Transcription of the 2025 Annual Open Meeting
The Office of Government Information Services (OGIS) held its annual open meeting in May 2024, focusing on the achievements and advancements made in the Freedom of Information Act (FOIA) process during fiscal year 2024.
Alina M. Semo, the director of OGIS, led the virtual event, which was held on the new platform, Zoom for Government. The meeting welcomed participants from across the nation, making it accessible to those outside of Washington, DC.
During the meeting, OGIS reported on its significant contributions to the FOIA process. In fiscal year 2024, the office responded to over 6,000 requests for assistance, helping both first-time and experienced requesters navigate the process. OGIS also engaged in 16 compliance communications with agencies, identifying systemic noncompliance issues through its mediation lens.
OGIS's statutory mandate is to fulfil Congress's vision for a better FOIA. This involves helping requesters navigate the FOIA process and identifying procedures and methods for improving FOIA compliance. In this regard, OGIS began reporting in its quarterly updates the number of times OGIS staff reviewed FOIA-related agency regulations in fiscal year 2024.
The meeting also featured the Council Technology Committee's NexGen FOIA Tech Showcase 2.0, a follow-up to the successful NexGen FOIA Tech Showcase 1.0 in 2022. The event provided a platform for private sector vendors to present their latest FOIA technology advancements, along with the Department of Justice's Office of Information Policy. The event raised awareness of artificial intelligence (AI) possibilities and how agencies could potentially leverage AI to address case processing and backlog challenges.
Public engagement is critical to the lifeblood of FOIA reform. The public comment period was open during the meeting, and written comments could be submitted for 30 days following the meeting. The meeting also provided an opportunity for the public to learn about OGIS's reviews and reports.
OGIS remains deeply grateful for its partners across government and civil society in strengthening the FOIA system from the inside out. In March 2024, OGIS addressed the elusive Glomar response in its OGIS blog, explaining when and why agencies neither confirm nor deny, NCND, the existence of records.
Jay Trainer, the Chief Operating Officer of the National Archives and Records Administration, and other key figures were present at the meeting. OGIS also partnered with NARA colleagues in the Chief Records Officer's office to ask several questions in the Records Management Self-Assessment (RMSA) in 2024. The 2023 RMSA survey administered to agency records officers from January 8 to March 8 in 2024 garnered a 98% response rate, and included 6 questions relating to FOIA.
Throughout fiscal year 2024, OGIS published 31 blog posts and sent over 200 social media messages to keep the public informed about its activities and the FOIA process. The office continues to strive for transparency and improvement in the FOIA process, and looks forward to another year of collaboration and progress.
Read also:
- Tobacco industry's suggested changes on a legislative modification are disregarded by health journalists
- Uncovering Political Ad Transparency: A Guide to Investigating opponent's Political Advertisements in the Digital Realm
- Elon Musk praises JD Vance's debate performance against Tim Walz
- Right-wing Israeli minister supports controversial plan for West Bank settlement expansion
