After deleted e-mails, S.C. governor and archives department issue new document keeping policy

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With a new policy in hand, South Carolina's governor is aiming to pour water over a records-keeping debate.

Last year there was a minor political uproar after it was discovered that Governor Nikki Haley's administration was deleting many e-mails, and there was particular concern over e-mails that had been deleted with regard to an alleged undue influence by Haley and her staff over the control of the S.C. Department of Health and Environmental Control.

On Wednesday, March 14, the governor and the South Carolina Department of Archives and History announced a new records retention policy for the Office of the Governor. The new policy requires that "retaining all records, including the governor’s and staff e-mail, which are of long-term and enduring value." 

The key portion being the designator of "long-term and enduring value", a requirement mandated by state law.

The new policy spells out in detail what must be kept and what can be destroyed and does much to dispel the vague previous policy that relied mostly on state law. Destroyable will be items such as e-mail list items, spam, preliminary drafts of documents, and "general communication."

Check out the full policy below.

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