Chief FOIA Officer Report for (bureau) - Department of Commerce

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1. Description:Discussed the new 2009 FOIA Guidance with BIS FOIA Points of Contact(POC). New guidance was disseminated to Program Offices.BIS FOIA Officer sent an e-mail notification to BIS FOIA POC thatincluded a copy of the amended FOIA certifications (templates) adding theforeseeable harm statement, and a copy of the April 17, 2009 Departmentof Justice, Office of Information Policy (OIP), FOIA Post on the newguidance.BIS FOIA Officer conducted training to convey new guidance and discussthe combined impact of the President’s FOIA Memorandum and theAttorney General’s FOIA Guidelines. As a result of these directives thereare now:o New approaches to responding to requests and to working withrequesters.o New, more limited standards for defending agencies when they deny aFOIA request.o New requirements to maximize the use of technology to discloseinformation.o New requirements to post information online affirmatively, in advanceof FOIA requests.o New focus on the broad array of agency personnel whose actionsimpact the FOIA.o New accountability requirements.2. Disclosure Comparisons:BIS received 89 FOIA requests during 2009 verses 67 FOIA request duringthe previous year; an increase of 40.37%.BIS processed 91 FOIA requests during 2009 verses 58 during the previousyear; an increase of 47.22%.II. Steps Taken to Ensure That Your Agency Has an Effective System for Responding toFOIA Requests:BIS FOIA Officer updated the “Procedures for processing a FOIA request” (AI-A106) and incorporated the 2009 FOIA Guidance principle and posted in the BISEmployeeNet under Administrative Instructions.Program Offices were tasked to provide a written description of their action plans toimplement and promote internally the new 2009 FOIA Guidance.12
The Program Offices were encouraged to review their files for openness andtransparency and to identify records that can be posted on the BIS website.III. Steps Take to Increase Proactive DisclosuresActing Under Secretary sent a Broadcast e-mail to all BIS personnel informingthem of the New 2009 FOIA Guidance Guidelines.BIS personnel were informed that they should view all FOIA decisions through theprism of openness in keeping with the President’s vision.The Program offices were tasked to identify information that could be of greatestuse to the public.IV. Steps Taken to Greater Utilized Technology1. Does your agency currently receive requests electronically.Yes. BIS receives requests electronically via email. This email link is located onthe BIS main web page.2. If not, what are the current impediments to your agency establishing a mechanismto receive requests electronically.N/A3. Does your agency track requests electronically.Yes. BIS tracks all FOIA requests electronically through our WebCIMSelectronic tracking program. All FOIA POCs have access to this program andcan upload unclassified, non-sensitive correspondence into this program.4. If not, what are the current impediments to your agency utilizing a system to trackrequests electronically.N/A5. Does your agency use technology to process requests.Yes. BIS uses a Microsoft Word spreadsheet to electronically track all requests.This spreadsheet is maintained by the BIS FOIA Officer and is generated on anannual basis beginning October 1 st , of each year.6. If not, what are the current impediments to your agency utilizing technology toprocess requests.13
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Chief FOIA Officer Report for (bureau) - Department of Commerce

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