Public Records: Freedom of Information (FOI) Index
Access Reports - Reporting on FOI issues and related laws.
Advisory Committee on Transparency - Educates policymakers on transparency-related issues, problems, and solutions and shares ideas with members of the Congressional Transparency Caucus. It hosts events to discuss important and wide-ranging transparency policy issues with experts from a variety of backgrounds and develops educational publications and provides timely information to the public and members of Congress. The Sunlight Foundation administers and funds the committee.
Alliance for Taxpayer Access -
A coalition of patient groups, physicians, researchers, educational institutions, publishers, and health promotion organizations that support barrier-free access to taxpayer-funded research.
CAL-FOIA Archive - Collection of documents and links to Internet sites on First Amendment, public records, open government and similar issues of concern to reporters.
First Amendment Coalition - A public benefit nonprofit organization dedicated to promoting and defending the people's right to know. Focuses on assisting people having difficulty participating in their government.
First Amendment Project (FAP) - A nonprofit advocacy organization dedicated to protecting and promoting freedom of information, expression, and petition. For nearly ten years, FAP has provided advice, educational materials, and legal representation to its core constituency of activists, journalists, and artists in service of these fundamental liberties. Also see FAP's FOIA Resource Center.
FOIA and President Gerald Ford (The National Security Archive) - When President Gerald Ford took office on August 9, 1974 in the aftermath of the Watergate scandal and President Richard Nixon's resignation, there was great public cynicism toward government, but also great public desire for access to government information. Despite public sentiment, on October 17 President Ford vetoed H.R. 12471, the bill that would significantly strengthen the Freedom of Information Act, calling it 'unconstitutional and unworkable'. In a dramatic rebuke, the House, on November 20, and the Senate, on November 21, overrode the President's veto. The amended FOIA now incorporated judicial review of agency decisions, narrowing of some exemptions, restrictions on fees agencies could charge, and a new 10-day time limit for agencies to comply with a request. The public's use of the FOIA increased dramatically. On this site are documents reflecting the political and legislative struggle over the 1974 amendments to the FOIA.
FOIA Audit - The National Security Archive at George Washington University last year initiated a "Freedom of Information Act Audit" - borrowing the methodology developed by state and local journalism groups to file simultaneous FOIA requests at multiple agencies and offices, and compile the results in order to identify the best and worst practices. This report summarizes the findings of the first phase of the National Security Archive FOIA Audit.
FOIA Letter Generator - Provides a form designed to help you create a simple FOI letter. Records requests letters can be sent to any federal agency, or almost any component of a state or county government. Brought to you by Reporters Committee for Freedom of the Press.
FOIA Litigation for Accountable Government (FLAG) Project - EFF's FLAG Project aims to expose the government's expanding use of new technologies that invade Americans' privacy. Through Freedom of Information Act (FOIA) requests, the project will help protect individual liberties and hold the government accountable.
FOIAdvocates - Freedom of information requests, acts, litigation, state and local public records laws. FOIAdvocates can assist you in making requests to obtain government records and provide legal assistance in pursuing administrative appeals and related litigation. A project of Bahr & Stotter Law Offices, P.C.
Freedom of Information Act 2000 (UK) - An Act to make provision for the disclosure of information held by public authorities or by persons providing services for them and to amend the Data Protection Act 1998 and the Public Records Act 1958; and for connected purposes. The full provisions of the act came into force on 1 January 2005. Anyone, anywhere in the world, now able to send a written request for information (a letter, fax or email) to an FOI authority. The FOI authority will have to say whether it holds the information, and if it does, provide it. The rights of access will be overridden only by exemptions set out in the Act.
Freedom of Information Act Audit - The National Security Archive has borrowed a methodology developed by state and local journalism groups to file simultaneous FOIA requests at multiple agencies and offices and compile the results in order to identify best and worst practices.
freedominfo.org - Portal that describes best practices, consolidates lessons learned, explains campaign strategies and tactics, and links the efforts of freedom-of-information advocates around the world. It contains information on freedom of information laws, how they were drafted and implemented, and how various provisions have worked in practice.
GPO Access - A service of the U.S. Government Printing Office that provides free electronic access to a wealth of important information products produced by the Federal Government. The information provided on this site is the official, published version.
How to Read an FBI File -
This document is divided into two parts. The first covers the actual content of an FBI file -- what's in it, how to make sense of FBI abbreviations, etc. The second deals with the Freedom of Information Act (FOIA), which is likely how the file you're looking at was obtained. That section will help you understand why some bits of text were blanked out, what the odd little codes in the margin mean, and give you some hints on where you can get more information.
Litigation Under the Federal Open Government Laws - The standard reference work covering all aspects of the Freedom of Information Act, the Privacy Act, the Government in the Sunshine Act, and the Federal Advisory Committee Act.
Mexico Freedom of Information Program (The National Security Archive) - Supports the freedom of information movement in Mexico, promotes government transparency and accountability and helps publicize the country's national freedom of information law that went into effect in 2002. The Archive works closely with scholars, lawyers, and openness advocates to influence the public debate about the right to know; we bring international transparency activists to train Mexican NGOs on the effective use of FOI laws in advocacy work; and we encourage the news media to monitor government transparency programs and to use FOI laws in pursuit of breaking news stories.
Office of Information and Privacy (OIP), U.S. Department of Justice - OIP manages the Department's responsibilities related to the Freedom of Information Act (FOIA) and the Privacy Act. These responsibilities include coordinating and implementing policy development and compliance governmentwide for the FOIA, and by the Department for the Privacy Act, and deciding all appeals from denials by any Department component of access to information under those Acts. Also see FOIA resources.
Public Records Search - Search for criminal records, property records, court records, judgments, liens, sex offenders, business licenses, recorded documents and more. Most accurate directory of free public records databases and private information sources. Free public records database searches.
Reporter's Committee for Freedom of the Press: FOI Letter Generator - Fully-automated fill-in-the-blanks FOI letter generator. The Reporters Committee and its FOI Service Center also provide help for journalists seeking to obtain information from government agencies, both federal and state.
Secret No More - A subject guide to thousands of FBI files (and their file numbers) that are now publicly accessible.
Show Us the Data: The Most Wanted Federal Government Documents - Is the federal government putting the information you need online? Are there categories of unclassified documents or data that you know exist–on paper or in government computers and databases–that would be of value to the public if posted and regularly updated on an agency's Web site? If so, then help Open the Government and the Center for Democracy and Technology identify the 10 most wanted government documents, reports or data sets that should be available on the web.
SPJ FOIA Resources - The Society of Professional Journalists maintains this Web site as a tool to help journalists and non-journalists in their quest for information from federal and local governments.
Sunlight Foundation -
A non-profit, nonpartisan organization that uses the power of the Internet to catalyze greater government openness and transparency, and provides new tools and resources for media and citizens, alike. Committed to improving access to government information by making it available online, indeed redefining “public” information as meaning “online,” and by creating new tools and websites to enable individuals and communities to better access that information and put it to use.
Sunshine Week - Your Right to Know -
A national initiative to open a dialogue about the importance of open government and freedom of information. Participants include print, broadcast and online news media, civic groups, libraries, non-profits, schools and others interested in the public's right to know.
U.S. CIA Electronic Document Release Center - The CIA has established this site to provide the public with an overview of access to CIA information, including electronic access to previously released documents. Because of CIA's need to comply with the national security laws of the United States, some documents or parts of documents cannot be released to the public. In particular, the CIA, like other U.S. intelligence agencies, has the responsibility to protect intelligence sources and methods from disclosure. However, a substantial amount of CIA information has been and/or can be released following review.
Also see the 25-Year Program Archive Search page.
U.S. Defense Contract Audit Agency (DCAA): FOI Reading Room - The Defense Contract Audit Agency, under the authority, direction, and control of the Under Secretary of Defense (Comptroller), is responsible for performing all contract audits for the Department of Defense, and providing accounting and financial advisory services regarding contracts and subcontracts to all DoD Components responsible for procurement and contract administration.
U.S. Department of Energy FOIA - The Office of Information Resources is responsible for administering policies, programs, and procedures to ensure DOE compliance with the Freedom of Information Act (FOlA), 5 U.S.C. 552. If the information is not available here, submit a FOIA request electronically.
U.S. Department of Justice FOIA Guide - The United States DOJ Guide to the Freedom of Information Act (2009 edition) is a comprehensive legal treatise of the FOIA's procedural requirements, exemptions, and litigation considerations. It contains a detailed analysis of the key judicial opinions issued on the FOIA. Also see DOJ FOIA resources.
U.S. Department of State: Electronic Reading Room - Provides reference points for State Department records and information access programs. Displays (a) frequently requested documents released under the Freedom of Information Act (FOIA), (b) special collections of continuing public interest, and (c) regulations, policy statements, administrative rulings and manuals, and other reference materials. Generally permanent records 25 years and older, pre-1925 passport and pre-1940 visa records are property of the National Archives and Records Administration (NARA). Also, FOIA information.
U.S. Department of the Interior FOIA Program - The Freedom of Information Act (FOIA) gives you the right to access any Department of the Interior (DOI) records unless the information in those records is protected by one or more of the nine exemptions (reasons an agency may withhold records from a requester) and there is a sound legal basis to withhold them. Also see the DOI's Electronic Reading Room.
U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs FOIA -Main page for the VA's Freedom of Information Act information, providing access to annual FOIA reports and an electronic reading room.
U.S. Food and Drug Administration FOIA Electronic Reading Room - This index contains categories of frequently requested FDA documents. You can use this index to locate a specific category of documents. Before submitting an FOIA request, check to see if the records you seek are already available on an FDA Web site. In addition, you can check specific FOI sites which have been established by the following agency offices:
U.S. Food Safety and Inspection Service FOIA Electronic Reading Room - FSIS is the public health agency in the U.S. Department of Agriculture responsible for ensuring that the nation's commercial supply of meat, poultry, and egg products is safe, wholesome, and correctly labeled and packaged.
U.S. Geological Survey FOIA Electronic Reading Room - FOIA requests for a copy of U. S. Geological Survey (USGS) records can be made by any individual or public or private organization other than a Federal agency. The request must: (1) be in writing or by e-mail to foia@usgs.gov, (2) specifically cite the Freedom of Information Act, (3) reasonably describe the records sought, and (4) indicate a willingness to pay fees, (specify the amount they are willing to pay) or ask for a fee waiver. The request will be sent to the USGS FOIA Officer, Mail Stop 807, National Center, Reston, VA 20192.
U.S. Internal Revenue Service (IRS) FOI - The Freedom of Information Act (FOIA), 5 U.S.C. § 552, provides public access to agency records unless protected from disclosure by one of the FOIA’s nine exemptions or three exclusions. The IRS complies with the FOIA, in part, by maintaining publicly available materials on the Internet in the IRSElectronic Reading Room.
Guide for FOIA Requestors - Provides instructions on obtaining information through the Freedom of Information Act and several links to information and/or documents that are useful to the requestor.
Electronic Reading Room Index - Contains a list of categories of documents or information specifically identified for inclusion by the FOIA, (i.e. the Current Annual Report) as well as documents or links to information for which we have received multiple FOIA requests.
U.S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission: Electronic Reading Room - NRC releases several hundred documents to the public each work day. The website contains contextual information and the documents that are most pertinent to NRC regulatory activities. Many of the documents are in Basic References or Document Collections (see bulleted list). The rest are available either from our record retrieval system, ADAMS, or from our Public Document Room. Documents posted at the Web site are also retrievable from ADAMS.
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Friday, March 16, 2012 5:24 PM
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