Freedom Of Information Act Oversight

The Freedom of Information Act is vital for democratic accountability. Understanding who uses it is key to re-centering its oversight purposes.

Ensuring transparency through the Freedom of Information Act (FOIA) : hearing before the Committee on Oversight and Government Reform, House of Representatives, One Hundred Fourteenth Congress, first session, June 2, 2015.

Ensuring agency compliance with the Freedom of Information Act (FOIA) : hearing before the Committee on Oversight and Government Reform, House of Representatives, One Hundred Fourteenth Congress, first session, June 3, 2015.

" The OPEN Government Act of 2007 amended FOIA and established OGIS within the National Archives and Records Administration to provide oversight and assistance to federal agencies in implementing FOIA. To evaluate how effectively the office is meeting its responsibilities, GAO assessed the actions that the office has taken to (1) implement its responsibilities for reviewing agencies' policies, procedures, and compliance with FOIA; (2) mediate disputes between FOIA requesters and federal agencies; and (3) recommend policy changes to Congress and the President and develop and issue guidance and best practices to improve the administration of FOIA. To do so, GAO analyzed documents describing the office's plans and activities for conducting reviews, mediation case files, and documents describing its policy recommendations made to Congress and the President and its guidance and best practices. GAO also interviewed officials at relevant agencies. "

Use the Freedom of Information Act (FOIA) and the Privacy Act to obtain records from the federal government.

Ensuring transparency through the Freedom of Information Act (FOIA) : hearing before the Committee on Oversight and Government Reform, House of Representatives, One Hundred Fourteenth Congress, first session, June 2, 2015.