The Chief FOIA Officers Council Technology Committee, in conjunction with OGIS and the Department of Justice Office of Information Policy, is planning to host the third virtual NexGen FOIA Tech Showcase for federal agencies on May 12-14, 2026. The purpose of the NexGen FOIA Tech Showcase 3.0 is to identify technology for federal agencies to assist in … Continue reading 2026 NexGen FOIA Tech 3.0 Showcase: Request for Information Published on SAM.gov

The Volume and Frequency Subcommittee of the FOIA Advisory Committee is trying to learn more about FOIA professionals’ experiences managing requests through a voluntary survey found here: https://jh.qualtrics.com/jfe/form/SV_6Yisezt6az4dKMC.&#160; Responses from the survey, conducted by Committee Member Shelley Kimball, will be shared with the Committee&#160; to better understand the difficulties federal access professionals face due to &#8230; <a class="more-link" href="https://foia.blogs.archives.gov/2026/02/04/survey-on-managing-foia-requests-to-help-foia-advisory-committee/">Continue reading <span class="screen-reader-text">Survey on Managing FOIA Requests to Help FOIA Advisory Committee</span></a>

If you are a government Freedom of Information Act (FOIA) professional with an interest in technology or cross-agency collaboration and innovation, we need you! The Chief FOIA Officers Council (CFOC) seeks volunteers for its two committees: the Technology Committee and the Committee on Cross-Agency Collaboration and Innovation (COCACI). Much of the CFOC’s work is done by … Continue reading Volunteers Needed for Chief FOIA Officers Council Committees

The Chief FOIA Officers Council will meet at 10 a.m. ET on Monday, December 15. The meeting is virtual and open to Chief FOIA Officers, FOIA professionals, and the public. We invite you to either watch the livestream of the meeting on the U.S. National Archives YouTube Channel or register to attend the meeting virtually. If you wish … Continue reading Chief FOIA Officers Council to Meet on December 15

The U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) acknowledged records requests in an average of two weeks after receipt in fiscal year (FY) 2024, but veterans seeking their own records from the Veterans Benefits Administration (VBA) waited an average of five months to receive records. That is one of 10 findings in OGIS’s latest agency compliance … Continue reading OGIS Issues Assessment of Veterans Affairs FOIA Program

Almost one fifth of federal agencies report using artificial intelligence (AI) and/or machine learning in FOIA processing and nearly half report finding records responsive to a FOIA request that were beyond their retention period. Those are among the findings in our latest report, Assessing Freedom of Information Act Compliance through the 2024 National Archives and … Continue reading OGIS Publishes Annual RMSA Report

The next meeting of the 2024-2026 term of the Freedom of Information Act (FOIA) Advisory Committee is on Thursday, September 11, 2025, from 10 a.m. to 1:00 p.m. EDT. The purpose of the meeting will be to hear from professors who will discuss their research on vexatious requests and to hear reports from and discuss any recommendations … Continue reading FOIA Advisory Committee to Meet on September 11

The following blog post was written by Hala Shabaneh, the 2025 summer law clerk for the Office of Government Information Services (OGIS) and a second-year law student at George Mason University Antonin Scalia Law School. This summer, I had the opportunity to serve as a law clerk at the Office of Government Information Services (OGIS). … Continue reading Staff Spotlight: My Law Clerkship with OGIS

Please join OGIS as we host our Annual Open Meeting from 11 a.m. to noon ET on Wednesday, July 23. OGIS Director Alina M. Semo will share information about OGIS’s annual report. Members of the public will also have the opportunity to present oral or written statements, in accordance with the Freedom of Information Act statute. If you wish to offer oral … Continue reading OGIS to Host Annual Open Meeting on July 23

The next meeting of the 2024-2026 term of the Freedom of Information Act (FOIA) Advisory Committee is on Thursday, June 12, 2025, from 10 a.m. to Noon ET. The Committee will hear updates from its three subcommittees: Statutory Reform, Volume and Frequency, and Implementation. All meeting materials will be posted on the FOIA Advisory Committee website. This virtual … Continue reading FOIA Advisory Committee Meets June 12

The Office of Government Information Services 2025 Report for Fiscal Year 2024 is now available on our website. Highlights include: Please save the date for July 23, 2025, when OGIS will host its Open Annual Meeting in accordance with the FOIA statute which requires OGIS to report annually to Congress and the President, and to have … Continue reading OGIS Fiscal Year 2024 Annual Report Now Available

The Office of Information Policy (OIP) at the Department of Justice recently improved the FOIA.gov Search Tool. Launched in October 2023, the upgrades are expected to improve the results and sources the Search Tool delivers. The tool guides users through the process of locating already public information or identifying the correct federal agency to submit … Continue reading OIP Offers Upgrades to FOIA.gov Search Tool

The Chief FOIA Officers (CFO) Council Committee on Cross-Agency Collaboration and Innovation (COCACI) recently published a white paper on FOIA.gov that presents findings and recommendations on ways to standardize the job series that many FOIA professionals fall into. COCACI’s Working Group for Standardizing the Government Information Specialist (GIS) Position researched and wrote the paper. The … Continue reading COCACI Working Group Publishes White Paper on GIS Job Series

Today we present an interview with Margaret Kwoka, professor at The Ohio State University Moritz College of Law and a member of the 2024-2026 FOIA Advisory Committee. This is part of a series of posts on the Committee, whose members are FOIA experts from inside and outside of government and who are appointed by the Archivist … Continue reading Getting to Know the FOIA Advisory Committee: Margaret Kwoka

The National Archives and Records Administration (NARA) will host a substantive forum, “Transparency and Access to NARA Records,” on Wednesday, March 19, at 1 p.m. ET. This program will headline Sunshine Week, an annual nonpartisan nationwide collaboration bringing together those in media, civics, and government. The forum will be livestreamed on the National Archives YouTube … Continue reading National Archives to Host Annual Forum on Transparency and Access to Government Records

The next meeting of the 2024-2026 term of the Freedom of Information Act (FOIA) Advisory Committee is on Thursday, March 6, 2025, from 10 a.m. to noon ET. The Committee will hear updates from its three subcommittees: Implementation, Statutory Reform, and Volume and Frequency. All meeting materials will be posted on the FOIA Advisory Committee website. This virtual … Continue reading FOIA Advisory Committee Meets March 6

Today we present an interview with Ryan Mulvey, Policy Counsel for Americans for Prosperity Foundation (AFPF) and a member of the 2024-2026 FOIA Advisory Committee. This is part of a series of posts on the Committee, whose members are FOIA experts from inside and outside of government and who are appointed by the Archivist of the … Continue reading Getting to Know the FOIA Advisory Committee: Ryan Mulvey

Today we present an interview with Frank LoMonte, Senior Legal Counsel for CNN and a member of the 2024-2026 FOIA Advisory Committee. This is part of a series of posts on the Committee, whose members are FOIA experts from inside and outside of government and who are appointed by the Archivist of the United States. Why … Continue reading Getting to Know the FOIA Advisory Committee: Frank LoMonte

Today we present an interview with Whitney Frazier-Jenkins, Disclosure Officer at the Pension Benefit Guaranty Corporation (PBGC) and a member of the 2024-2026 FOIA Advisory Committee. This is part of a series of posts on the Committee, whose members are FOIA experts from inside and outside of government and who are appointed by the Archivist of … Continue reading Getting to Know the FOIA Advisory Committee: Whitney Frazier-Jenkins