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Evidential/Accountability Criteria for
South Carolina State Government Records

The following criteria were developed as a tool to aid in appraising and selecting records for permanent retention based on their value as evidence of significant government functions and activities and their value in documenting government accountability. The evidential/accountability criteria are grouped under three broad categories, followed by examples of records or types of records that reflect each criterion.

Records documenting the authority and mission of state government and its agencies

  • Constitutions (state and national)
    SC state constitutions and amendments, US constitution and amendments

  • Legislation (state and federal)
    bills, acts, resolutions, code of laws, legislative committee records

  • Rules and regulations
    state regulations, state register, court rules

  • Judicial rulings
    State Supreme Court rulings, Court of Appeals rulings, opinions, orders
  • Agreements between governments (federal/state/local)
    Indian treaties, Southeastern States Low-level Nuclear Wastes Compact records

  • Government reorganization/restructuring documentation
    Governors' records related to state government restructuring, reapportionment records, reorganization studies

  • Popular mandates (constitutional amendments/referenda)
    election returns and records

Records documenting how state government and its agencies implement or carry out their authority and mission

  • Policy records
    executive level/boards and commissions meeting minutes and transcripts,

    executive level files, speeches, policy manuals, annual reports, legal files, legal

    opinions, agency histories, organization charts, legislative files (statutes, rules, regulations)

  • Program records
    significant/special project records, executive and management level correspondence, reports, studies, manuals, hearings, surveys, statistical data, procedures/instructions, handbooks/guides, publications (created by agency), meeting minutes, case files, client records, registers, blueprints/drawings/specifications (significant public structures), research records, investigative records, maps, indexes

  • Administrative records
    press releases, audit reports, budget records

Records documenting citizens’ rights and the impact of government activities on the state’s resources and environment

  • Establishment and protection of fundamental rights
    birth, death, marriage, and divorce records; articles of incorporation; treaties; land title and real property records; voter registration and election records; court records; veterans’ benefits records

  • Protection of the state’s resources – human, natural, and fiscal
    health and environmental statistics, studies, and plans; hazardous waste records; disaster response records; public safety records; regulatory records; audit reports; budget, appropriation, and monetary policy records

  • Claims, petitions, and appeals made on state government by citizens, and the disposition thereof
    court system records, employment benefits records, consumer protection records, case files, records of interactions (legislative process, agency administration, and executive activities) by citizens (lobbyists, private individuals, or citizens’ groups)

  • Obligations and claims made on citizens by state government, and their disposition
    tax records, case files, regulatory records