1、 https:/crsreports.congress.gov October 26, 2021Freedom of Information Act Requests in FY2020: By the NumbersThe Freedom of Information Act (FOIA; 5 U.S.C. 552) establishes a presumption that agency records in the possession of the executive branch and departments of the federal government are acces
2、sible to the public. Under FOIA, the burden of proof to access government information shifted from a requesters “need to know” to a “right to know” doctrine, where the federal government has to show a need to keep the information secret (H.Rept. 109-226). Government-wide information on the administr
3、ation of FOIA is provided by the Department of Justice (DOJ) at http:/www.foia.gov. This In Focus provides and discusses information from agencies on the volume of FOIA requests during FY2020 and FY2019 that were received, processed, and backlogged. About the Data Data in this In Focus were drawn fr
4、om FOIA.gov. Please note the sites data are self-reported from federal agencies. Additionally, the number of agencies that participate and submit data may vary from year to year. Thus, CRS cannot certify all agencies are included in this data set. More information is available on data collection and