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July 16 Minutes – (Certified)

The Freedom of Information Act (FOIA) Advisory Committee convened virtually at 10 a.m. ET on July 16, 2026.

In accordance with the provisions of the Federal Advisory Committee Act, as amended, 5 U.S.C. Chapter 10 (codified at 5 U.S.C. §§ 1001-1014), the meeting was open to the public from 10:00 a.m. to 10:53 a.m. Meeting materials are available on the Committee’s website https://www.archives.gov/ogis/foia-advisory-Committee/2024-2026-term.

Committee members present at the meeting:

  • Alina M. Semo, Director, Office of Government Information Services (OGIS), National Archives and Records Administration (NARA) (Committee Chairperson)
  • Jason R. Baron, University of Maryland
  • Nieva Brock, U.S. Department of Defense
  • David Cuillier, University of Florida
  • Whitney Frazier-Jenkins, Pension Benefit Guaranty Corporation
  • Scott Hodes, Department of Homeland Security
  • Shelley Kimball, Johns Hopkins University
  • Margaret Kwoka, The Ohio State University 
  • Frank LoMonte, CNN
  • Marianne Manheim, Department of Health and Human Services
  • Deborah O. Moore, Department of Education
  • Ryan Mulvey, Americans for Prosperity Foundation
  • Richard Peltz-Steele, University of Massachusetts Law School
  • Christina Troiani,  U.S. Department of Justice, Office of Information Policy (designee for OIP Director Sean Glendening)
  • Sarah Weicksel, American Historical Association
  • Nick Wittenberg, representing requesters in FOIA's commercial fee category

Committee members absent from the meeting:

  • Elizabeth Hempowicz, American Oversight

Others present or participating in the meeting:

  1. Jay Trainer, Chief Operating Officer, NARA
  2. Kirsten Mitchell, Committee’s Designated Federal Officer, NARA

Opening Remarks from the Designated Federal Officer

Ms. Mitchell opened the meeting and noted that the meeting was being recorded and livestreamed on the NARA YouTube channel and was public in accordance with the Federal Advisory Committee Act. 

Ms. Mitchell confirmed that a quorum was present, with 16 members attending. She noted that Ms. Hempowicz was unable to attend.

Ms. Mitchell noted that Mr. Glendenning had recently departed the Office of Information Policy (OIP) at the Department of Justice (DOJ) to pursue a Master in Public Administration at Harvard Kennedy School. Because the Committee's charter provides for either the OIP Director or a designee to serve on the Committee, Ms.Troiani, Chief of OIP's Administrative Appeals Staff, would be the OIP representative for purposes of this meeting. Ms. Mitchell noted that Ms. Troiani's participation had been cleared by the NARA’s Office of General Counsel.

Ms. Mitchell reminded Committee members to keep their cameras on, and noted that Ms. Brock was unable to have her camera on.. She directed participants to the Committee's webpage for the meeting agenda, presentation materials, draft final report, and recommendations. Ms. Mitchell thanked the NARA audiovisual team for its technical support and introduced Mr Trainer, NARA's Chief Operating Officer, for welcoming remarks.

Welcoming Remarks

Mr. Trainer welcomed attendees to the final meeting of the 2024–2026 term. He noted the Freedom of Information Act (FOIA) had reached its 60th anniversary in 2026, and highlighted its continuing importance. He noted that more than 1.7 million FOIA requests were submitted during fiscal year 2025.

Mr. Trainer noted President Lyndon B. Johnson's statement upon signing FOIA into law, that democracy works best when the people have all the information that national security permits and that the public's right to know is an important part of an open society.

Mr. Trainer recalled addressing the Committee in September 2025, when its recommendations for improving FOIA administration were still taking shape. He noted that the Committee was now prepared to vote on its final report, which contained 11 previously approved recommendations—seven directed to Congress and four directed to federal entities, including NARA's Office of Government Information Services (OGIS).

Mr. Trainer thanked Committee members for their dedicated service and for the substantial time and effort they had devoted to examining FOIA administration since the beginning of the 2024–2026 term in September 2024. He expressed appreciation for their volunteer service and noted that their work would be preserved in the Committee's final report and accompanying Subcommittee reports, which would remain available on the NARA OGIS website.

Mr. Trainer then turned the meeting over to Ms. Semo, Director of OGIS and Chairperson of the FOIA Advisory Committee.

Updates from the Chairperson

Ms. Semo welcomed members to the Committee's 11th and final meeting of its sixth term. She thanked Mr. Trainer for his participation and noted that, since the Committee's June 11th meeting, members had worked extensively to complete the final report and recommendations.

Ms. Semo specifically recognized Dr. Kimball, Mr. LoMonte, and Dr. Weicksel, who comprised the small working group responsible for drafting the final report. She thanked the entire Committee for its contributions, including the extensive work reflected in the Subcommittee reports and the edits submitted during the days immediately preceding the meeting. She noted that the final report represented a collaborative effort by the full Committee. The reports of the Volume and Frequency and Implementation Subcommittees were available with the June 11 meeting materials, while the Statutory Reform Subcommittee's report was posted with the July 16 meeting materials.

Ms. Semo reviewed several housekeeping matters and meeting procedures. She noted that the minutes and transcript from the June 11 meeting had not yet been posted but would be made available within the 90-day period required by the Federal Advisory Committee Act. She encouraged members and the public to visit the Committee's webpage for member biographies and to follow the FOIA Ombuds blog.

Ms. Semo asked Committee members to use Zoom's “raise hand” function when they wished to speak. She noted that members could also use the chat function to contact her or Ms. Mitchell directly. To comply with the Federal Advisory Committee Act (FACA), Ms. Semo requested that substantive comments not be entered in the Zoom chat because chat comments would not be included in the meeting transcript; the chat was to be used only for housekeeping and procedural matters.

Ms. Semo noted that members of the public could submit written comments through the Committee's public comment form. She noted that comments would be reviewed and posted if  they complied with the Committee's public comment posting policy. A public comment period would be held during the meeting after the Committee's discussion of the final report and recommendations but before the final vote. In accordance with the Federal Register notice for the meeting, each individual public commenter would be limited to three minutes.

Presentation of Final Report

Ms. Semo introduced the principal business of the meeting: deliberation and voting on the Committee's Final Report and Recommendations. She recognized the six co-chairs of the Committee's three Subcommittees: Mr. Baron and Ms. Manheim of the Implementation Subcommittee; Mr. Mulvey and Ms. Frazier-Jenkins of the Statutory Reform Subcommittee; and Mr. Wittenberg and Ms. Brock of the Volume and Frequency Subcommittee. She thanked the co-chairs for their leadership and work.

Ms. Semo turned the meeting over to the final-report working group, consisting of Mr. LoMonte, Dr. Weicksel, and Dr. Kimball, to provide an overview of the report-development process.

Mr. LoMonte noted that both the final report and the preceding two years of Committee work had been collaborative and collegial. He described a central lesson from the Committee's work: FOIA should not be viewed as a “combat sport,” because improvements that benefit FOIA requesters can also benefit government agencies, taxpayers, and the public. The Committee's goal was to identify ways to make the FOIA process work better for all stakeholders rather than treating the interests of requesters and government as opposed to each other.

Mr. LoMonte noted that the final report was intentionally designed as a high-level synthesis rather than an exhaustive reproduction of the work contained in the three Subcommittee reports. The final report was intended to direct readers to those more detailed reports, which, together with the final report, constituted the Committee's collective work product for the 2024–2026 term.

Mr. LoMonte also noted that the working group had been mindful of the risk of “recommendation fatigue” identified by the previous term. Rather than adding dozens of new recommendations to an already extensive body of work, the Committee limited its final report to 11 recommendations. The recommendations were also crafted with consideration for the workload of FOIA professionals, many of whom already face significant resource and staffing constraints. In Mr. LoMonte's view, the recommendations were intended in significant part to reduce burdens and strengthen the capacity of the FOIA professionals responsible for administering the statute.

Mr. LoMonte expressed particular appreciation to Ms. Semo and Ms. Mitchell for guiding the Committee through a challenging two-year term. He noted that the Committee had experienced a government shutdown, the departure of several government members, and a period without an OIP participant. Despite those challenges, he credited Ms. Semo’s and Ms. Mitchell's diligence, good humor, and leadership with helping the Committee remain productive and collegial.

Dr. Kimball thanked the Committee members and noted the importance of the Committee's collective effort to understand the current FOIA landscape. She noted that the working group sought to provide sufficient context in the final report so that future readers would understand the circumstances in which the Committee conducted its work, including the uncertainty and significant changes affecting the federal government during the two-year term.

Dr. Kimball noted that the Committee's information-gathering efforts included discussions with government officials and other individuals working in the FOIA field. Two Subcommittees also conducted original research. The Implementation Subcommittee conducted a series of focus groups examining how FOIA-related change occurs within federal agencies. The Volume and Frequency Subcommittee conducted a survey examining vexatious requests and requests generated using artificial intelligence.

Dr. Kimball noted that the working group incorporated this information into the final report to provide a foundation for the recommendations and their supporting rationale, while preserving the Subcommittee reports as stand-alone documents containing the Committee's more detailed findings.

Mr. LoMonte noted he would not review each of the 11 recommendations individually during the overview and that the Subcommittee chairs could provide additional explanation if members had questions about particular recommendations.

He noted that the relatively small number of recommendations was not an indication that the Committee's work was limited in scope or ambition. He noted the recommendations were ambitious and that successful implementation of even one of several major proposals could constitute a significant accomplishment. He mentioned the proposed creation of a specialized FOIA court to resolve disputes and a proposed funding formula to help ensure that FOIA functions at federal agencies are adequately staffed and supported by Congress.

Mr. LoMonte described the Committee's work as one stage in an ongoing “relay race” among successive terms of the Committees. He noted that members had sought to build on the work of previous terms rather than begin from scratch and encouraged future terms to continue advancing the issues identified in the report.

He also noted that most of the Committee's recommendations were directed to Congress rather than federal agencies. In the Committee's view, agencies could make improvements within their existing authority, but there were significant limitations on what agencies could accomplish without statutory changes. 

Mr. LoMonte observed that the FOIA statute had not undergone a comprehensive review in approximately a decade despite substantial changes within and outside the federal government during that period. He encouraged Congress to undertake a comprehensive review of FOIA and stated that the Committee's recommendations provided directional guidance for that effort. Reform of FOIA's exemptions is an area where the Committee had made progress but had not developed a comprehensive set of recommendations by the end of the term. He suggested that the report could provide a foundation for future Committee terms to conduct more detailed work on exemption reform and other issues identified for further study. He concluded by thanking Ms. Semo, Ms. Mitchell, his fellow Committee members, and the working group members for their collaboration in preparing the final report.

Ms. Semo noted that Committee members had been given an opportunity to review the draft report. She noted that the working group had incorporated members' comments and corrected typographical and other editorial errors, reflecting the group's attention to producing a polished final document.

Ms. Semo opened the floor for Committee members to ask questions or offer comments on the report.

Mr. Baron requested an opportunity to discuss matters concerning the Committee's work following approval of the report.

Public Comments

Ms. Semo introduced the public comment period noting that, because the meeting's agenda differed from the Committee's usual sequence, public comments would occur before the final vote. She invited non-Committee participants to offer comments or suggestions, particularly concerning the final report. She noted that oral comments would be captured in the meeting transcript and the NARA YouTube recording and that each speaker would be limited to three minutes.

Ms. Mitchell provided instructions for submitting written and oral public comments. Written comments could be submitted through the Committee's online public comment form. Individuals wishing to provide oral comments would be given three minutes to speak.

After waiting to see if there were commenters, Ms. Mitchell reported that no members of the public had raised their hands. She confirmed that there were no substantive public comments in the Zoom chat.

Vote on Final Report

Ms. Semo suggested the Committee move to the final vote on the report and recommendations. She clarified that the Committee would vote on the report as a whole rather than voting separately on individual recommendations. After the vote,they would return to Mr. Baron's question concerning next steps following approval of the report after the vote.

Action Item: Mr. LoMonte moved to approve the final report and recommendations, noting that minor typographical, grammatical, and other editorial corrections could still be made before the final report was published. Ms. Manheim seconded the motion. The final report and recommendations were approved unanimously by a vote of 15–0, with Ms. Troiani abstaining.

Closing Discussion

Ms. Semo returned to Mr. Baron's earlier request to discuss the Committee's work following the vote. 

Mr. Baron thanked the Committee and reflected on his service over three terms.

Mr. Baron noted the importance of ensuring that the final report directs readers to the three Subcommittee reports, which he considered an important part of the Committee's overall work product. He encouraged OGIS, OIP, and Committee members to actively publicize both the final report and the Subcommittee reports. He suggested that OGIS highlight the reports in its upcoming annual outreach and reporting activities and that OGIS reference the Subcommittee reports in presentations and other public communications.

Mr. Baron also encouraged OGIS to highlight the Subcommittee work when participating in congressional activities, including testimony before Congress and discussions with congressional staff. 

He highlighted the Statutory Reform Subcommittee's work, which included detailed analyses of potential statutory changes. He noted that the final report provided a high-level summary of that work and encouraged OGIS to ensure that congressional audiences were aware of the more extensive analysis contained in the Subcommittee report. He noted the need for greater awareness of Committee recommendations among federal FOIA professionals. Drawing on his experience serving on the Implementation Subcommittee during the current and previous terms, he observed that focus-group research conducted during the current term suggested that many FOIA professionals within the federal government were unfamiliar with the Committee's recommendations. He noted that, in his experience, communications issued by OIP receive particularly close attention within the federal FOIA community.

Mr. Baron encouraged continued communication between OGIS and OIP concerning the dissemination and implementation of Committee recommendations. He suggested that, where appropriate, OIP could issue communications to federal agencies concerning recommendations directed to the federal government and that the Committee's implementation dashboard could be updated to reflect relevant OIP issuances. Although the terms of the current Committee members were ending, Mr. Baron encouraged OGIS and OIP to maintain this dialogue.

Mr. Baron commended the Committee's work and noted that the substantial time invested by members in meetings, Subcommittee work, research, and preparation of the final and Subcommittee reports would have greater impact if the resulting work received broader attention. He urged the Committee and OGIS to develop a sustained strategy for increasing the visibility and use of the Committee's work.

Ms. Semo indicated that she would respond after hearing from other Committee members. 

Ms. Mitchell then noted that she, Ms. Semo and Mr. Levenson had participated the previous day in the American Society of Access Professionals' conference, where they specifically presented on the Committee's recommendations.

Ms. Semo added that the training conference had attracted nearly 300 attendees, primarily federal FOIA professionals, providing another significant opportunity to communicate the Committee's work to government practitioners.

Mr. Wittenberg noted the importance of publicizing the Committee's work. He mentioned Ms. Semo's testimony before the Senate as an example of an opportunity to highlight the work of FOIA professionals and the Committee. Mr. Wittenberg expressed support for continued efforts to showcase the Committee's recommendations and the work of its members and Subcommittees. He noted the value of drawing attention to the practical work performed by FOIA professionals and of using congressional and other public forums to increase awareness of the Committee's accomplishments.

Ms. Troiani thanked Mr. Baron for his comments and said she would take his recommendations back to OIP. She committed to continuing to work with Ms. Semo and OGIS to identify ways to increase the visibility of the Committee's work and recommendations.

Ms. Semo noted that OGIS's annual open public meeting, scheduled for August 4, would provide an opportunity to discuss the Committee's final report and recommendations as well as the three Subcommittee reports. The meeting would be livestreamed on the NARA YouTube channel. She stated that OGIS would publicize the Committee's work through its blog and social media channels. She noted that disseminating the Committee's work would be a collective effort and encouraged members to promote the report through their respective institutions and organizations. She particularly encouraged members with connections to congressional staff and committees interested in FOIA issues to bring the recommendations to their attention. 

Ms. Semo noted that members of the requester community often have greater flexibility than government officials in advocating directly with Congress and encouraged them to take advantage of those opportunities. She welcomed additional ideas for increasing the visibility and impact of the Committee's work and expressed OGIS's willingness to collaborate with OIP and others on those efforts.

Dr. Cuillier reflected on his six years of service on the FOIA Advisory Committee and announced that he would not seek another term, noting that he believed it was time for new ideas and fresh perspectives. He expressed his appreciation for his fellow Committee members and offered particular praise for the OGIS staff.

Dr. Cuillier noted that OGIS operates with a relatively small staff while assisting approximately 6,000 people each year. He commended Ms. Semo, Ms. Mitchell, Mr. Levenson, and the rest of the OGIS staff for the importance and volume of their work. He noted that efforts to improve the FOIA system should not be viewed as criticism of OGIS staff, who, he said, work diligently to make the system better despite significant challenges and limited resources. Dr. Cuillier expressed confidence that the work of the current term and future terms would make a meaningful difference.

Ms. Semo thanked Dr. Cuillier for his kind remarks.

Before concluding the meeting, Ms. Semo offered closing reflections on the Committee's accomplishments during the 2024–2026 term. She thanked all members for their service and observed that, when the term began in September 2024, members could not have fully anticipated the circumstances in which the Committee would conduct its work.

Ms. Semo noted that the federal environment had changed significantly during the term, with agencies and FOIA programs facing workforce reductions, leadership changes, hiring constraints, reorganizations, and increasing demands on already limited resources. Despite these challenges, Committee members continued to participate, ask difficult questions, listen to differing perspectives, and seek practical and meaningful ways to improve FOIA administration.

Ms. Semo noted that one of the most impressive aspects of the Committee's work was the substantial effort that occurred outside the public meetings. Members participated in numerous Subcommittee and working group meetings, conducted research, prepared and revised drafts, exchanged correspondence, and engaged in extensive discussions. She noted that members brought different experiences and perspectives to the Committee and did not always agree, but consistently engaged with one another respectfully, thoughtfully, and in good faith.

Ms. Semo highlighted the Committee's 11 recommendations as a significant accomplishment. She noted that the recommendations addressed some of the most important challenges facing the FOIA process and reflected extensive discussion, collaboration, debate, and compromise. More importantly, she said, the recommendations demonstrated the Committee's determination to move beyond identifying problems and toward proposing meaningful solutions.

Ms. Semo expressed her gratitude to all Committee members, including those whose service had concluded earlier in the term, and recognized the contributions each had made to the Committee's discussions and recommendations.

She gave particular recognition to the six Subcommittee co-chairs—Mr. Mulvey, Ms. Frazier-Jenkins, Mr. Baron, Ms. Manheim, Mr. Wittenberg, and Ms. Brock—for their substantial commitment to leading the Subcommittees. Ms. Semo credited the co-chairs with keeping discussions moving, navigating competing perspectives, shepherding recommendations through numerous revisions, and ultimately helping the Committee reach completion of its work.

Ms. Semo then recognized the individuals who supported the Committee behind the scenes, beginning with Ms. Mitchell. She noted that operating a federal advisory committee and ensuring compliance with the Federal Advisory Committee Act involved substantial work that was often invisible to the public. She praised Ms. Mitchell for contributions that went beyond the traditional responsibilities of a DFO.

Ms. Semo specifically highlighted Ms. Mitchell's work supporting the Statutory Reform Subcommittee as it considered complex recommendations involving FOIA logs. Ms. Mitchell developed a detailed crosswalk showing how proposed data fields related to existing statutory and quarterly reporting requirements and to the practical realities of agency FOIA tracking systems. Ms. Mitchell's work provided the Subcommittee with a practical framework for addressing a complicated issue, Ms. Semo noted. She also recognized Ms. Mitchell's role in convening and supporting discussions among government members as proposed recommendations were developed, helping members work through comments, identify areas of agreement, and participate constructively in the Committee's deliberations.

Ms. Semo praised Ms. Mitchell's ability to bring order to complex issues, keep the Committee moving forward, and make difficult work manageable. She expressed her personal gratitude for Ms. Mitchell's judgment, professionalism, and dedication.

Ms. Semo also thanked Alternate DFOs Mr. Levenson and Ms. Ried for their work supporting meeting logistics, Federal Register notices, website updates, records, reports, communications, and the numerous administrative details required before, during, and after each public meeting. She recognized their willingness to support Subcommittees and members and to step in wherever needed to keep the Committee's extensive work moving forward.

Ms. Semo extended her appreciation to the entire OGIS staff, noting that supporting the Committee had been a team effort. She expressed deep gratitude for the staff's commitment to the Committee and its mission.

Finally, Ms. Semo reflected on her experience chairing the Committee over several terms and noted that she never took for granted the time, expertise, and energy members contributed in addition to their professional responsibilities. She described their service as an important form of public service and thanked members for their expertise, candor, patience, persistence, and willingness to challenge one another and the chair when appropriate.

Ms. Semo concluded by thanking members for remaining engaged in difficult discussions and, above all, for believing that the FOIA process could be improved and being willing to devote their time and talents toward that goal. She said it had been an honor and privilege to work with the members during the 2024–2026 term.

Ms. Semo invited any final questions or comments from the Committee. Hearing none, she formally adjourned the final meeting of the 2024–2026 term of the FOIA Advisory Committee at 10:53 a.m.

I certify that, to the best of my knowledge, the foregoing minutes are accurate and complete on August 31, 2026. 

/s/ Kirsten B. Mitchell

Kirsten B. Mitchell

Designated Federal Officer,

2024-2026 Term


/s/ Alina M. Semo

Alina M. Semo

Chairperson,

2024-2026 Term

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