Department of Justice Celebrates Sunshine Week 2013

During Sunshine Week 2009, Attorney General Holder issued new Freedom of Information Act (FOIA) Guidelines which highlighted the importance of the FOIA as a reflection of “our nation’s fundamental commitment to open government.”  The Attorney General’s FOIA Guidelines were designed to “underscore that commitment and to ensure that it is realized in practice.”  Calling on all government personnel to realize that effective FOIA administration “belongs to all of us,” the Guidelines directed agencies to administer the FOIA with a presumption of openness, to ensure that they have an effective system in place to respond to requests, and that they work promptly and proactively to provide information to the public.  On the first day of Sunshine Week 2013, the Justice Department will celebrate the significant improvements in FOIA administration that these guidelines have generated across the government.  OIP Director Melanie Ann Pustay will lead a program marking the fourth anniversary of the issuance of Attorney General Holder’s FOIA Guidelines.  The program will spotlight examples of success achieved by a cross-section of agencies in the five key areas addressed by the FOIA guidelines, with agency representatives sharing accomplishments in:

• Ensuring the Presumption of Openness,
• Implementing Effective Systems for Responding to Requests,
• Improving Proactive Disclosures,
• Using Advanced Technology for FOIA Administration, and
• Reducing Backlogs and Improving Timeliness Overall.

The details for this event are: If you are interested in attending this event, you can register by e-mailing your name and phone number to OIP’s Training Officer, Bertina Adams Cleveland, at DOJ.OIP.FOIA@usdoj.gov, with the subject “Sunshine Week Celebration.” If you have any questions regarding this event, please contact Ms. Adams at (202) 514-1010.