Freedom of Information Act (FOIA)
The Office of the Chief Information Officer (CIO)/G6 has responsibility for oversight of AMCOM's Freedom of Information Act (FOIA) Program. FOIA is a Federal law that establishes the public's right to request existing records from Federal Government agencies. The agency is not required to create documents in response to a request.
FOIA, which is known by its legal cite as 5 U.S.C. 552, along with Department of Defense (DoD) and Army regulations, govern how requests will be processed within the Army. Army regulation (AR) 25-55. The Department of the Army FOIA program can be found at Part 518 of Chapter 32 of the Code of Federal Regulations (CFR), which is available in most public libraries.
FIOA Request
Who can file a FOIA request?
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Requestor's Cost Category
What are the categories of requesters and how are their fees determined?
There are five categories of requesters:
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Costs
IMPORTANT - Willingness to pay statement
All requesters must include a "willingness to pay statement" in their request, regardless of the fee category, however, this does not mean a fee will be charged. The requester can set a limit on the costs to be incurred. For example, he/she may state "not to exceed $50." If the estimate for answering the request exceeds the limit, the FOIA Officer will call the requester to discuss his/her options. The requester has four options: accept the copied documents up to the previous specified amount of money; cancel the entire request; authorize the money needed to complete the request; or, authorize additional funds up to another specified amount. Except for commercial requesters whose fees total more than $15, waivers are always considered. Charges. Fees are assessed only for search, review, and copies. FOIA requesters whose bill comes to $15 or less are not charged:
For FOIA request payments, make check out to "Dept of Treasury" and mail check to: U.S. Army Aviation and Missile Command Knowledge Management Services AMSAM-CIG-K ATTN: AMCOM FOIA Office Building 5301, 3rd Floor Redstone Arsenal, AL 35898 |
Exemptions
What are FOIA exemptions?
There are FOIA exemptions, described in 5 U.S.C. 552(b).
Reasons for not releasing a record? There are seven reasons why an Army component may not release a record requested under FOIA.
What is a denial? When information is withheld, whether partially or fully, this constitutes a denial under FOIA. There are several reasons for not releasing a record or exemptions from FOIA. A request may be denied for one or more of the aforementioned exemptions. When this happens, the requester will be notified in writing by the Initial Denial Authority (IDA) and given appeal rights. IDAs are denial authorities for records that fall under their custodial control. If a request is denied partially, the requester will receive information that has portions deleted. Redacted records have the denied information removed from where it was originally located within the document. The appropriate exemption(s) for deletion of the information should be listed next to the sanitized area(s) on the document. There are usually two methods for sanitizing a document; one is to blacken out the denied information, and the other is to completely remove it. Can I appeal a denial? Yes. If a FOIA request is initially denied in whole or in part under one or more of the above exemptions, or denied for some other reason, the requester will be advised of his appeal rights and the proper procedures for submitting the appeal within 60 days. If the requester is not satisfied with the appeal determination, he may seek judicial review. |
Contact Us
Send questions or comments to: usarmy.redstone.amcom.mbx.g6-foia-office@mail.mil
AMCOM FOIA Officer U.S. Army Aviation and Missile Command Knowledge Management Services AMSAM-CIG-K ATTN: AMCOM FOIA Office Building 5301, 3rd Floor Redstone Arsenal, AL 35898 Fax: (256) 842-9885 For FOIA request payments, make check out to "Dept of Treasury" and mail check to: U.S. Army Aviation and Missile Command Knowledge Management Services AMSAM-CIG-K ATTN: AMCOM FOIA Office Building 5301, 3rd Floor Redstone Arsenal, AL 35898 |