The snow has slowed us down, but has not stopped our quest for government transparency. In case you are interested, however, the closure of the federal government probably does permit the agencies to stop the 20 day clock for processing your FOIA requests.
Last time we talked about the three main categories of FOIA requesters — commercial, news media/scientific/educational, and all other — and discussed what kind of fees may be charged for processing your FOIA requests. When Congress passed the fee provisions in the FOIA, one of the controversial issues was what to do about public interest groups and non-profit groups that were not seeking commercial enrichment, but did not fit into one of the fee-limited categories. Congress solved the problem by creating a special waiver or reduction of fees when the information is likely to “contribute significantly to public understanding of the operations or activities of the government” and is not primarily in the commercial interest of the requester. This is often called a public interest fee waiver. If you believe your request fits these criteria, you should make your complete case for a fee waiver in your request letter. (more…)
