Managing the Records of Federal Advisory (FACA) Committees

What is a Federal Advisory Committee?

A Federal advisory committee is any committee, board, commission, council, conference, panel, task force, or other similar group, or any subcommittee or other subgroup thereof, which is:
1) Established by statute or reorganization
2) Provides advice or recommendations to the President, any agency, or Federal Government officers
3) Is established or utilized by one or more agencies
4) Isn’t made up only of government employees

The legal definition includes more details and an exception for two organizations. Consult the Federal Advisory Committee Act (5 U.S.C. Appendix 2) or your agency’s General Counsel for more details.

How are the records of Federal Advisory Committees managed?

Federal advisory committee records are managed the same way any federal record is managed. The records must be scheduled on a NARA-approved record schedule. Permanent records must be transferred to NARA and temporary records must be destroyed when they meet their retention.

NARA provides disposition authority for federal advisory committees that are subject to the Federal Records Act in GRS 6.2: Federal Advisory Committee Records.

If you have questions about applying GRS 6.2 to your committee's records or about managing federal advisory committee records more generally, contact GRS_team@nara.gov