any component of 

the Department; or 

(ii) Any Department employee in his or her official 

capacity; or 

(iii) Any Department employee in his or her individual 

capacity if the Department of Justice (DOJ) has agreed to 

provide or arrange for representation for the employee; or 

(iv) Any Department employee in his or her individual 

capacity where the agency has agreed to represent the 

employee; or 

(iv) The United States where the Department determines 

that the litigation is likely to affect the Department or 

any of its components. 

(b) Disclosure to the DOJ. If the Department 

determines that disclosure of certain records to the DOJ is 

relevant and necessary to litigation or ADR, the Department 

may disclose those records as a routine used to the DOJ.
(c) Administrative Disclosures. If the Department 

determines that disclosure of certain records to an 

adjudicative body before which the Department is authorized 

to appear, an individual or entity designated by the 

Department or otherwise empowered to resolve or mediate 

disputes is relevant and necessary to the administrative 

litigation, the Department may disclose those records as a 

routine use to the adjudicative body, individual, or 

entity. 

(d) Parties, counsels, representatives and witnesses. 

If the Department determines that disclosure of certain 

records to a party, counsel, representative or witness in 

an administrative proceeding is relevant and necessary to 

the litigation, the Department may disclose records as a 

routine use to the party, counsel, representative or 

witness. 

DISCLOSURE TO CONSUMER REPORTING AGENCIES: 

Not applicable to this system of records. 

POLICIES AND PRACTICES FOR STORING, RETRIEVING, 

ACCESSING, RETAINING, AND DISPOSING OF RECORDS IN THE 

SYSTEM: 

STORAGE: 

The records are maintained in hard copy filed in 

standard file cabinets. 
RETRIEVABILITY: 

Records are indexed alphabetically by grant title. 

SAFEGUARDS: 

Records are kept in the responsible grant notification 

team member’s office. All physical access to the 

Department’s site, and the sites of Department contractors 

where this system of records is maintained, is controlled 

and monitored by security personnel who check each 

individual entering the building for his or her employee or 

visitor badge. 

The computer system employed by the Department offers 

a high degree of resistance to tampering and circumvention. 

This security system limits data access to Department and 

contract staff on a ‘‘need-to-know’’ basis, and controls 

individual users’ ability to access and alter records 

within the system. All users of this system of records are 

given a unique user ID with personal identifiers. All 

interactions by individual users with the system are 

recorded. 

RETENTION AND DISPOSAL: 

Records are maintained for two years. 

SYSTEM MANAGER(S) AND ADDRESS: 
Director, Congressional Outreach, Office of 

Legislation and Congressional Affairs, U.S. Department of 

Education, 400 Maryland Avenue, SW., Room 7E301, 

Washington, DC 20202. 

NOTIFICATION PROCEDURE: 

If you wish to determine whether a record exists 

regarding you in this system of records, provide the system 

manager at the above address with the name of the Member of 

Congress who corresponded with the Department, the name of 

the referenced constituent, the grant title, and the date 

of the correspondence. Your request must meet the 

requirements of the regulations at 34 CFR 5b.5, including 

proof of identification. 

RECORD ACCESS PROCEDURES: 

Same as the Notification Procedure. 

CONTESTING RECORD PROCEDURES: 

If you wish to contest the content of a record 

pertaining to you, contact the system manager at the 

address noted above, and reasonably identify the record and 

specify the information to be contested. Your request must 

meet the requirements of the regulations at 34 CFR 5b.7. 

RECORD SOURCE CATEGORIES: 
The information in this system is provided by the 

correspondent and by the agency that prepares the final 

response. 

SYSTEM EXEMPTED FROM CERTAIN PROVISIONS OF THE ACT: 

None.