RSVP for the April 19th FOIA Advisory Committee Meeting

If you are in the DC area (or will be next week), be sure to reserve your seat for the April 19^th meeting for the FOIA Advisory Committee! The meeting will be held at the National Archives and Records Administration, 700 Pennsylvania Avenue, NW in the Archivist’s Reception Room (Room 105) from 10 a.m.– 1 p.m.

This is the last FOIA Advisory Committee meeting scheduled to be held under the Committee’s current charter. Over the course of two years, the Committee’s members have considered some of the most important issues facing the Freedom of Information Act (FOIA), and have worked to develop consensus recommendations for how to improve the administration of FOIA.

The agenda for the April 19^th Committee meeting includes updates from the Fees, Oversight and Accountability, and Proactive Disclosures subcommittees. The Committee will also hear from Margaret B. Kwoka of the University of Denver Sturm College of Law, who will present findings from her recent paper on the use of FOIA by commercial requesters. We also expect for the Committee to vote on its first recommendation to the Archivist of the United States to improve the FOIA process: that the Office of Management and Budget (OMB) update its 1986 fee guidelines.

As we wind down the Committee’s first term, we are also looking ahead to what the Committee can accomplish in its next iteration. As we announced earlier this month, we are looking for committee members who represent a wide range of views and interests, including large and small Federal agencies, requesters from different fee categories, historians, journalists, academics and nonprofit organizations that advocate on FOIA issues. Self-nominations are welcome. To apply, please email foia-advisory-committee@nara.gov the following information by April 30, 2016:

• Your name, title, and relevant contact information (including phone, fax, and email address);
• If nominating someone else, the nominee’s name, title, and relevant contact information, and the Committee position for which you are submitting the nominee;
• A short biographical paragraph about the nominee (fewer than 250 words), summarizing their/your resume´ or otherwise highlighting the contributions they/you would bring to the Committee; and
• Your/the nominee’s résumé or curriculum vitae.

We hope to see you on April 19^th, and look forward to accepting your nominations for new Committee members.