FOIA Advisory Committee Seeks Passionate Government Employee for Long-Term Relationship

A position for a government representative recently opened on the Federal FOIA Advisory Committee! The Committee  is a diverse group of FOIA experts from inside and outside the government with the shared goal of tackling some of FOIA’s trickiest issues. In keeping with the terms of the Committee’s charter, we are currently accepting applications for … Continue reading FOIA Advisory Committee Seeks Passionate Government Employee for Long-Term Relationship

Let’s Keep the Sun Shining All Year Long

Another Sunshine Week is in the history books. As always, the celebrations served as a powerful reminder about the importance of open government laws like the Freedom of Information Act (FOIA) and what we can all do to open the government more to the public. Just because Sunshine Week is over, though, doesn’t mean that … Continue reading Let’s Keep the Sun Shining All Year Long

You Can Help Keep a FOIA Request Out of Court

Since OGIS opened in 2009, we’ve worked to improve the Freedom of Information Act (FOIA) process by providing mediation services and training to help agency FOIA professionals develop skills to communicate productively with requesters. We frequently see our efforts paying off as the FOIA culture shifts from being contentious and litigious to communicative and collaborative; … Continue reading You Can Help Keep a FOIA Request Out of Court

Federal FOIA Advisory Committee Welcomes Sunshine Week

The Federal FOIA Advisory Committee is pleased to issue a joint statement, below, honoring the 10th anniversary of Sunshine Week. As regular readers of our blog know, the FOIA Advisory Committee is comprised of FOIA experts from inside and outside of government. Committee members are working collaboratively to address major issues in the FOIA process and … Continue reading Federal FOIA Advisory Committee Welcomes Sunshine Week

Show Open Government Some Love this Sunshine Week

  Previously we let you know about some of the ways OGIS and other federal agencies are celebrating the Freedom of Information Act (FOIA) during Sunshine Week. Today, we’d  like to tell you about how you can contribute to a special Sunshine Week project by our parent agency, the National Archives and Records Administration (NARA). … Continue reading Show Open Government Some Love this Sunshine Week

Mark Your Calendars: DHS Requester Roundtable Scheduled for March 25

The Department of Homeland Security (DHS) recently announced that on Wednesday, March 25 from 2 to 3:00 pm (Eastern), DHS Freedom of Information Act (FOIA) staff will hold a Requester Roundtable teleconference. This is a fantastic opportunity for members of the requester community to learn more about the DHS process and share their ideas for … Continue reading Mark Your Calendars: DHS Requester Roundtable Scheduled for March 25

Matters of Consent

The Consumer Financial Protection Bureau (CFPB) recently made our work a little bit easier in one small way. We no longer have to ask CFPB’s Freedom of Information Act (FOIA) requesters who come to OGIS for assistance to provide consent so the agency can discuss their requests with us. That’s because CFBP alerted the world … Continue reading Matters of Consent