FOIA
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The government has started releasing comprehensive indexes of data showing how agencies operate and conduct oversight. That's in response to a Freedom of Information Act request from the Sunlight Foundation. It's been more than a year in the making, and most of the data has never been publicly identified before. Matt Rumsey, the director of the Advisory Committee on Transparency at the Sunlight Foundation, joined Tom Temin on the Federal Drive with more on just what's in those indexes.
March 20, 2015 -
The Justice Department wants every federal employee to understand his role when it comes to the Freedom of Information Act. Sunshine Week begins next week, and DOJ is reinforcing the concept through a set of new tools and training. Melanie Pustay, director of the Office of Information Policy in the Justice Department, tells Federal News Radio Executive Editor Jason Miller how her office works to ensure there's a broad understanding of every employees' expectations when it comes to FOIA.
March 13, 2015 -
The Justice Department wants federal employees to understand their responsibilities when it comes to the Freedom of Information Act. As Sunshine Week is set to begin next week, DoJ is reinforcing that concept through a set of new instructions and training. Melanie Pustay is the director of the Office of Information Policy in the Justice Department. She tells executive editor Jason Miller about what she's doing to broaden understanding of FOIA.
March 13, 2015 -
Melanie Pustay, the director of the Office of Information Policy in the Justice Department, said the tools and e-learning modules are focused on everyone from new employees to senior executives. DoJ rolled out the new education concepts ahead of Sunshine Week, which promotes open government.
March 13, 2015 -
Fifteen agencies receive the bulk of Freedom of Information Act Requests each year. In fact, they account for 90 percent of requests made to the federal government over the last two years. The Center for Effective Government has evaluated their performance in three areas: The agency's FOIA rules, its FOIA website, and how quickly and completely it handles FOIA requests. Sean Moulton is director of open government policy at the Center for Effective Government. He joined Tom Temin on the Federal Drive to review the 2015 Access to Information Scorecard.
March 10, 2015 -
The agencies that account for 90 percent of Freedom of Information Act requests received by the federal government continue to struggle in processing those requests in a timely manner, according to a new report from the Center for Effective Government.
March 10, 2015 -
This year's attempt to overhaul the the Freedom of Information Act would give the Office of Government Information Services the independence to report directly to Congress on FOIA issues. Without that, OGIS is 'neither an independent watchdog or overseer,' according to its just-retired director.
March 02, 2015 -
When Congress updated federal open government laws in 2007, it created a new ombudsman designed to serve as an honest broker between Freedom of Information Act requestors and federal agencies. But unlike most other ombudsmen, this one works for one of the parties in the disputes it's supposed to mediate. As Federal News Radio's Jared Serbu reports, new legislation would change that by making the Office of Government Information Services truly independent from the executive branch.
February 27, 2015 -
The federal government has agreed to release one of the largest indexes of government data in the world. The Office of Management and Budget will fulfill a Freedom of Information Act request filed last December by the Sunlight Foundation. Sean Vitka, a federal policy manager at the Sunlight Foundation, joined Tom Temin on the Federal Drive to explain what that data will cover.
February 13, 2015 -
A Senate committee has approved legislation to strengthen the Freedom of Information Act.
February 05, 2015 -
By MATTHEW DALY Associated Press WASHINGTON (AP) — Advocates for greater openness in government were frustrated after Congress failed to update the Freedom of Information Act despite bipartisan support in the House and Senate. Without…
December 13, 2014 -
Information has commercial value, and contractors doing business with the government need to consider how they communicate information so its proprietary status remains intact. Contracting veteran Tim Sullivan has authored the blog "10 Myths of Government Contracting." On the Federal Drive with Tom Temin, Sullivan tackled myth number 7: Contractors' business information is safe with the government. Sullivan explained why that's a perilous position for contractors to take.
December 03, 2014 -
There are a myriad of ways that doing business with the federal government differs from the commercial sector, and protection of a company's sensitive business information is one of them, says contracting expert Tim Sullivan in a new commentary.
December 02, 2014 -
An amendment to the Freedom of Information Act appeared to sail through the Senate. The goal is to hold agencies more accountable for disclosing records and create a more uniform system for the public to file FOIA requests. The Senate Judiciary Committee passed the bill unanimously. Sean Vitka, federal policy manager at the Sunlight Foundation, joined Tom Temin on the Federal Drive with analysis of what the bill would do.
November 25, 2014 -
Senate committee lawmakers voted to send a manager's amendment to the Freedom of Information Act Improvement Act to the full body for consideration. The bill would require agencies to release documents more proactively.
November 20, 2014