Introduction to FOIA

Introduction to FOIA

Learn about the basics of FOIA, such as the requirements for disclosure, the timeline for disclosure, and the 1996 amendments to FOIA.

Transcript

The Freedom of Information Act, or FOIA, requires government agencies to make available to the public certain agency records. FOIA imposes three disclosure requirements. First, agencies must publish substantive rules of general applicability, also called legislative rules, in the Federal Register. Second, agencies must make other information, most notably final opinions in adjudications, available for public inspection and copying. And third, agencies must, upon request, make agency records...