The 2024-2026 Freedom of Information Act (FOIA) Advisory Committee met on Friday, September 13, and organized themselves into three subcommittees.
Each subcommittee is led by two co-chairs, one a government member and the other a non-government member. The subcommittees will do much of the work of the Committee, which consists of 20 FOIA experts – 10 government FOIA professionals and 10 non-government members – appointed by Archivist of the United States Dr. Colleen J. Shogan.
The Implementation Subcommittee is expected to examine AI/technology, public engagement, and the possibility of elevating past recommendations to the White House during the presidential transition. Jason R. Baron of the University of Maryland and Marianne Manheim of the Department of Health and Human Services National Institutes of Health are the co-chairs.
The Statutory Reform Subcommittee is expected to examine FOIA legislation, fees, litigation and judicial review and exemptions. Ryan Mulvey of Americans for Prosperity Foundation and Whitney Frazier-Jenkins of the Pension Benefit Guaranty Corporation are the co-chairs.
The Volume and Frequency Subcommittee is expected to examine unduly burdensome requests, “vexatious requests,” and improved relationships between requesters and agencies. Nicholas Wittenberg of Armedia and Nieva Brock of the Department of Defense Defense Intelligence Agency are the co-chairs.
The FOIA Advisory Committee, established in 2014, studies the federal FOIA landscape and advises on improvements to FOIA administration by all 15 Cabinet-level departments and 104 independent agencies. It’s never too early to mark your calendars: the next FOIA Advisory Committee meeting is scheduled for Thursday, December 5, 2024.
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