(i) of the denial and the reasons for the denial;

(ii) That he has a right to seek judicial review of the denial; and,

(iii) That he may submit to the responsible Department official a concise statement of disagreement to be associated with the disputed record and disclosed whenever the record is disclosed.

(b) Notation and disclosure of disputed records. Whenever a subject individual submits a statement of disagreement to the responsible Department official in accordance with paragraph (a)(4)(iii) of this section, the record will be noted to indicate that it is disputed. In any subsequent disclosure, a copy of the subject individual's statement of disagreement, will be disclosed with the record. If the responsible Department official deems it appropriate, a concise statement of the appeal authority's reasons for denying the subject individual's appeal may also be disclosed with the record. While the subject individual will have access to this statement of reasons, such statement will not be subject to correction or amendment. Where an accounting was made of prior disclosures of the record, all previous recipients of the record will be provided a copy of the subject individual's statement of disagreement, as well as the statement, if any, of the appeal authority's reasons for denying the subject individual's appeal.

§ 5b.9 Disclosure of records.

(a) Consent to disclosure by a subject individual. (1) Except as provided in paragraph (b) of this section authorizing disclosures of records without consent, no disclosure of a record will be made without the consent of the subject individual. In each case the consent, whether obtained from the subject individual at the request of the Department or whether provided to the Department by the subject individual on his own initiative, shall be in writing. The consent shall specify the individual, organizational unit or class of individuals or organizational units to whom the record may be disclosed, which record may be disclosed and, where applicable, during which time frame the record may be disclosed

(e.g., during the school year, while the subject individual is out of the country, whenever the subject individual is receiving specific services). A blanket consent to disclose all of a subject individual's records to unspecified individuals or organizational units will not be honored. The subject individual's identity and, where applicable (e.g., where a subject individual gives consent to disclosure of a record to a specific individual), the identity of the inIdividual to whom the record is to be disclosed shall be verified.

(2) A parent or guardian of any minor is not authorized to give consent to a disclosure of the minor's medical record.

(b) Disclosures without the consent of the subject individual. The disclosures listed in this paragraph may be made without the consent of the subject individual. Such disclosures are:

(1) To those officers and employees of the Department who have a need for the record in the performance of their duties. The responsible Department official may upon request of any officer or employee, or on his own initiative, determine what constitutes legitimate need.

(2) Required to be disclosed under the Freedom of Information Act, 5 U.S.C. 552, and Part 5 of this title.

(3) For a routine use as defined in paragraph (j) of § 5b.1. Routine uses will be listed in any notice of a system of records. Routine uses published in Appendix B are applicable to more than one system of records. Where applicable, notices of systems of records may contain references to the routine uses listed in Appendix B. Appendix B will be published with any compendium of notices of systems of records.

(4) To the Bureau of the Census for purposes of planning or carrying out a census or survey or related activity pursuant to the provisions of title 13 U.S.C.

(5) To a recipient who has provided the agency with advance written assurance that the record will be used solely as a statistical research or reporting record; Provided, That, the record is transferred in a form that does not identify the subject individual.

(6) To the National Archives of the United States as a record which has sufficient historical or other value to warrant its continued preservation by the United States Government, or for evaluation by the Administrator of General Services or his designee to determine whether the record has such value.

(7) To another government agency or to an instrumentality of any governmental jurisdiction within or under the control of the United States for a civil or criminal law enforcement activity if the activity is authorized by law, and if the head of such government agency or instrumentality has submitted a written request to the Department specifying the record desired and the law enforcement activity for which the record is sought.

(8) To an individual pursuant to a showing of compelling circumstances affecting the health or safety of any individual if a notice of the disclosure is transmitted to the last known address of the subject individual.

(9) To either House of Congress, or to the extent of matter within its jurisdiction, any committee or subcommittee thereof, any joint committee of Congress or subcommittee of any such joint committee.

(10) To the Comptroller General, or any of the Comptroller General's authorized representatives, in the course of the performance of the duties of the General Accounting Office.

(11) Pursuant to the order of a court of competent jurisdiction.

(c) Accounting of disclosures. (1) An accounting of all disclosures of a record will be made and maintained by the Department for 5 years or for the life of the record, whichever is longer; except that, such an accounting will not be made:

(i) For disclosures under paragraphs (b) (1) and (2) of this section; and,

(ii) For disclosures made with the written consent of the subject individual.

(2) The accounting will include:

(i) The date, nature, and purpose of each disclosure; and

(ii) The name and address of the person or entity to whom the disclosure is made.

(3) Any subject individual may request access to an accounting of disclosures of a record. The subject individual shall make a request for access to an accounting in accordance with the procedures in § 5b.5 of this part. A subject individual will be granted access to an accounting of the disclosures of a record in accordance with the procedures of this part which govern access to the related record. Access to an accounting of a disclosure of a record made under paragraph (b)(7) of this section may be granted at the discretion of the responsible Department official.

§ 5b.10 Parents and guardians.

For the purpose of this part, a parent or guardian of any minor or the legal guardian or any individual who has been declared incompetent due to physical or mental incapacity or age by a court of competent jurisdiction is authorized to act on behalf of an individual or a subject individual. Except as provided in paragraph (b)(2) of § 5b.5, of this part governing procedures for verifying an individual's identity, an individual authorized to act on behalf of a minor or legal incompetent will be viewed as if he were the individual or subject individual.

§ 5b.11 Exempt systems.

(a) General policy. The Act permits certain types of specific systems of records to be exempt from some of its requirements. It is the policy of the Department to exercise authority to exempt systems of records only in compelling cases.

(b) Specific systems of records exempted. (1) Those systems of records listed in paragraph (b)(2) of this section are exempt from the following provisions of the Act and this part:

(i) 5 U.S.C. 552a(c)(3) and paragraph (c)(2) of § 5b.9 of this part which require a subject individual to be granted access to an accounting of disclosures of a record.

(ii) 5 U.S.C. 552a(d) (1) through (4) and (f) and §§ 5b.6, 5b.7, and 5b.8 of this part relating to notification of or access to records and correction or amendment of records.

(iii) 5 U.S.C. 552a(e)(4) (G) and (H) which require inclusion of information about Department procedures for notification, access, and correction or amendment of records in the notice for the systems of records.

(iv) 5 U.S.C. 552(e)(3) and paragraph (a)(3) of § 5b.4 of this part which require that an individual asked to provide a record to the Department be informed of the authority for providing the record (including whether the providing of the record is mandatory or voluntary, the principal purposes for maintaining the record, the routine uses for the record, and what effect his refusal to provide the record may have on him), and if the record is not required by statute or Executive Order to be provided by the individual, he agrees to provide the record. This exemption applies only to an investigatory record compiled by the Department for criminal law enforcement purposes in a system of records exempt under subsection (j)(2) of the Act to the extent that these requirements would prejudice the conduct of the investigation.

(2) The following systems of records are exempt from those provisions of the Act and this part listed in paragraph (b) (1) of this section.

(i) Pursuant to subsection (j)(2) of the Act:

The Investigatory Material Compiled for Law Enforcement System, ED.

(ii) [Reserved]

(iii) [Reserved]

Purposes

(iv) Pursuant to subsection (k)(5) of the Act:

(A) The Investigatory Material Compiled for Security and Suitability Purposes System, ED; and,

(B) The Suitability for Employment Records, ED.

(c) Notification of or access to records in exempt systems of records. (1) Where a system of records is exempt as provided in paragraph (b) of this section, any individual may nonetheless request notification of or access to a record in that system. An individual shall make requests for notification of or access to a record in an exempt system of records in accordance with the procedures of §§ 5b.5 and 5b.6 of this part.

(2) An individual will be granted notification of or access to a record in an exempt system but only to the extent such notification or access would not reveal the identity of a source who furnished the record to the Department under an express promise, and prior to September 27, 1975 an implied promise, that his identity would be held in confidence, if:

(i) The record is in a system of records which is exempt under subsection (k)(2) of the Act and the individual has been, as a result of the maintenance of the record, denied a right, privilege, or benefit to which he would otherwise be eligible; or,

(ii) The record is in a system of records which is exempt under subsection (k)(5) of the Act.

(3) If an individual is not granted notification of or access to a record in a system of records exempt under subsections (k) (2) and (5) of the Act in accordance with this paragraph, he will be informed that the identity of a confidential source would be revealed if notification of or access to the record were granted to him.

(d) Discretionary actions by the responsible Department official. Unless disclosure of a record to the general public is otherwise prohibited by law, the responsible Department official may in his discretion grant notification of or access to a record in a system of records which is exempt under paragraph (b) of this section. Discretionary notification of or access to a record in accordance with this paragraph will not be a precedent for discretionary notification of or access to a similar or related record and will not obligate the responsible Department official to exercise his discretion to grant notification of or access to any other record in a system of records which is exempt under paragraph (b) of this section.

§ 5b.12 Contractors.

(a) All contracts entered into on or after September 27, 1975 which require a contractor to maintain or on behalf of the Department to maintain, a system of records to accomplish a Department function must contain a

provision requiring the contractor to comply with the Act and this part.

(b) All unexpired contracts entered into prior to September 27, 1975 which require the contractor to maintain or on behalf of the Department to maintain, a system of records to accomplish a Department function will be amended as soon as practicable to include a provision requiring the contractor to comply with the Act and this part. All such contracts must be so amended by July 1, 1976 unless for good cause the appeal authority identified in § 5b.8 of this part authorizes the continuation of the contract without amendment beyond that date.

(c) A contractor and any employee of such contractor shall be considered employees of the Department only for the purposes of the criminal penalties of the Act, 5 U.S.C. 552a(i), and the employee standards of conduct listed in Appendix A of this part where the contract contains a provision requiring the contractor to comply with the Act and this part.

(d) This section does not apply to systems of records maintained by a contractor as a result of his management discretion, e.g., the contractor's personnel records.

§ 5b.13 Fees.

(a) Policy. Where applicable, fees for copying records will be charged in accordance with the schedule set forth in this section. Fees may only be charged where an individual requests that a copy be made of the record to which he is granted access. No fee may be charged for making a search of the system of records whether the search is manual, mechanical, or electronic. Where a copy of the record must be made in order to provide access to the record (e.g., computer printout where no screen reading is available), the copy will be made available to the individual without cost.

(b) Fee schedule. The fee schedule for the Department is as follows:

(1) Copying of records susceptible to photocopying-$.10 per page.

(2) Copying records not susceptible to photocopying (e.g., punch cards or magnetic tapes)-at actual cost to be determined on a case-by-case basis.

(3) No charge will be made if the total amount of copying does not exceed $25.

APPENDIX A-EMPLOYEE STANDARDS OF CONDUCT

(a) General. All employees are required to be aware of their responsibilities under the Privacy Act of 1974, 5 U.S.C. 552a. Regulations implementing the Act are set forth in 34 CFR 5b. Instruction on the requirements of the Act and regulation shall be provided to all new employees of the Department. In addition, supervisors shall be responsible for assuring that employees who are working with systems of records or who undertake new duties which require the use of systems of records are informed of their responsibilities. Supervisors shall also be responsible for assuring that all employees who work with such systems of records are periodically reminded of the requirements of the Act and are advised of any new provisions or interpretations of the Act.

(b) Penalties. (1) All employees must guard against improper disclosure of records which are governed by the Act. Because of the serious consequences of improper invasions of personal privacy, employees may be subject to disciplinary action and criminal prosecution for knowing and willful violations of the Act and regulation. In addition, employees may also be subject to disciplinary action for unknowing or unwillful violations, where the employee had notice of the provisions of the Act and regulations and failed to inform himself sufficiently or to conduct himself in accordance with the requirements to avoid violations.

(2) The Department may be subjected to civil liability for the following actions undertaken by its employees:

(a) Making a determination under the Act and §§ 5b.7 and 5b.8 of the regulation not to amend an individual's record in accordance with his request, or failing to make such review in conformity with those provisions;

(b) Refusing to comply with an individual's request for notification of or access to a record pertaining to him;

(c) Failing to maintain any record pertaining to any individual with such accuracy. relevance, timeliness, and completeness as is necessary to assure fairness in any determination relating to the qualifications, character, rights, or opportunities of, or benefits to the individual that may be made on the basis of such a record, and consequently a determination is made which is adverse to the individual; or

(d) Failing to comply with any other provision of the Act or any rule promulgated

thereunder, in such a way as to have an adverse effect on an individual.

(3) "An employee may be personally subject to criminal liability as set forth below and in 5 U.S.C. 552a (i):

(a) Any officer or employee of an agency, who by virtue of his employment or official position, has possession of, or access to, agency records which contain individually identifiable information the disclosure of which is prohibited by the Act or by rules or regulations established thereunder, and who, knowing that disclosure of the specific material is so prohibited, willfully discloses the material in any manner to any person or agency not entitled to receive it, shall be guilty of a misdemeanor and fined not more than $5,000."

(b) "Any officer or employee of any agency who willfully maintains a system of records without meeting the notice requirements [of the Act] shall be guilty of a misdemeanor and fined not more than $5,000." (c) Rules Governing Employees Not Working With Systems of Records. Employees whose duties do not involve working with systems of records will not generally disclose to any one, without specific authorization from their supervisors, records pertaining to employees or other individuals which by reason of their official duties are available to them. Notwithstanding the above, the following records concerning Federal employees are a matter of public record and no further authorization is necessary for disclosure:

(1) Name and title of individual.

(2) Grade classification or equivalent and annual rate of salary.

(3) Position description.

(4) Location of duty station, including room number and telephone number.

In addition, employees shall disclose records which are listed in the Department's Freedom of Information Regulation as being available to the public. Requests for other records will be referred to the responsible Department official. This does not preclude employees from discussing matters which are known to them personally, and without resort to a record, to official investigators of Federal agencies for official purposes such as suitability checks, Equal Employment Opportunity investigations, adverse action proceedings, grievance proceedings, etc.

(d) Rules governing employees whose duties require use or reference to systems of records. Employees whose official duties require that they refer to, maintain, service, or otherwise deal with systems of records (hereinafter referred to as "Systems Employees") are governed by the general provisions. In addition, extra precautions are required and systems employees are held to higher standards of conduct.

(1) Systems Employees shall:

(a) Be informed with respect to their responsibilities under the Act;

(b) Be alert to possible misuses of the system and report to their supervisors any potential or actual use of the system which they believe is not in compliance with the Act and regulation;

(c) Make a disclosure of records within the Department only to an employee who has a legitimate need to know the record in the course of his official duties;

(d) Maintain records as accurately as practicable.

(e) Consult with a supervisor prior to taking any action where they are in doubt whether such action is in conformance with the Act and regulation.

(2) Systems Employees shall not:

(a) Disclose in any form records from a system of records except (1) with the consent or at the request of the subject individual; or (2) where its disclosure is permitted under § 5b.9 of the regulation.

(b) Permit unauthorized individuals to be present in controlled areas. Any unauthorized individuals observed in controlled areas shall be reported to a supervisor or to the guard force.

(c) Knowingly or willfully take action which might subject the Department to civil liability.

(d) Make any arrangements for the design development, or operation of any system of records without making reasonable effort to provide that the system can be maintained in accordance with the Act and regulation.

(e) Contracting officers. In addition to any applicable provisions set forth above, those employees whose official duties involve entering into contracts on behalf of the Department shall also be governed by the following provisions:

(1) Contracts for design, or development of systems and equipment. No contract for the design or development of a system of records, or for equipment to store, service or maintain a system of records shall be entered into unless the contracting officer has made reasonable effort to ensure that the product to be purchased is capable of being used without violation of the Act or regulation. Special attention shall be given to provision of physical safeguards.

(2) Contracts for the operation of systems and equipment. No contract for the design or development of a system of whom he feels appropriate, of all proposed contracts providing for the operation of systems of records shall be made prior to execution of the contracts to determine whether operation of the system of records is for the purpose of accomplishing a Department function. If a determination is made that the operation of the system is to accomplish a Department function, the contracting officer shall be responsible for including in the con