Conventional wisdom holds that one strategy for improving the Freedom of Information Act (FOIA) process is to routinely publish agency records that might be of interest to the public. The term of art FOIA enthusiasts use for publishing agency information before anyone makes a FOIA request is proactive disclosure. We at OGIS make it a … Continue reading OGIS Embraces Transparency
As summer winds down and pictures of kids on their first day of school fill up our social media feeds, we thought it might be a good time for a pop quiz on OGIS’s training program. Test your knowledge with the true/false statements below. Statement 1: OGIS recently launched its training program. Answer 1: False. … Continue reading The ABC’s of OGIS Training
Last month we received an update from the Transportation Security Administration (TSA) regarding changes it has made to its Freedom of Information Act (FOIA) program since we issued our assessment of the program earlier this year. We are happy to hear that TSA has taken a number of positive steps in response to our recommendations. … Continue reading Improvements to TSA FOIA Program
FOIA Public Liaisons and the professionals who staff FOIA requester service centers play a key role in the FOIA process—they provide valuable assistance with a process that can confuse requesters. The recently passed FOIA Improvement Act of 2016 expands the role that these professionals play, requiring agencies to notify requesters about FOIA Public Liaisons and … Continue reading Upcoming Training Opportunity for FOIA Professionals
Today we are releasing a report on the Freedom of Information Act (FOIA) program at the United States Secret Service (USSS), the fifth in our series of assessments of FOIA programs at components of the Department of Homeland Security. Like other OGIS reports on agency FOIA program assessments, the report includes findings and recommendations about … Continue reading OGIS Releases Assessment of Secret Service FOIA Program
In October 2015, the White House released the Third U.S. Government National Action Plan. While NAP 3.0 includes a number of useful commitments from the National Archives, we are particularly excited about OGIS’s commitment to develop curriculum tools to introduce secondary students to the Freedom of Information Act (FOIA). FOIA is a powerful tool for … Continue reading Introducing FOIA to a New Generation of Requesters
Note: This entry is another in our series of occasional blog posts providing updates on our efforts to implement new provisions of the Freedom of Information Act (FOIA) signed into law by President Obama on June 30, 2016. As we shared with you last week, the FOIA Improvement Act of 2016 significantly expands OGIS’s involvement … Continue reading FOIA Improvement: Making It Easier to Help FOIA Requesters
Note: Last week President Obama signed into law the FOIA Improvement Act of 2016, locking many of the Administration’s openness policies and initiatives into the Freedom of Information Act (FOIA), including advancing open government and highlighting the importance of OGIS to the FOIA process. This blog post is the first of an occasional series in … Continue reading FOIA Improvement: Informing Requesters of OGIS Services
We are very happy to announce that the list of members for the 2016-2018 term or the Freedom of Information Act (FOIA) Advisory Committee is now available on our website. In even more exciting news, the Committee will be convening for its first meeting on Thursday, July 21st in the William G. McGowan Theater. For … Continue reading FOIA Advisory Committee Term to Kick Off on July 21
Here’s a bit of good news for Freedom of Information Act (FOIA) requesters at the State Department: late last week we received a letter letting us know about the steps the agency has taken to bring its use of still interested letters to close FOIA requests in line with guidance from the Office of Information … Continue reading State Department Takes Steps to Improve Use of Still Interested Letters
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