Terms Used In U.S. Code > Title 44 > Chapter 29 - Records Management by the Archivist of the United States and by the Administrator of General Services

• Amendment: A proposal to alter the text of a pending bill or other measure by striking out some of it, by inserting new language, or both. Before an amendment becomes part of the measure, thelegislature must agree to it.
• Appeal: A request made after a trial, asking another court (usually the court of appeals) to decide whether the trial was conducted properly. To make such a request is "to appeal" or "to take an appeal." One who appeals is called the appellant.
• Appropriation: The provision of funds, through an annual appropriations act or a permanent law, for federal agencies to make payments out of the Treasury for specified purposes. The formal federal spending process consists of two sequential steps: authorization
• Archivist: means the Archivist of the United States. See 44 USC 2901
• Assets: (1) The property comprising the estate of a deceased person, or (2) the property in a trust account.
• construction project agreement: means a negotiated agreement between the Secretary and an Indian tribe, that at a minimum&mdash. See 25 USC 5381
• Contract: A legal written agreement that becomes binding when signed.
• Discovery: Lawyers' examination, before trial, of facts and documents in possession of the opponents to help the lawyers prepare for trial.
• electronic messages: means electronic mail and other electronic messaging systems that are used for purposes of communicating between individuals. See 44 USC 2901
• Equitable: Pertaining to civil suits in "equity" rather than in "law." In English legal history, the courts of "law" could order the payment of damages and could afford no other remedy. See damages. A separate court of "equity" could order someone to do something or to cease to do something. See, e.g., injunction. In American jurisprudence, the federal courts have both legal and equitable power, but the distinction is still an important one. For example, a trial by jury is normally available in "law" cases but not in "equity" cases. ^{Source: U.S. Courts}
• Evidence: Information presented in testimony or in documents that is used to persuade the fact finder (judge or jury) to decide the case for one side or the other.
• Federal agency: means any executive agency or any establishment in the legislative or judicial branch of the Government (except the Supreme Court, the Senate, the House of Representatives, and the Architect of the Capitol and any activities under the direction of the Architect of the Capitol). See 44 USC 2901
• Fiscal year: The fiscal year is the accounting period for the government. For the federal government, this begins on October 1 and ends on September 30. The fiscal year is designated by the calendar year in which it ends; for example, fiscal year 2006 begins on October 1, 2005 and ends on September 30, 2006.
• gross mismanagement: means a significant, clear, and convincing violation of a compact, funding agreement, or regulatory, or statutory requirements applicable to Federal funds transferred to an Indian tribe by a compact or funding agreement that results in a significant reduction of funds available for the programs, services, functions, or activities (or portions thereof) assumed by an Indian tribe. See 25 USC 5381
• Indian tribe: as used in this subchapter shall include such other authorized Indian tribe, inter-tribal consortium, or tribal organization. See 25 USC 5381
• individual: shall include every infant member of the species homo sapiens who is born alive at any stage of development. See 1 USC 8
• inherent Federal functions: means those Federal functions which cannot legally be delegated to Indian tribes. See 25 USC 5381
• inspection: means reviewing any Federal agency's records or records management practices or programs with respect to effectiveness and compliance with records management laws and making necessary recommendations for correction or improvement of records management. See 44 USC 2901
• inter-tribal consortium: means a coalition of two ¹ more separate Indian tribes that join together for the purpose of participating in self-governance, including tribal organizations. See 25 USC 5381
• Joint resolution: A legislative measure which requires the approval of both chambers.
• Jurisdiction: (1) The legal authority of a court to hear and decide a case. Concurrent jurisdiction exists when two courts have simultaneous responsibility for the same case. (2) The geographic area over which the court has authority to decide cases.
• Lease: A contract transferring the use of property or occupancy of land, space, structures, or equipment in consideration of a payment (e.g., rent). ^{Source: OCC}
• Liabilities: The aggregate of all debts and other legal obligations of a particular person or legal entity.
• National Archives of the United States: means those official records which have been determined by the Archivist of the United States to have sufficient historical or other value to warrant their continued preservation by the Federal Government, and which have been accepted by the Archivist for deposit in the Archivist's custody. See 44 USC 2901
• officer: includes any person authorized by law to perform the duties of the office. See 1 USC 1
• Oversight: Committee review of the activities of a Federal agency or program.
• records: has the meaning given it by section 3301 of this title. See 44 USC 2901
• records creation: means the production or reproduction of any record. See 44 USC 2901
• records disposition: means any activity with respect to&mdash. See 44 USC 2901
• records maintenance and use: means any activity involving&mdash. See 44 USC 2901
• records management: means the planning, controlling, directing, organizing, training, promoting, and other managerial activities involved with respect to records creation, records maintenance and use, and records disposition in order to achieve adequate and proper documentation of the policies and transactions of the Federal Government and effective and economical management of agency operations. See 44 USC 2901
• Secretary: means the Secretary of Health and Human Services. See 25 USC 5381
• self-governance: means the program of self-governance established under section 5382 of this title. See 25 USC 5381
• servicing: means making available for use information in records and other materials in the custody of the Archivist, or in a records center&mdash. See 44 USC 2901
• State: means a State, the District of Columbia, the Commonwealth of Puerto Rico, or any other territory or possession of the United States. See 1 USC 7
• Statute: A law passed by a legislature.
• tribal share: means an Indian tribe's portion of all funds and resources that support secretarial programs, services, functions, and activities (or portions thereof) that are not required by the Secretary for performance of inherent Federal functions. See 25 USC 5381
• unauthenticated copies: means exact copies or reproductions of records or other materials that are not certified as such under seal and that need not be legally accepted as evidence. See 44 USC 2901