View Rule

The United States Department of Agriculture’s (USDA) Departmental Freedom of Information Act (FOIA) Office is proposing revisions to USDA’s current regulations codified at 7 CFR part 1 subpart A and last revised on July 28, 2000, that implement the FOIA, 5 U.S.C. 552. The revisions in this notice are modeled, in part, after the template published by the Department of Justice Office of Information Policy and will streamline USDA’s FOIA processing procedures, include current cost figures to be used in those rare instances where a requester seeks paper records in lieu of electronic records but, most importantly, incorporate both administrative and procedural changes brought about by the OPEN Government Act of 2007 and the FOIA Improvement Act of 2016, like the designation of a FOIA Public Liaison, the requirement for written notice by USDA to extend the time limits for processing, codification of the foreseeable harm standard, and the extended window for requesters to file an appeal.