Here at OGIS, we celebrate the importance of access to information every day. Which is why Sunshine Week, an initiative launched by the American Society of News Editors to focus on open government, is one of our favorite observances. In this spirit, we will be celebrating Sunshine Week 2016 with a special event hosted by … Continue reading Save the Date: National Archives Sunshine Week Event on March 14
While the Freedom of Information Act (FOIA) requires agencies to notify requesters of the legal reasoning for upholding either all or part of an initial denial, the statute gives agencies very little—well, actually, no—additional guidance about what should be in an appeal response. As you might know, we at OGIS are big fans of the … Continue reading The Appeal of the Appeal Letter
A few months ago, we announced that the OGIS Compliance Team is reviewing agencies’ use of “still interested” letters to manage—and sometimes administratively close—backlogged Freedom of Information Act (FOIA) requests. While our work on this topic is not yet complete, we remain very “interested” in this topic. A coalition of open government groups first raised the … Continue reading An Update: Our Work on the Use of “Still Interested” Letters
We have learned through both our mediation services and agency assessment programs that there is no one-size-fits-all approach to administering a Freedom of Information Act (FOIA) program. Agencies process different kinds of requests for vastly different records, and each agency faces its own challenges. For this reason, a practice that works for a small independent … Continue reading Smart Solutions to FOIA Problems
Along with everyone in your Facebook feed, we at OGIS want to let you know about some of the things we are thankful for this year. Thank you all for your support of OGIS, and we hope you had a great holiday! "I am thankful for the OGIS staff. Every day, I see dedicated and … Continue reading OGIS Gives Thanks
As you might know, the Freedom of Information Act (FOIA) requires agencies to issue regulations that describe a few key areas of how the agency processes requests for information. Most agency FOIA regulations go beyond the bare bone requirements laid out in the law, however. The best agency FOIA regulations act as a map that … Continue reading Agency FOIA Regulations Update
It will soon be easier than ever for OGIS to help resolve Freedom of Information Act (FOIA) disputes at two agencies – the Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) and the Department of Commerce. Both agencies recently published notices in the Federal Register that will make it easier for them to share their FOIA case files … Continue reading Working through a SORN-y Issue
Providing estimated dates of completion can be a challenge—but it’s also the law. As we’ve previously noted, Congress amended FOIA in 2007 to require agencies to provide requesters with estimated dates of completion when asked. We think that estimated dates of completion are so important that we analyze their use as part of our agency … Continue reading Agencies Using Technology to Provide Estimated Dates of Completion
The Administration released its third Open Government National Action Plan (NAP) on Tuesday October 27. The release of NAP 3.0 coincided with the Open Government Partnership Global Summit in Mexico. The multi-national Open Government Partnership was created to encourage governments to commit to making their country more open and accountable to the public. Countries participating … Continue reading New U.S. Open Government NAP No Snore for FOIA Fans
On Tuesday, October 20, the Freedom of Information Act (FOIA) Advisory Committee held its sixth meeting in the Archivist’s Reception Room. The purpose of the meeting was for the Committee’s three subcommittees – Oversight and Accountability, FOIA Fees, and Proactive Disclosure – to provide updates on their work. As the Committee moves into the backstretch … Continue reading FOIA Advisory Committee Meeting Round-up
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