FOIA
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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 -
A government transparency group has sued 10 departments for withholding documents it requested under the Freedom of Information Request Act. Cause of Action also sued the Office of Management and Budget and the IRS on the same grounds. Executive Director Dan Epstein joined Tom Temin on the Federal Drive to discuss the whys and wherefores of the lawsuits.
August 25, 2014 -
The year 2012 saw more Freedom of Information Act requests than any time in the law's history. The Administrative Conference of the United States says about 650,000 requests came in and it cost the federal government at least $23 million in litigation costs, and it considers that cost a conservative estimate. Gavin Baker is an open government analyst at the Center for Effective Government. He wrote about the recommendations in the center's blog, The Fine Print, and shared them on In Depth with Jared Serbu.
June 19, 2014 -
Ginger McCall, associate director of the Electronic Privacy Information Center, says agencies need better FOIA regulations and a cultural change toward transparency.
June 12, 2014 -
Congress is considering a bill to streamline the way agencies respond to the Freedom of Information Act requests. As things stand now, 99 agencies each respond to FOIA requests differently. With the Justice Department leading interagency talks, a plan is underway to fix the inconsistencies FOIA requesters face when dealing with multiple agencies. Advocacy groups like the Electronic Privacy Information Center have their own sets of recommendations. Ginger McCall, associate director of EPIC, joined Tom Temin and Emily Kopp on the Federal Drive to discuss problems with the administration's recommendations. Read Federal News Radio's related article.
June 11, 2014 -
Why can't the government do a better job at Freedom of Information Act requests?
March 19, 2014 -
The FOIA Act of 2014 would amend the Freedom of Information Act in 12 ways. It calls for the online portal and requires more oversight by agency inspectors general. But some agency FOIA officers say the bill only would improve the information disclosure process minimally.
March 19, 2014 -
Amid a Congressional push to add new teeth to the 1966 Freedom of Information Act, federal officials insist they are taking steps on their own to make sure agencies release information to the public. Among the efforts is a move to standardize agency rules around FOIA and create a single Web portal for FOIA requests.
March 12, 2014 -
The Center for Effective Government evaluated how well the 15 agencies that receive 90 percent of all Freedom of Information Act requests from the public process those requests. It found most of those agencies receive poor or failing grades in how they are implementing FOIA.
March 10, 2014 -
A new memo from CTO Todd Park requires agencies to update their open government plans by June 1. The plans should include new efforts as well as progress reports on current initiatives.
March 03, 2014 -
The White House reaffirmed its commitment to an open and transparent government in President Barack Obama's second term. But government watchdog advocates say their frustration is growing with the slow and inconsistent progress agencies are making to make information more easily available.
January 18, 2013 -
Attorney Lynne Bernabei examines a recent ruling that allows feds to file some MSPB appeals in district courts. GAO's Michele Mackin describes why more than 40 contracts worth more than $20 million each were awarded without meeting new guidelines. Former White House official Dan Chenok discusses the highs and lows of the E-Government Act. Melanie Ann Pustay of the Justice Department talks about how agencies report their Freedom of Information Act request fulfillment.
December 17, 2012 -
Miriam Nisbet, director of the Office of Government Information Services and Rick Blum from the Sunshine in Government Initiative, will discuss a new tool that agencies can use to process Freedom of Information requests. November 20, 2012
November 16, 2012 -
Miriam Nisbet from the Office of Government Information Services and Rick Blum from the Sunshine in Government Initiative, will talk about a new portal that will help agencies with Freedom of Information Act requests. November 16, 2012
November 16, 2012 -
The Environmental Protection Agency partnered with the Commerce Department and National Archives to launch a new online portal aimed at streamlining the Freedom of Information Act request process for both the public and federal agencies.
October 02, 2012