OGIS at the Council on Government Ethics Laws Conference

Last week staff from OGIS attended and presented two sessions at the annual Council on Government Ethics Laws (COGEL) conference, held in Kansas City, MO. Our presentations included a panel on best practices regarding FOIA compliance – OGIS staff highlighted the value of training FOIA professionals to understand the FOIA itself as well as the … Continue reading OGIS at the Council on Government Ethics Laws Conference

Sunshine Month: Save the Dates!

WO3478 Geese at Sunrise (National Archives ID: 166691452) Sunshine Month: Save the Dates! Please mark your calendars for several virtual FOIA events coming up in March, including our Sunshine Week event on March 15!FOIA Advisory Committee MeetingWednesday, March 3rd10 a.m. to 1 p.m. (ET)The FOIA Advisory Committee meets to hear presentations about and discuss access … Continue reading Sunshine Month: Save the Dates!

OGIS’s Sunshine Week Wrap-Up

Whew! We at OGIS have caught our breath after a hectic Sunshine Week during which we joined folks from both the agency and requester communities in promoting the importance of open government and freedom of information. (Of course, these values are just as important during the other 51 weeks of the year.) If you weren’t … Continue reading OGIS’s Sunshine Week Wrap-Up

The Intersection of FOIA Street and Privacy Act Lane

Both the Freedom of Information Act (FOIA) and the Privacy Act contain provisions that grant a right of access to Federal records. FOIA applies to records of executive branch agencies on potentially any subject. The Privacy Act applies only to agencies’ records which contain information about individuals that are maintained in a “system of records,” meaning those … Continue reading The Intersection of FOIA Street and Privacy Act Lane

Paying the FOIA bills

FOIA isn’t free, we all know that. The Federal government’s estimated spending on FOIA in 2010 was approximately $416 million. Usually, an agency will process its own FOIA requests by searching for, retrieving and reviewing records. But when an agency has to ask a contractor or even another agency to assist with a request, and … Continue reading Paying the FOIA bills