OGIS Fourth Annual Report Highlights FOIA Mediation Activity

Messay C L70N Dove ton I” pleased to present the fourth annual report from the Office of Government Information Services (OGIS) detailing our fiscal year (FY) 2013 activities. We are extremely proud of all that OGIS has accomplished in our four years of operation. We have put Congress’s novel idea— applying Alternative Dispute Resolution techniques to an often highly adversarial process—into action. We have assisted thousands of Freedom of Information Act (FOIA) requesters from across the country and around > the globe, along with dozens of agencies, in resolving disputes, some of which would have otherwise led to costly litigation. We have worked with agencies to better fulfill their responsibility to provide good customer service, resolve disputes with FOIA requesters, and promote compliance with FOIA. Demand for OGIS’s services is high. Requests for assistance in resolving FOIA disputes greeted me the morning the office opened four years ago. In FY 2013, the number of incoming cases jumped 40 percent from the previous year to more than 500 cases; at the same time, we closed nearly 500 cases— also a 40-percent increase from the previous year—and handled hundreds of inquiries by telephone and email. Much work remains for our innovative program. While we have carried out Congress’s mandate to review Federal agency FOIA policies, procedures, and compliance in several ways, we would like to implement a more robust review program. OGIS’s mission is broad, and like many government programs, we HOUSE_OVERSIGHT_025853