13-03-2013, 08:20 PM
Wed, March 13, 2013 10:28:01 AM
FW: Freedom of Information Regulations: Still Outdated, Still Undermining Openness
From: Tree Frog
Freedom of Information Regulations: Still Outdated, Still Undermining
Openness
Majority of Agencies Have Not Updated FOIA Rules to Meet Either Obama's 2009
Order or Congress's 2007 Law
Second Term Obama Opportunity to Direct Agencies to Adopt Regulations for
Open Government
New National Security Archive Audit Covers 100 Federal Agencies, Previous
Knight Open Government Surveys Showed Mixed Results
Posted - March 13, 2013
For more information contact:
Tom Blanton/Nate Jones/Lauren Harper 202/994-7000 or nsarchiv@gwu.edu
Washington, D.C., March 13, 2013 -- A clear majority of federal agencies
have failed to update their Freedom of Information Act regulations to comply
either with Congress's changes to the law in 2007 or President Obama's and
Attorney General Holder's changes to the policy in 2009, according to a
revised government-wide audit published today by the independent
non-governmental National Security Archive (http://www.nsarchive.org) to mark
Sunshine Week.
The audit found that 53 out of 100 federal agencies did not change their
regulations to meet the requirements Congress put into law with the OPEN
Government Act of 2007. Those amendments prohibited agencies from charging
processing fees if they missed the response deadlines, ordered agencies to
cooperate with the new FOIA ombudsman, the Office of Government Information
Services (OGIS), and required reports of specific data on their FOIA output.
"As President Obama begins his second term, his administration has an
opportunity it should not pass up," said National Security Archive director
Tom Blanton, "to order all agencies to update their FOIA regulations to
comply with the law and instill a presumption of openness."
Check out today's posting at the National Security Archive website -
http://www.gwu.edu/~nsarchiv/NSAEBB/NSAEBB417/
Find us on Facebook - http://www.facebook.com/NSArchive
Unredacted, the Archive blog - http://nsarchive.wordpress.com/
________________________________________________________
THE NATIONAL SECURITY ARCHIVE is an independent non-governmental research
institute and library located at The George Washington University in
Washington, D.C. The Archive collects and publishes declassified documents
acquired through the Freedom of Information Act (FOIA). A tax-exempt public
charity, the Archive receives no U.S. government funding; its budget is
supported by publication royalties and donations from foundations and
individuals.
_________________________________________________________
PRIVACY NOTICE The National Security Archive does not and will never share
the names or e-mail addresses of its subscribers with any other
organization. Once a year, we will write you and ask for your financial
support. We may also ask you for your ideas for Freedom of Information
requests, documentation projects, or other issues that the Archive should
take on. We would welcome your input, and any information you care to share
with us about your special interests. But we do not sell or rent any
information about subscribers to any other party.
Adele
FW: Freedom of Information Regulations: Still Outdated, Still Undermining Openness
From: Tree Frog
Freedom of Information Regulations: Still Outdated, Still Undermining
Openness
Majority of Agencies Have Not Updated FOIA Rules to Meet Either Obama's 2009
Order or Congress's 2007 Law
Second Term Obama Opportunity to Direct Agencies to Adopt Regulations for
Open Government
New National Security Archive Audit Covers 100 Federal Agencies, Previous
Knight Open Government Surveys Showed Mixed Results
Posted - March 13, 2013
For more information contact:
Tom Blanton/Nate Jones/Lauren Harper 202/994-7000 or nsarchiv@gwu.edu
Washington, D.C., March 13, 2013 -- A clear majority of federal agencies
have failed to update their Freedom of Information Act regulations to comply
either with Congress's changes to the law in 2007 or President Obama's and
Attorney General Holder's changes to the policy in 2009, according to a
revised government-wide audit published today by the independent
non-governmental National Security Archive (http://www.nsarchive.org) to mark
Sunshine Week.
The audit found that 53 out of 100 federal agencies did not change their
regulations to meet the requirements Congress put into law with the OPEN
Government Act of 2007. Those amendments prohibited agencies from charging
processing fees if they missed the response deadlines, ordered agencies to
cooperate with the new FOIA ombudsman, the Office of Government Information
Services (OGIS), and required reports of specific data on their FOIA output.
"As President Obama begins his second term, his administration has an
opportunity it should not pass up," said National Security Archive director
Tom Blanton, "to order all agencies to update their FOIA regulations to
comply with the law and instill a presumption of openness."
Check out today's posting at the National Security Archive website -
http://www.gwu.edu/~nsarchiv/NSAEBB/NSAEBB417/
Find us on Facebook - http://www.facebook.com/NSArchive
Unredacted, the Archive blog - http://nsarchive.wordpress.com/
________________________________________________________
THE NATIONAL SECURITY ARCHIVE is an independent non-governmental research
institute and library located at The George Washington University in
Washington, D.C. The Archive collects and publishes declassified documents
acquired through the Freedom of Information Act (FOIA). A tax-exempt public
charity, the Archive receives no U.S. government funding; its budget is
supported by publication royalties and donations from foundations and
individuals.
_________________________________________________________
PRIVACY NOTICE The National Security Archive does not and will never share
the names or e-mail addresses of its subscribers with any other
organization. Once a year, we will write you and ask for your financial
support. We may also ask you for your ideas for Freedom of Information
requests, documentation projects, or other issues that the Archive should
take on. We would welcome your input, and any information you care to share
with us about your special interests. But we do not sell or rent any
information about subscribers to any other party.
Adele
