Those of us who live and breathe FOIA tend to stay pretty focused on the federal access law or, for those outside the Federal government, on a patchwork of U.S. state access laws. We may tend to overlook that there are now more than 90 countries with similar laws of their own, and we at … Continue reading Freedom of Information: Big in Japan (and Brazil and Spain…)
Setting Expectations
If you’ve called OGIS, had a case with us or read this blog, you’ve probably heard the mantra: “We’re from the government and we’re here to help!” We’ve heard from hundreds of people seeking assistance -- on everything from the expected -- FOIA delays, denials, fees and exemption use -- to the unexpected -- employee … Continue reading Setting Expectations
Hold the alphabet soup, please.
Government-speak -- with its acronyms, abbreviations and general jargon -- can make anyone’s head spin. Can the DoD IDA get trained on FOIA with CBT? Will the EPA FPL share an MOU with OGIS? OMG, it’s ridiculous enough to make you LOL (or SMH)! Some of us in the Federal world get a little entrenched … Continue reading Hold the alphabet soup, please.
Happy Birthday, FOIA!
As we head into the July 4th weekend, it is a great time to think about the freedoms we enjoy as Americans. But July 4 th is more than a day that we celebrate our country’s birth – this year, it is also FOIA’s 45th birthday! On July 4, 1966, President Lyndon B. Johnson … Continue reading Happy Birthday, FOIA!
FOIA Public Liaisons: Managing the Process
On Tuesday June 21, OGIS presented another round of dispute resolution skills training to FOIA professionals and requesters, this time at the American Society of Access Professionals (ASAP) Training Series conference. While no two training sessions are exactly alike, Tuesday’s session was particularly notable for the interesting discussion about what FOIA professionals actually do. The … Continue reading FOIA Public Liaisons: Managing the Process
OGIStance: “We’re from the government and we’re here to help!”
How often have you heard that statement? When you heard it, did you believe it? In the OPEN Government Act of 2007 Congress baked customer service into FOIA by creating OGIS to help the FOIA community resolve disputes and to recommend improvements to the administration of FOIA. Congress also codified the role of FOIA Public … Continue reading OGIStance: “We’re from the government and we’re here to help!”
What’s a FOIA Public Liaison?
As regular readers of this blog already know, OGIS was created when the 2007 OPEN Government Act amended the FOIA. However, the Act didn’t stop there -- it also formalized the role of the FOIA Public Liaison (FPL). Specifically it says: FOIA Public Liaisons shall report to the agency Chief FOIA Officer and shall serve … Continue reading What’s a FOIA Public Liaison?
Thinking about the future of FOIA: Proactive Disclosure
News that the Faster FOIA Act passed the Senate last week has all of us at OGIS thinking about changes we’d like to see made to make FOIA work better. Though the future of Faster FOIA is uncertain -- it is headed to the House for consideration -- it has contributed to the already considerable … Continue reading Thinking about the future of FOIA: Proactive Disclosure
Talking Back to FOIA
Though an ombudsman has many roles, one of the most important is to serve as a listening ear for a larger organization. As the FOIA ombuds office, OGIS listens to complaints regarding the federal FOIA process; however, as a new entity, we are still figuring out how to best gather feedback from the requester community … Continue reading Talking Back to FOIA
Shedding Light on a Tricky Issue: FOIA Fees and Waivers
Of the many issues that confuse FOIA requesters and agency staff, we have observed that fees may be the most confusing. Determining what fees a requester must pay requires a high level of disclosure from the requester (who are you and what do you plan to do with these records?) and a judgment call from … Continue reading Shedding Light on a Tricky Issue: FOIA Fees and Waivers
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