Tag Archives: FOIA

A new report on Freedom of Information Act performance says "the government’s overall FOIA performance remains at the lowest point since agency reporting began in 1998, despite President Bush’s executive order last December directing agencies to become more service oriented and reform legislation introduced in the Congress."

• The Waiting Game: FOIA Performance Hits New Lows (pdf) Coalition of Journalists for Open Government.

The Coalition collected the FOIA performance reports from the 15 Cabinet-level departments and 15 agencies dating back to 1998.

Continue Reading →

Jim A. Jacobs linked to some items about this week's FOIA hearings. The Guardian has published a summary of the testimony by AP. It also includes a link to GAO's report, "Freedom of Information Act: Processing Trends Show Importance of Improvement Plans," [PDF] which was released yesterday. The abstract notes that the FOIA request backlog is increasing at many agencies. However, it also says that it is difficult to properly gage trends in reporting because the time lags are reported in median times, not average times. The Executive Order referenced in the report, "Improving Agency Disclosure of Information," was signed by President Bush on December 14, 2006. It outlined a plan to improve the FOIA process, including improved customer service for requesters and increased access to government information on federal websites. Continue reading →

Continue Reading →

On Tuesday, February 13, Congress held hearings on the Freedom of Information Act (FOIA). The hearings, held by the Information Policy, Census, and National Archives Subcommittee of the House Oversight and Government Reform Committee have not received much press, but should have. Here are some links to tide you over till the transcripts are available:

• FOIA is essential but also needs change By Clark Hoyt, Sacramento Bee, February 15, 2007. (text of testimony former Knight Ridder Washington editor Clark Hoyt)
• "Freedom Of Information Fans Urge Changes To Law" by Andrew Noyes, National Journal's Technology Daily February 14, 2007 PM edition [subscription required]
• House Subcommittee Asks Archive for FOIA Reform Advice, National Security Archive Update, February 14, 2007

Continue Reading →

According to the Open CRS Network, the Congressional Research Service has published this helpful report on proposed changes to the Federal Freedom of Information Act (FOIA): RL32780 Freedom of Information Act (FOIA) Amendments: 110th Congress February 01, 2007 The report reviews changes to FOIA that were proposed but not enacted in the 109th Congress in hopes of informing decision-making in the 110th. Aside from this legislative review, the report also contains this summary of what Federal FOIA is about and the perceived balancing issues:

The statute has become a somewhat popular tool of inquiry and information gathering for various quarters of American society -- the press, business, scholars, attorneys, consumers, and environmentalists, among others -- as well as some foreign interests. The response to a request may involve a few sheets of paper, several linear feet of records, or perhaps information in an electronic format. Such responses require staff time, search and duplication efforts, and other resource commitments. Agency information management professionals must efficiently and economically service FOIA requests, doing so, of late, in the sensitized homeland security milieu. Requesters must be satisfied through timely supply, brokerage, or explanation. Simultaneously, agency FOIA costs must be kept reasonable. The perception that these conditions are not operative can result in proposed new corrective amendments to the statute.

Continue Reading →