(a) Title to any record transferred to the Georgia State Archives as authorized by this article shall be vested in the department. The department shall not destroy any record transferred to it by an agency without consulting with the proper official of the transferring agency prior to submitting a retention schedule requesting such destruction to the State Records Committee. Access to records of constitutional officers shall be at the discretion of the constitutional officer who created, received, or maintained the records, but no limitation on access to such records shall extend more than 25 years after creation of the records.

(b) Title to any record transferred to the records center shall remain in the agency transferring such record to the records center.