Bush Administration Issues EO on FOIA Administration

The Bush administration's new executive order requires the designation of a senior official at each federal agency to serve as the Chief FOIA Officer of that agency. The Chief FOIA Officer will be responsible for compliance and performance. Each officer will develop a plan that includes "specific activities that the agency will implement to eliminate or reduce the agency's FOIA backlog, including (as applicable) changes that will make the processing of FOIA requests more streamlined and effective, as well as increased reliance on the dissemination of records that can be made available to the public through a website or other means that do not require the public to make a request for the records under the FOIA."