U.S. Commission on Civil Rights

Freedom of Information Act (FOIA) Report

FOR OCTOBER 1, 1998 THROUGH SEPTEMBER 30, 1999

  1. BASIC INFORMATION:

    1. Point of Contact:

      Emma Gonzalez-Joy
      Room 621
      624 Ninth Street, N.W.
      Washington, D.C. 20425
      Phone: (202) 376-8351
      Fax: (202) 376-1163

    2. Electronic Address for Report:

      The FY 1999 FOIA Report for the U.S.C.C.R. will be available at the Commission's home page, at: www.usccr.gov

    3. Paper Copies of Report:

      Paper copies can be requested from the person/address listed above.

  2. HOW TO MAKE THE FOIA REQUEST:

    1. USCCR policy

      Make the fullest possible disclosure of information and records to any requester, without unnecessary expenses or delay.

    2. Requirements:

      There are four basic agency requirements for making a FOIA request:

      1. Request must be in writing (mailed correspondence, fax) and include the requester's mailing address;

      2. The envelope and letter content must identify the request as a FOIA request;

      3. The request must provide enough detail to allow identification of the requested records; and

      4. The request must include agreement to pay fees chargeable under USCCR's fee schedule.

    3. Agency Components:

      Request for records of the agency should be sent to USCCR FOIA Officer, Rm. 621, 624 Ninth Street, N.W. Washington, D.C. 20425. Phone: 202-376-8351, Fax: 202-376-1163.

    4. USCCR response-time ranges:
      The agency generally manages to respond to FOIA requests within three to four weeks for records that can be found at the agency. Response times over 20 working days are generally the result of the need to track and retrieve documents from off-site storage at the Federal Records Center, or need to consult among agency components.

    5. Why some requests are not granted:
      Requests for records may not be granted if the documents have been transferred to the ownership of the National Archives and Records Administration, if the requested records contain predecisional information that if released would cause harm to USCCR decision-making processes; for portions of records that contain personal and/or proprietary information; for records containing information compiled for law enforcement purposes; or if the requester asked for information specifically prohibited from disclosure by other statutes.

  3. DEFINITION OF TERMS AND ACRONYMS USED IN THE REPORT:

    1. Agency-specific terms and acronyms:

      There are no agency-specific terms or acronyms used in this report.

    2. Basic terms:

      The basic terms used in this report are the same in meaning as explained in Department of Justice guidance.

  4. EXEMPTION 3 STATUTES:

    Exemption 3 statutes relied on by USCCR during current fiscal year: None

  5. INITIAL FOIA/PA ACCESS REQUESTS:

    1. Numbers of initial requests:

      1. Number of requests pending as of end of preceding fiscal year: 4

      2. Number of requests received during current fiscal year: 54

      3. Number of requests processed during current fiscal year: 58

      4. Number of requests pending as of end of current fiscal year: 0

    2. Disposition of initial requests:

      1. Number of total grants (records released in full): 14

      2. Number of partial grants (records released in part): 0

      3. Number of denials (total withholding of records): 0

      4. Number of times each FOIA exemption was used: 0

      5. Other reasons for nondisclosure (total): 45

        1. No records: 43

        2. Referrals: 2

        3. Request withdrawn: 0

        4. Fee-related reason: 0

        5. Records not reasonably described: 0

        6. Duplicate request: 0

  6. APPEALS OF INITIAL DENIALS OF FOIA/PA REQUESTS

    1. Numbers of appeals

      1. Number of appeals received during fiscal year: 1

      2. Number of appeals processed during fiscal year: 1

    2. Disposition of appeals

      1. Number completely upheld: 0

      2. Number partially reversed: 0

      3. Number completely reversed: 0

      4. Number of times each FOIA exemption used: N/A

      5. Other reasons for nondisclosure (total): 1

  7. COMPLIANCE WITH TIME LIMITS/STATUS OF PENDING REQUESTS

    1. Median processing time for requests processed during the year:

      NOTE: USCCR uses a single first-in, first-out method of processing requests. The agency received no requests for expedited access during fiscal year 1999.

      1. Number of requests processed: 57

      2. Median number of days to process: 10

    2. Status of pending requests:

      1. Number of requests pending as of end of current fiscal year: 0

      2. Median number of days that such requests were pending as of that date: 0

  8. COSTS/FOIA STAFFING

    1. Staffing levels:

      1. Number of full-time FOIA personnel: None

      2. Number of personnel with part-time or occasional FOIA duties: 1

      3. Total number of personnel (in work years): 1/5

    2. Total costs (including staff and all resources)

      1. FOIA processing (including appeals): 25,000

      2. Litigation-related activities (estimated): No litigation in FY99

      3. Total costs: 25,000

  9. FEES

    1. Total amount of fees collected by the agency for processing requests: 0

    2. Percentage of total costs: n/a

  10. FOIA REGULATIONS (INCLUDING FEE SCHEDULE)

    USCCR FOIA regulations are published at 45 C.F.R. Part 704, and are available electronically at: https://www.govinfo.gov/app/details/CFR-2020-title45-vol4/CFR-2020-title45-vol4-sec704-1/summary