(a) In general. In determining which records are responsive to a request, the Commission ordinarily will include only records in its possession as of the date it begins its search for records. If any other date is used, the Privacy Act Officer shall inform the requester of that date.

(b) Authority to grant or deny requests. The Privacy Act Officer shall make initial determinations either to grant or deny in whole or in part access to records.

(c) Consultations and referrals. When the Commission receives a request for a record in its possession, the Privacy Act Officer shall determine whether another agency of the Federal Government is better able to determine whether the record is exempt from disclosure under the Privacy Act. If the Privacy Act Officer determines that it is best able to process the record in response to the request, then it shall do so. If the Privacy Act Officer determines that it is not best able to process the record, then it shall either:

(1) Respond to the request regarding that record, after consulting with the agency best able to determine whether to disclose it and with any other agency that has a substantial interest in it; or

(2) Refer the responsibility for responding to the request regarding that record to the agency best able to determine whether to disclose it, or to another agency that originated the record. Ordinarily, the agency that originated a record will be presumed to be best able to determine whether to disclose it.

(d) Notice of referral. Whenever the Privacy Act Officer refers all or any part of the responsibility for responding to a request to another agency, it ordinarily shall notify the requester of the referral and inform the requester of the name of each agency to which the request has been referred and of the part of the request that has been referred.