Appendix B (The Freedom of Information Act Ombudsman 2025 Report for Fiscal Year 2024)
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FOIA Advisory Committee Recommendations to the Archivist — 2022–2024 Term [8] |
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Recommendation |
Status as of May 2025 |
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No. 2023-01 The Department of Justice Office of Information Policy (OIP) should issue guidance stating that when agencies use FOIA Exemption 5 to withhold information they should identify the corresponding privilege(s) invoked (e.g., deliberative process, attorney-client, etc.) in redaction labels and, if the record is withheld in full, in its determination letter. |
IN PROGRESS |
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No. 2024-01 The Department of Justice Office of Information Policy (OIP) should publish the Committee’s draft model determination letter as a best practices reference for agencies. |
IN PROGRESS |
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No. 2024-02 The Department of Justice Office of Information Policy (OIP) should issue guidance encouraging agencies to proactively offer requesters the opportunity to discuss their request with an agency representative. |
IN PROGRESS |
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No. 2024-03 The Department of Justice Office of Information Policy (OIP) should issue guidance encouraging agencies to provide requesters an interim response consisting of a small sample of documents found as the result of searches conducted and subsequently reviewed for partial or full withholding. |
IN PROGRESS |
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No. 2024-04 The Department of Justice Office of Information Policy (OIP) should issue guidance to all Chief FOIA Officers outlining the minimum requirements for training to agency staff, including non-FOIA professionals. |
COMPLETED OIP issued guidance on FOIA training and the role of the Chief FOIA Officer in its “Summary of Agency Chief FOIA Officer Reports for 2024 and Assessment of Agency Progress in FOIA Administration with OIP Guidance for Further Improvement.” |
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No. 2024-05 The Office of Personnel Management (OPM) should add the 0306 Government Information Specialist (GIS) Job Series to the direct hiring authority list. |
PENDING |
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No. 2024-06 The Chief FOIA Officers Council, through its Committee on Cross-Agency Collaboration and Innovation (COCACI), should organize agencies to participate in a “talent pool” posting through OPM. |
PENDING |
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No. 2024-07 The Chief FOIA Officers Council, through its Committee on Cross-Agency Collaboration and Innovation (COCACI), should create and maintain a database on its website of position descriptions in the Government Information Specialist (GIS) job series at various grades. |
PENDING |
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No. 2024-08 The General Services Administration (GSA) should create a labor category on the GSA schedule specifically for FOIA contractors to facilitate efficient procurement if an agency determines it needs contractor support. |
PENDING |
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No. 2024-09 Federal agencies should expand public engagement activities focused on improving all aspects of their FOIA process. |
PENDING |
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No. 2024-10 The Archivist of the United States should propose that the Office of Management and Budget, the Office of Information Policy, and other agency participants in future U.S. National Action Plans for Open Government include new and continuing commitments to improving FOIA administration. |
PENDING |
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No. 2024-11 The Chief FOIA Officers Council should form a working group to analyze the interest in and need for 1) a shared FOIA case management system and 2) a centralized records repository for use by federal agencies and the public. |
COMPLETED The Chief FOIA Officers Council established the FOIA Case Systems Working Group which held its first meeting in January 2025. |
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No. 2024-12 The Chief FOIA Officers Council Technology Committee and interested agencies publish requests for information (RFIs) on the subject of artificial intelligence (AI) tools and techniques as an aid to FOIA processing. |
PENDING |
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No. 2024-13 The Office of Government Information Services (OGIS) and the Department of Justice Office of Information Policy (OIP) should follow up with selected agencies and other government entities in an effort to increase compliance with past recommendations of the FOIA Advisory Committee. |
IN PROGRESS OIP, in its 2025 Chief FOIA Officer Report Guidelines, is asking agencies that received more than 50 requests in fiscal year 2024 to report on their familiarity with the FOIA Advisory Committee and its recommendations, and whether they have implemented any of the Committee’s recommendations or found them to be helpful. |
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No. 2024-14 The Department of Justice Office of Information Policy (OIP) should include one or more specific questions in annual Chief FOIA Officer reports requesting agencies to report on activities that they have implemented consistent with selected FOIA Advisory Committee recommendations. |
COMPLETED OIP, in its 2025 Chief FOIA Officer Report Guidelines, asked agencies that received more than 50 requests in fiscal year 2024, to answer several questions pertaining to the FOIA Advisory Committee and its recommendations. |
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No. 2024-15 The FOIA Advisory Committee should create a working group to study the implementation of past recommendations. |
COMPLETED The 2024-2026 term of the FOIA Advisory Committee created an Implementation Subcommittee to increase the adoption and integration of past Committee recommendations, building on the work done by the 2022-2024 Implementation Subcommittee. |
[8] - Please visit the FOIA Advisory Committee Recommendations Dashboard, https://www.archives.gov/ogis/foia-advisory-committee/dashboard, for a complete summary of all 67 Committee recommendations and their current status.