Freedom of Information Act (FOIA)
Types of Documents Available from the Commission
The Commission on Civil Rights is an agency that does investigations and reports on civil rights related issues. Copy of these reports can be downloaded from this website, or requested by email as provided in the publications section of this website. The Commission does not decide individual cases of discrimination. However, the Commission does refer discrimination complainants to the appropriate agency through its Complaint Referral Service. To find out information about which agency handles a specific case or type of discrimination you should identify the specific agency with the aid of our publication Getting Uncle Sam to Enforce Your Civil Rights. Should you wish to contact the agency, a list of the FOIA officers of other agencies can be found at the Department of Justice site. If you wish to find out information about contracting opportunities or Commission publications, you should examine the contact information section of this Web site.
FOIA and Privacy Act
FOIA Overview
The Freedom of Information Act (FOIA), 5 U.S.C. Section 552, is a statute that provides a process by which every person may request access to federal agency records or information. Federal agencies, such as the U.S. Commission on Civil Rights, are required to disclose records upon receiving a written request for them unless those records are protected from disclosure by any of the nine exemptions and three exclusions of the FOIA. The FOIA applies only to federal agencies and the records in their custody. The FOIA does not create an access to records held by Congress, the courts or by state and local governments. Any requests for state or local government records should be directed to the appropriate state or local government agency.
Privacy Act Overview
The Privacy Act, 5 U.S.C. Section 552a, establishes certain controls over what personal information is collected by the federal government and how it is used. The act guarantees three primary rights: (1) the right to see records about oneself, subject to the Privacy Act's exemptions; (2) the right to amend that record if it is inaccurate, irrelevant, untimely or incomplete; and (3) the right to sue the government for violations of the statute, including permitting others to see your records, unless specifically permitted by the act.
Executive Order 13,392, Improving Agency Disclosure of Information
On December 14, 2005, the President issued Executive Order 13,392, Agency Disclosure of Information. In the order, the President directed agency FOIA operations to be citizen-centered and results-oriented. The executive order requires each agency to:
- designate a Chief FOIA Officer,
- establish a FOIA Service Center to enable a FOIA requester to seek information concerning the status of their request,
- designate a FOIA Public Liaison, and
- conduct a review of agency’s FOIA operations and draft a plan for improvement for FY 2006 and FY 2007.
Your Right to Federal Records
This pamphlet is a joint publication of the Department of Justice and the General Services Administration concerning both the FOIA and the Privacy Act.
For further information on FOIA you can examine the Department of Justice website on FOIA.