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Chief FOIA Officers Council

The FOIA Improvement Act of 2016 established the Chief FOIA Officers (CFO) Council, which is tasked with:

  • Developing recommendations for increasing FOIA compliance and efficiency;
  • Disseminating information about agency experiences, ideas, best practices, and innovative approaches related to FOIA;
  • Identifying, developing, and coordinating initiatives to increase transparency and FOIA compliance; and
  • Promoting the development and use of common performance measures for agency compliance with the FOIA.

The CFO Council is co-chaired by the Directors of OIP and the Office of Government Information Services (OGIS) and is composed of all agency CFOs and the Deputy Director for Management from the Office of Management and Budget (OMB).

The materials associated with the Council’s work, including minutes of the meetings, will be made publicly available on this page. Council meetings are open to the public. Notice of all meetings will be provided in the Federal Register at least ten business days in advance, and details will also be posted on OIP’s website.  

CFO Council Inagural Meeting

Technology Committee

Co-Chairs: Eric Stein, U.S. Department of State and Michael Sarich, Veterans Health Administration 

In September 2018, the CFO Council established a technology subcommittee to study the utilization and deployment of technology in FOIA programs across agencies, and identify best practices and recommendations that can be implemented across agencies.  Two senior FOIA professionals at the Department of State and the Veterans Health Administration co-chair the Committee; membership includes FOIA professionals from the Departments of Homeland Security and the Interior, National Aeronautics and Space Administration, the National Institutes of Health, Institute of Library and Museum Services, American Battle Monuments Commission, Social Security Administration, Air Force Declassification Office, and the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau. The Committee liaises with the Council's co-chairs, the Directors of OIP and OGIS.

(February 14, 2020)

Presentation Slides – Artificial Intelligence 101 (November 5, 2020)

NexGen FOIA Tech Showcase (February 9-10, 2022) 

NexGen Follow Up Workshop for Agencies (March 31, 2022)

Working Groups

508 Compliance and Collaborative Tools - Charter

Artificial Intelligence - Charter

FOIA and Classified Information - Charter

FOIA Searches - Charter -

FOIAonline - Charter

FOIAXpress - Charter

Video Review and Redactions – Charter - Best Practices for Video Redaction

Committee on Cross-Agency Collaboration and Innovation

Co-Chairs: Michael Bell, U.S. Department of Transportation and Abioye Mosheim, U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission

In October 2020, the CFO Council established the Committee on Cross-Agency Collaboration and Innovation (COCACI) to research and propose cross-agency grant programs and funding sources, create federal career paths for FOIA professionals, and promote models to align agency resources with agency transparency.  COCACI began meeting in March 2021 and will focus on the following three topics areas: virtual FOIA office administration; the Government Information Specialist (GIS) job series; and technology standardization. 

Subcommittees 

Pandemic/Virtual FOIA Offices

Government Information Specialists Job Series

Standardizing Technology 

November 3, 2022 Meeting

Meeting Announcement (Federal Register Notice, October 28, 2022)

Meeting Materials 

Agenda

Registration Information

YouTube Livestream/Recording

April 21, 2022 Meeting

Meeting Announcement (Federal Register Notice, April 8, 2022)

Meeting Materials

Agenda

Livestream via YouTube

Public Comments Submitted to the CFO Council

Minutes

February 2, 2022 Co-Chairs Meeting with Requesters

Meeting Announcement (Federal Register Notice, January 20, 2022)

Meeting Materials 

Agenda 

Public Comments Submitted to the CFO Council

Minutes

November 17, 2021 MEETING

Meeting Announcement (Federal Register Notice, November 9, 2021)

Meeting Materials

Agenda

Livestream via YouTube 

Presentation Slides - Chief FOIA Officers Council Presentation

Public Comments Submitted to the CFO Council

Transcript

Minutes

April 29, 2021 MEETING

Meeting Announcement (Federal Register Notice, April 15, 2021)

Meeting Materials

Agenda

Livestream via YouTube 

Minutes

Transcript

October 14, 2020 MEETING

Meeting Announcement (Federal Register Notice, September 28, 2020)

Meeting Materials

Agenda

Livestream via YouTube 

Presentation Slides - Update from the Office of Information Policy (OIP)

Presentation Slides - Update from the Office of Government Information Services (OGIS)

Presentation Slides - Update from the Chief FOIA Officers Council, Technology Committee

Minutes

Transcript

August 5, 2019 Meeting

Meeting Announcement (Federal Register Notice, July 9, 2019)

Meeting Materials

Agenda

Livestream via YouTube 

Presentation Slides - Foundations for Evidence-Based Policymaking Act of 2018

Presentation Slides - 2020 Chief FOIA Officer Report Guidelines

Presentation Slides - Report by CFO Council Technology Subcommittee

Minutes

October 4, 2018 Meeting

Meeting Announcement (Federal Register Notice, September 25, 2018)

Meeting Materials

Agenda

Livestream via YouTube 

Presentation Slides 1

Presentation Slides 2

Minutes

July 19, 2018 Meeting

Meeting Announcement (Federal Register Notice, June 16, 2017)

Meeting Materials

Agenda

Livestream Recording

Minutes

July 27, 2017 Meeting

Meeting Announcement (Federal Register Notice, June 15, 2017)

Meeting Materials

Agenda

Livestream Recording

Presentation Slides

Panelist Slides

Minutes

September 15, 2016 Meeting

Meeting Announcement (Federal Register Notice; August 29, 2016) 
Meeting Recap - CFO Council Receives Feedback on "Release to All" Policy at Second Meeting (October 4, 2016)

Meeting Materials

 Agenda

 Presentation Slides

 Reporters Committee for Freedom of the Press Presentation Slides

 Minutes

Working Documents

 Agency Responses to "Release to All" Implementation Questionnaire (CSV)

July 23, 2016 Meeting (Inaugural Meeting)

Meeting Announcement (Federal Register Notice; July 5, 2016)
Meeting Recap - CFO Council Holds First Meeting at the White House (July 27, 2016)

Meeting Materials

Agenda

Presentation Slides

Livestream Recording

Minutes

Working Documents

Proactive Disclosure Pilot Assessment

Memorandum to agency Chief FOIA Officers on Implementation of the "Release to One, Release to All" Presumption

"Release to All" Implementation Questionnaire for agency Chief FOIA Officers

Updated November 4, 2022