Study: Some FOIA requests more than 15 years old
A study by The Hill shows that some FOIA requests have yet to be fulfilled more than 15 years after they were first submitted (see story). No surprises there. In the past some requests have been unfulfilled for more than 20 years. Fortunately, the median response rate is shorter - 11 days for the Department of Defense. Maybe the new enforcement provisions in FOIA from the OPEN Government Act might encourage officials to move a little more quickly. Make sure to attend the national SPJ convention Sept. 4-7 in Atlanta for a planned session on how to use the new FOIA provisions to improve getting what you need and when you need it. Also, check out a great guide to the new provisions in the OPEN Government Act, written by SPJ's stellar attorney, Laurie Babinski.