Source: https://www.federalregister.gov/documents/2003/08/11/03-20358/release-of-information-and-records-management-changes
Timestamp: 2018-07-19 04:19:06
Document Index: 682024359

Matched Legal Cases: ['ART 263', 'ART 264', 'ART 267', 'ART 268', 'arts 224', 'art 265', 'art 265', 'arts 224', '§\u2009224', '§\u2009261', '§\u2009261', '§\u2009262', '§\u2009262', '§\u2009262', '§\u2009263', '§\u2009263', '§\u2009263', '§\u2009264', '§\u2009264', '§\u2009265', '§\u2009262', '§\u2009262', '§\u2009265', '§\u2009265', '§\u2009265', '§\u2009265', '§\u2009265', '§\u2009265', '§\u2009265', '§\u2009265', '§\u2009265', '§\u2009265', '§\u2009266', '§\u2009266', '§\u2009266', '§\u2009266', '§\u2009266', '§\u2009266', '§\u2009266', '§\u2009266', '§\u2009266', '§\u2009266', '§\u2009266', '§\u2009267', '§\u2009267', '§\u2009268']

Federal Register :: Release of Information and Records Management Changes
A Proposed Rule by the Postal Service on 08/11/2003
Any interested party may submit written comments on the proposed modification on or before September 22, 2003.
68 FR 47527
47527-47530 (4 pages)
39 CFR 224
39 CFR 268
PART 263—[AMENDED]
PART 264—[AMENDED]
PART 267—[AMENDED]
PART 268—[AMENDED]
https://www.federalregister.gov/d/03-20358 https://www.federalregister.gov/d/03-20358
The Postal Service proposes to revise organizational names and titles relating to the policies for the release of information and records management, and revises the fee structure relating to the furnishing of documents and records to members of the public under the Freedom of Information Act (FOIA). We are proposing these changes because organizational names and titles have changed as a result of agency restructuring. The revisions reflect to whom the public should address issues relating to the release of information and records management. In addition, we are proposing a change to fee structure to permit the recovery of current costs incurred in the furnishing of records to the public.
Mail or deliver written comments on this proposal to the Records Office, United States Postal Service, 475 L'Enfant Plaza, SW., Room 5846, Washington, DC 20260-5846. Copies of all written comments will be available at the address in this section for public inspection and photocopying between 8 a.m. and 4 p.m., Monday through Friday.
The Postal Service is proposing to modify parts 224 and 261-268 of Title 39, Code of Federal Regulations, to reflect current organizational names and titles, which have changed as a result of agency restructuring. The proposal additionally modifies part 265, revising the fee structure relating to the furnishing of documents and records to members of the public under the Freedom of Information Act (FOIA).
As a result of agency restructuring, responsibility for Postal Service release of information and records management policy has shifted from Finance to Consumer Affairs. The Chief Privacy Officer (CPO), who reports to the Vice President and Consumer Advocate, has assumed the release of information/records management responsibilities formerly held by the Manager, Administration and FOIA, under the Chief Financial Officer and Executive Vice President.
Under the new organizational structure, the title “Freedom of Information/Privacy Acts Officer” is changed to “Manager, Records Office.” The Manager, Records Office, reports to the CPO.
The CPO is responsible for the issuance of policy on the protection of privacy and the release of Postal Service records, with the power to authorize the disclosure of such records, and to delegate or take appropriate action if that policy is not adhered to, or if questions of interpretation or procedure arise. The CPO directs the activities of the Privacy Office and the Records Office.
The Manager, Records Office, is responsible for establishing procedures and guidelines to ensure that record management practices are in compliance with the Privacy Act and FOIA. The Manager, Records Office, may also delegate or take appropriate action if policies are not adhered to, or if questions of interpretation or procedures arise.
This proposal further modifies part 265 to revise the fee structure for providing documents and records to the public under the FOIA. Postal Service FOIA fees have not been updated since 1987, and are substantially below allowable costs.
The proposed FOIA fee structure changes in three ways. First, the fees will be assessed in half-hour increments, as opposed to quarter-hour increments. Second, the fee will increase to $32 per hour, to reflect the current cost of providing FOIA services. The third change eliminates the “clerical” and “professional/managerial” designations of responders, merging the two groups into one.
The use of half-hour increments is consistent with other agency practices and will allow for simpler administrative implementation. The proposed $32 per hour fee is based on the weighted average hourly salary with benefits under the Executive and Administrative Salary (EAS) Schedule, the class of personnel typically involved in providing FOIA services. The existing designations “clerical” and “professional/managerial” are eliminated. Those terms are often not meaningful within this class of employees.
Computer search fees, based on the Information Services Price List, have been updated with present costs related to current technology. The list has been replaced with rates to be assessed for computer processing time and personnel costs when information must be retrieved by computer, as follows:
Mainframe usage $.39 per second
Midrange server usage .06 per second
PC usage 7.00 per 15 minute
Printing computer output .14 per page
Magnetic tape production 24.00 per volume
High technical $120 per hour
Medium technical 70 per hour
Low technical 50 per hour
Lastly, the fee for business change-of-address information is eliminated.
For the reasons stated in the preamble, the Postal Service proposes to amend 39 CFR parts 224, 261, and 262-268 as follows:
Start Printed Page 47528 Authority: 5 U.S.C. App.3; 39 U.S.C. 203, 204, 401(2), 403, 404, 409, 1001; Inspector General Act of 1978, as amended (Pub.L. 95-452, as amended).
2. In § 224.1, paragraph (a), remove the words “a Senior Assistant Postmaster General (SAPMG). The group consists of three departments, each headed by an Assistant Postmaster General and the Office of the Treasurer and the Records Office. The SAPMG, Finance, participates in the planning and budget process, and reviews and evaluates the budget requests of each region for the areas under control of the Finance Group.” and add in their place the words “Chief Financial Officer and Executive Vice President. The group includes the following: Vice President, Chief Technology Officer; Vice President, Finance Controller; Vice President, Treasurer; Vice President, Supply Management; Manager, Corporate Financial Planning; Manager, Internal Control; and Manager, Finance Administration.”
4. In § 261.2, paragraph (b), remove the word “Finance” and add in its place the words “the Privacy Office” .
5. Amend § 261.4 as follows:
a. In paragraph (a), remove the words “manager, Administration and FOIA, under the Chief Financial Officer and Senior Vice President,” and add in their place the words “Manager, Records Office, under the Privacy Office”; and
b. In paragraph (a) remove the word “finance” and add in its place the words “Consumer Affairs”.
7. Amend § 262.2 as follows:
d. In newly redesignated paragraph (e), remove the words “Manager, Corporate Accounting” and add in their place the words “Records Office” and remove the word “official” and add in its place the words “Records Office is”.
8. Amend § 262.4 as follows:
a. In paragraph (a), remove the words “office of Corporate Accounting or the National Archives and Records Administration” and add in their place the words “Records Office”.
b. In paragraph (b), remove the words “office of Corporate Accounting” and add in their place the words “Records Office”.
9. In § 262.5, paragraph (d)(2), remove the words “office of Administration and FOIA” and add in their place the words “Records Office'.
11. Amend § 263.3 as follows: In paragraph (a), remove the words “The Office of Corporate Accounting” and add in their place the words “Records Office”.
12. In § 263.4, remove the words “Corporate Accounting” and add in their place the words “the Records Office”.
13. Amend § 263.5 as follows:
a. Remove the words “Corporate Accounting” and add in their place the words “Records Office”.
b. Remove the digits “5240”.
c. Remove the words “to the Records Specialist”.
d. Remove the digits “4869” and add in their place the digits “2608”.
§ 264.3
15. In § 264.3, paragraph (a), remove the words “Corporate Accounting” and add in their place the words “Records Office”.
17. Amend § 265.3 as follows:
a. In paragraph (a), remove the words “§ 262.2 (a)” and add in their place the words “§ 262.2 (c)”.
b. In paragraph (b), remove the words “Freedom of Information/Privacy Acts Officer. The USPS Freedom of Information/Privacy Acts Officer, under the Manager, Administration and FOIA” and add in their place the words “Manager, Records Office. The Postal Service Manager, Records Office, under the Privacy Office”.
18. Amend § 265.4 as follows:
a. Remove the words “USPS Freedom of Information/Privacy Acts Officer” and add in their place the words “Manager, Records Office”.
b. Remove the digits “5202”.
19. In § 265.5, remove the designation “.gov” and add in its place the designation “.com/foia”.
20. Amend § 265.6 as follows:
a. In paragraph (b), introductory text, remove the words “Office of Start Printed Page 47529Administration and FOIA” and add in their place the words “Records Office”.
b. In paragraph (d)(1), remove the words “upon payment of the fee prescribed in § 265.9 (e)(3) and (g)(5),”.
21. Amend § 265.7 as follows:
a. In paragraph (a)(2), remove the words “USPS Freedom of Information/Privacy Acts Officer” and add in their place the words “Manager, Records Office”.
b. In paragraph (a)(2), remove the digits “5202”.
c. In paragraph (a)(2), remove the words “office of Administration and FOIA” and add in their place the words “Records Office”.
22. Amend § 265.9 as follows:
a. In paragraph (b)(1)(i), remove the words “each quarter hour spent by clerical personnel in searching for records is $4.40. When a search cannot be performed by clerical personnel and must be performed by professional or managerial personnel, the fee for each quarter hour in searching for records is $5.35.” and add in their place the words “a manual search is $32 per hour (fractions of an hour are rounded to the nearest half hour)”.
b. In paragraph (b)(1)(ii), remove the words “runs and operator salary, as calculated in accordance with the Information Services Price List” and add in their place the words “and personnel cost”.
c. In paragraph (b)(1)(ii), remove the words “list is” and add in their place the words “fees are”.
d. In paragraph (b)(2)(ii), remove the words “office of Administration and FOIA” and add in their place the words “Records Office”.
e. In paragraph (b)(2)(iii), remove the phrase “the per-page fee shall be charged” and add the phrase “the $.15 per-page fee shall be charged”; and
f. In paragraph (b)(2)(iii), add to the third sentence the words “or her” following the word “his”.
g. In paragraph (b)(3), revise the first two sentences.
i. In paragraph (g)(1), remove the words “Fees shall not be” and add in their place the words “No fees shall be”.
k. In paragraph (g)(2)(i), remove the words “the standard rates set out in the Information Services Price List” and add in their place the words “fee for computer searches”.
l. In paragraph (g)(2), remove the words “(including the cost of equipment use and operator's time) reaches the equivalent dollar amount of the operator's basic rate for two hours plus a factor to cover benefits.” and add in their place the words “(including the cost of personnel and computer processing time) reaches the equivalent dollar amount of personnel fees for two hours.”
m. In paragraph (g)(4), remove the words “office of Administration and FOIA” and add in their place the words “Manager, Records Office”.
§ 265.10
23. In § 265.10, remove the word “.gov” and add in its place the words “.com/foia”.
§ 265.12
24. Amend § 265.12 as follows:
a. In paragraph (b)(7), remove the words “Freedom of Information/Privacy Acts Officer” and add in their place the words “Manager, Records Office”.
b. In paragraph (b)(7), remove the digits “5202”.
When requested information must be retrieved by computer, rates for personnel and computer time apply. Estimates are provided to the requester in advance and are based on the following rates:
§ 266.3
27. Amend § 266.3 as follows:
a. In paragraph (a), remove the words “Freedom of Information/Privacy Acts Officer. The USPS Freedom of Information/Privacy Acts Officer, under the Manager, Administration and FOIA” and add in its place the words “Records Office. The Records Office, within the Privacy Office”.
b. In paragraph (c) remove the words “office of Administration and FOIA” and add in their place the words “Records Office”.
c. In paragraph (d)(2) remove the words “Manager, Administration and FOIA” and add in their place the words “Chief Privacy Officer”.
(vi) Chief Privacy Officer.”
28. In § 266.4, paragraph (b)(6)(i),(iii), and (iv), remove the words “Freedom of Information/Privacy Acts Officer” and add in their place the words “Manager, Records Office”.
29. In § 266.5, paragraph (d), remove the words “office of Administration and FOIA” and add in their place the words “Records Office”.
§ 266.6
30. Amend § 266.6 as follows:
a. In paragraph (a), remove the words “Freedom of Information/Privacy Acts Officer” and add in their place the words “Manager, Records Office”.
b. In paragraph (a), remove the digits “5202”.
c. In paragraph (d), remove the words “Freedom of Information/Privacy Acts Start Printed Page 47530Officer” and add in their place the words “Manager, Records Office”.
§ 266.7
31. In § 266.7, paragraph (a)(4), remove the words “office of Administration and FOIA” and add in their place the words “General Counsel”.
§ 266.8
32. In § 266.8, paragraph (b)(3), remove the words “the per page fee” and add in their place the words “$.15 per page fee”.
33. In § 266.10, paragraphs (a), (b), and (d), remove the words “Freedom of Information/Privacy Acts Officer” and add in their place the words “Manager, Records Office”.
Authority: 39 U.S.C. 401; Pub. L. 93-579, 88 Stat. 1896.
35. In § 267.3, paragraph (a), remove the words “Freedom of Information/Privacy Acts Officer” and add in their place the words “Chief Privacy Officer”.
36. Amend § 267.5 as follows:
a. In paragraph (e)(3)(i), remove the words “Manager, Administration and FOIA” and add, in their place, the words “Manager, Records Office”.
b. In paragraph (e)(3)(i), remove the digits “5202”.
38. In § 268.1, paragraph (b), remove the words “Freedom of Information/Privacy Acts Officer” and add in their place the words “Manager, Records Office”.
[FR Doc. 03-20358 Filed 8-8-03; 8:45 am]