FOIA News: FOIA Advisory Committee to meet on Thursday

The Freedom of Information Act Advisory Committee will meet virtually on Thursday, December 10, 2020, from 10AM to 1PM. The meeting will be livestreamed on the National Archives’ YouTube channel. The agenda is available here.

FOIA News: ASAP hosts FOIA training seminar on Dec. 8

The American Society of Access Professional will be hosting a training seminar entitled SCOTUS and Exemption 5: Deliberative Process Privilege on December 8, 2020. Presenters include Dick Huff, former co-founder of the Department of Justice, Office of Information Policy, and Adam A. Marshall, Staff Attorney at Reporters Committee for Freedom of the Press. See details here. 

FOIA News: FOIA Advisory Committee to meet Dec. 10

The Freedom of Information Act Advisory Committee will meet virtually on December 10, 2020, from 10 AM to 1 PM. Registration details are available here.

FOIA News: ASAP elects Ryan Mulvey as new President

The American Society of Access Professionals has announced that Ryan Mulvey has been elected President of its Board of Directors for the 2021-2022 term. Mr. Mulvey, a staff member at FOIA Advisor, serves as policy counsel at the Americans for Prosperity Foundation and as counsel for Cause of Action Institute.

Congratulations, Ryan!

FOIA News: CBO releases cost estimate for VA FOIA reform

The Congressional Budget Office has released a cost estimate for H.R. 7163, which would require the Department of Veterans Affairs to develop a five-year plan to comply with FOIA response deadlines. CBO estimates that the agency would need $20 million to add 45 full-time employees, as well as $2 million for information technology resources.

FOIA News: Media opposes delay of PPP loan disclosure

News Orgs Rip Feds' Bid To Pause COVID-19 Relief Disclosure

By Khorri Atkinson, Law360, Nov. 17, 2020

Several news outlets fired back Monday at the Trump administration's bid to pause a recent D.C. federal court order to disclose records that would ​identify and provide information on all businesses that have received COVID-19 relief funds, arguing that the data is vital to the public's evaluation of the government's response to the pandemic.

Five major news organizations, including the New York Times, the Washington Post and Bloomberg, that secured a win earlier this month in their Freedom of Information Act suit for access to the records told U.S. District Judge James E. Boasberg in an opposition brief that the U.S. Small Business Administration must not be allowed to delay its disclosure obligations further by requesting a stay of his Nov. 5 order pending possible appeal to the D.C. Circuit.

Read more here.

FOIA News: OGIS Releases FOIA Advisory Committee Recommendations Dashboard

OGIS Releases FOIA Advisory Committee Recommendations Dashboard

Nat'l Archives & Records Admin., The FOIA Ombudsman, Nov. 17, 2020

Ever wonder what happens to all the recommendations made by the FOIA Advisory Committee? Thanks to OGIS’s new dashboard tool, you can check on their status yourself!

Thirty FOIA Advisory Committee recommendations for improving FOIA administration across the government can now be tracked in one place: a recommendations dashboard on the OGIS website. The dashboard provides descriptions of each recommendation, actions taken to fulfill each, and links to reports, correspondence and other related material. We plan to update the dashboard at least quarterly. 

Read more here.

FOIA News: SBA tells court that it may appeal decision on PPP loan data

SBA seeks to delay release of loan records following court order

The agency asked for more time to consider whether it should appeal. It could further delay public access to data on 87 percent of Paycheck Protection Program loans.

By Nate Jones & Aaron Gregg, Wash. Post, Nov. 17, 2020

The Small Business Administration has asked a federal judge to delay release of records involving millions of small businesses that received Paycheck Protection Program loans, arguing that publicizing those records would do “irreparable harm” to millions of businesses by exposing allegedly confidential information.

A federal judge ruled Nov. 5 that the SBA must release borrower and loan information about the federal Paycheck Protection Program by Nov. 19. The Washington Post and 10 other news organizations prevailed in a Freedom of Information Act lawsuit to win the information’s release. But in a Nov. 12 court filing, the agency said it needed more time to determine whether it should appeal.

Read more here.

FOIA News: Occupational Safety and Health Review Commission to Update FOIA Regulations

SUMMARY:

The Occupational Safety and Health Review Commission (OSHRC) is amending its regulations implementing the Freedom of Information Act (FOIA). The amendments to the FOIA regulations concern minor issues that have arisen since the regulations were last revised in 2016.

Read more here.

FOIA News: Recap of artificial intelligence meeting

OIP HOSTS ARTIFICIAL INTELLIGENCE EVENT FEATURING CFO COUNCIL TECHNOLOGY COMMITTEE WORKING GROUP

DOJ/OIP, FOIA Post, Nov. 10, 2020

More than 400 federal government employees and contractors attended a presentation featuring the Chief FOIA Officers (CFO) Council Technology Committee working group on artificial intelligence (AI), held virtually on November 5, 2020.  The event, "Artificial Intelligence 101," provided agency Freedom of Information Act (FOIA) professionals a primer on different types of AI and AI-adjacent technologies, key terms, and possible applications to the FOIA process.  It also allowed attendees to share information regarding currently-utilized technologies with each other.

Read more here.