Help Improve the FOIA Process: An Update on the FOIA Advisory Committee

Do you love the public’s right to know? Do you want to work with people inside and outside of government to improve the Freedom of Information Act (FOIA)? If you answered yes to both these questions, you might be just the person we are looking for to join the Federal FOIA Advisory Committee!

Last week we announced that we are seeking nominations for two-year appointments to the FOIA Advisory Committee. The Committee’s original two-year charter expires in May 2016, and we anticipate renewing the charter for another two-year term. As described in the announcement, 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 resume´ or curriculum vitae.

Even as we recruit members for the Committee’s next term, we want to remind you that current Committee members are hard at work developing consensus recommendations to improve the FOIA process. Please mark your calendars for April 19, 2016, to join committee members for the last meeting before the current Committee’s charter expires. During the meeting, we expect for members to further discuss and vote on a recommendation to Archivist of the United States David S. Ferriero that the Office of Management and Budget (OMB) update its 1987 guidelines on FOIA fees. Professor Margaret B. Kwoka of the University of Denver Sturm College of Law will also present her recent paper on the use of FOIA by commercial requesters. Be sure to watch this blog and follow us on Twitter for updates about the meeting and how to register to attend.