Advance Notice of Proposed Rulemaking Concerning Electronic Record Retention Provisions

    The U.S. Department of Education (ED) recently released an Announcement, dated February 28, 2001, concerning the Advanced Notice of Proposed Rulemaking (ANPRN) recently forwarded to the Federal Register for publication.  The ANPRN contains proposed regulations concerning the electronic record retention provisions of the Electronic Signatures in Global and National Commerce Act (E-Sign Act), public law 106-229.  The ANPRN is provided as an attachment to the Announcement as a PDF file.

    These proposed regulations set forth performance standards regarding the accuracy, integrity, and accessibility of electronic records and would apply to lenders, guarantors, schools, and other parties administering student financial assistance programs authorized under Title IV of the Higher Education Act (HEA).

    Comments regarding these proposed regulations are due on or before March 15, 2001. Submission should be sent to Gail McLarnon, U.S. Department of Education, 1990 K St., NW, Room 8062, Washington, DC 20006-8540.  Comments may also be sent electronically to gail_mclarnon@ed.gov.

    Questions regarding this ANPRN may be directed to Gail McLarnon at (202) 219-7048.  A copy of this Announcement if available of ED's web site at http://ifap.ed.gov.  If you are unable to access ED's web site and would like a hard copy, please contact Stacey Roberts at (801) 321-7211.  Any questions regarding this Bulletin should be directed to the UHEAA Policy and Training Department at (801) 321-7166 or by e-mail at cjudd@utahsbr.edu.