Department of Justice Issues Proposed New FOIA Regulations

As part of its Open Government Plan, the Department of Justice committed to undertaking a review of the Department’s FOIA regulations.  As announced during Sunshine Week, that review has been completed and revised FOIA regulations have been drafted.  On March 21, 2011, the Department posted in the Federal Register the proposed new FOIA regulations for public comment. The Department’s FOIA regulations have been revised to update and streamline the language of several procedural provisions, to incorporate certain of the changes brought about by the OPEN Government Act of 2007, to reflect developments in the case law, and to include current cost figures to be used in assessing fees.  The public may submit written comments on the proposed regulations up until April 20, 2011.  To access the proposed regulations enter the keyword DOJ-OAG-2011-0005 on the regulations.gov website.