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

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Percentage of Partial Grantsto the Total of Full Grants, Partial Grants, and Full Denials Based onExemptionsPercentage of Full Denials Based on Exemptionsto the Total of Full Grants, Partial Grants, and Full Denials Based onExemptions32% 40%51% 41%II. Steps Taken to Ensure That Your Agency Has an Effective System for Responding toFOIA RequestsWe have streamlined the Census Bureau’s FOIA processing with a detailed FOIAprocessing book, template letters for frequent requests, and training for the staffand managers at the Census Bureau. We recently worked with our FIELDdirectorate to create a section in the Regional Office Administrative Manualregarding the FOIA. This helped remove road blocks and created more efficientprocessing of the request from 12 regional offices.The FOIA office works closely with IT professionals and is supported by itsinfrastructure. We recently acquired new software to assist with document reviewfor exemptions which increased review and efficiency.III.Steps Take to Increase Proactive DisclosuresThe mission of the Census Bureau is to openly disseminate data about theNation’s economy and people. Technology has enabled us to further our missionwith posting our work to the Internet, creating an ever growing presence on thesocial network sites, and blogging.Our existing census.gov site hosts millions of pages that include data andinformation about product and service offerings. The 2010census.gov site is aboutopen and transparent government with two-way communications, Web 2.0 tools,and social media throughout.We have also implemented a new system called Notifyme for our 2007 EconCensus Data. The Notifyme system allows individuals to sign up for email alertsfor data releases.Our engagement with the public through social media forums such as Facebook,Twitter, and Myspace has allowed the Census Bureau to promote its dataproducts. Dr. Groves has also initiated a blog of his experiences with the Census.It’s ever growing popularity has been a fantastic example of the Census Bureau’scommitment to open government.6
IV.Steps Taken to Increase Proactive Disclosures1. Does your agency currently receive requests electronically? Yes2. If not, what are the current impediments to your agency establishing a mechanism toreceive requests electronically? N/A3. Does your agency track requests electronically? Yes4. If not, what are the current impediments to your agency utilizing a system to trackelectronically? N/A5. Does your agency use technology to process requests? Yes6. If not, what are the current impediments to your agency utilizing technology toprocess requests? N/A7. Does your agency use technology to prepare your agency FOIA report? Yes8. If not, what are the current impediments to your agency utilizing technology inpreparing your annual FOIA report? N/AV. Steps Taken to Reduce Backlogs and Improve Timeliness in Responding to Requests1. Backlog Status:The Census Bureau has been able to maintain a zero or very small backlog despitean increasing number of requests. In FY08 the Census Bureau received 194requests. At the end of FY08, the Census Bureau had 1 backlogged case thatwas 26 days old. In FY09 the Census Bureau received 234 requests. At the endof FY09, the Census Bureau had 1 backlogged case that was 51 days old. TheFY09 backlog case was a request involving voluminous records and multipleconsultations with other Federal agencies. At the end of the FY09, the CensusBureau had already provided the requester with five partial responses in whichover 600 pages of documents were released to the requester. This request wascompleted in 60 total processing days.Timeliness of responding to requests has measurably improved. See the tablesbelow for details.7
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Chief FOIA Officer Report for (bureau) - Department of Commerce

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