Presidential Records In 1978, Congress passed the Presidential Records Act (PRA), which changed the legal status of Presidential and Vice Presidential materials. Under the PRA, the official records of the President and his staff are owned by the United States, not by the President. The Archivist is required to take custody of these records when the President leaves office, and to maintain them in a Federal depository. These records are eligible for access under the Freedom of Information Act (FOIA) five years after the President leaves office. The President may restrict access to specific kinds of information for up to 12 years after he leaves office, but after that point the records are reviewed for FOIA exemptions only. This legislation took effect on January 20, 1981, and the records of the Reagan administration were the first to be administered under this law. Staff at the Reagan Library and Bush Library can provide additional information regarding access to Presidential records in their collections.
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