Labor Department Overdue for FOIA Upgrades, Auditors Say

By Charles S. Clark, Gov't Executive,  July 5, 2016 

The same week President Obama signed a bill reforming the Freedom of Information Act, the Labor Department came into criticism for inefficiencies and out-of-date computer systems for responding to requests for documents.

Labor has “not updated its FOIA regulation to reflect changes in its process made in response to more recent amendments to the law and new implementing guidance,” the Government  Accountability Office concluded in a report dated June 2 but released June 30. The department, GAO said, “uses an information technology system to manage and track requests, but it has not implemented key required and recommended capabilities for enhancing FOIA processing, such as capabilities to accommodate individuals with disabilities or electronic redaction.”

Labor has been hit with multiple FOIA lawsuits due to delays, the auditors noted, and greater efficiency might help avoid them in the future.

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