Notice2026-07479
Freedom of Information Act (FOIA) Advisory Committee: Charter Renewal and Solicitation of Nominations
Primary source
Metadata and text below are from the Federal Register, a public-domain U.S. government work. Always verify the official published version before relying on it for any legal matter.
Published
April 17, 2026
Issuing agencies
National Archives and Records Administration
Abstract
NARA has determined that it is in the public interest to renew the charter for the Freedom of Information Act (FOIA) Advisory Committee (Committee) for a seventh term and seeks nominations for membership to serve on the Committee.
Full Text
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<title>Federal Register, Volume 91 Issue 74 (Friday, April 17, 2026)</title>
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[Federal Register Volume 91, Number 74 (Friday, April 17, 2026)]
[Notices]
[Pages 20711-20712]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [<a href="http://www.gpo.gov">www.gpo.gov</a>]
[FR Doc No: 2026-07479]
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NATIONAL ARCHIVES AND RECORDS ADMINISTRATION
[NARA-2026-014]
Freedom of Information Act (FOIA) Advisory Committee: Charter
Renewal and Solicitation of Nominations
AGENCY: Office of Government Information Services (OGIS), National
Archives and Records Administration (NARA).
ACTION: Notice; solicitation for Committee member nominations.
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SUMMARY: NARA has determined that it is in the public interest to renew
the charter for the Freedom of Information Act (FOIA) Advisory
Committee (Committee) for a seventh term and seeks nominations for
membership to serve on the Committee.
DATES: We must receive nominations for Committee members on or before
Monday, June 1, 2026.
ADDRESSES: Email nominations to OGIS at <a href="/cdn-cgi/l/email-protection#0f6960666e226e6b79667c607d76226c606262667b7b6a6a4f616e7d6e21686079"><span class="__cf_email__" data-cfemail="21474e48400c40455748524e53580c424e4c4c4855554444614f4053400f464e57">[email protected]</span></a>. If you are unable to submit by email, please
contact Kirsten Mitchell at the contact information below.
FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Kirsten Mitchell, Designated Federal
Officer for this committee, by email at <a href="/cdn-cgi/l/email-protection#34525b5d55195550425d475b464d19575b59595d40405151745a5546551a535b42"><span class="__cf_email__" data-cfemail="cfa9a0a6aee2aeabb9a6bca0bdb6e2aca0a2a2a6bbbbaaaa8fa1aebdaee1a8a0b9">[email protected]</span></a>, or by telephone at 202.741.5770.
SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION:
Background
The National Archives and Records Administration (NARA) established
the Freedom of Information Act (FOIA) Advisory Committee (Committee) to
foster dialogue between the Administration and the requester community,
solicit public comments, and develop recommendations for improving the
FOIA process. The Committee operates under the directive in FOIA, 5
U.S.C. 552(h)(2)(C), that the Office of Government Information Services
(OGIS) within NARA ``identify procedures and methods for improving
compliance'' with FOIA. The Committee is governed by the provisions of
the Federal Advisory Committee Act, as amended, 5 U.S.C. 1001-1014.
II. Charter and Membership Appointment Terms
NARA initially chartered the Committee on May 20, 2014. NARA has
determined that renewing the Committee is in the public interest. See
IV, Public Interest Determination, below. Member appointment terms run
for two years, concurrent with the Committee charter.
III. Committee Membership
The 2026-2028 FOIA Advisory Committee will consist of no more than
20 individuals who will include a range of Government and non-
Government representatives. Members are selected in accordance with the
charter. Considerations when making appointments will include
geographic breadth; various sizes of companies or organizations to be
represented; and representation from a variety of fields of business
and industry, academic institutions, non-profit and non-governmental
organizations, and other stakeholders in accordance with the charter.
Government members will include, at a minimum: Three FOIA
professionals from Cabinet-level Departments; three FOIA professionals
from non-Cabinet agencies; the director of the Department of Justice's
Office of Information Policy (OIP) or the OIP Director's designee; and
the Director of OGIS or the OGIS Director's designee.
Non-Governmental members will include, at a minimum: Two
individuals representing the interests of non-Governmental
organizations that advocate on FOIA matters; one individual
representing the interests of FOIA requesters who qualify for the ``all
other'' FOIA requester fee category; one individual representing the
interests of requesters who qualify for the ``news media'' FOIA
requester fee category; one individual representing the interests of
requesters who qualify for the ``commercial'' FOIA requester fee
category; one individual representing the interests of historians and
history-related organizations; and one individual representing the
interests of academia.
IV. Committee Members' Responsibilities
All Committee members are expected to attend a minimum of 12 public
meetings during the two-year Committee term. Meetings will be held
virtually to save costs with some in-person meetings possible. All
Committee members are expected to volunteer for one or more working
subcommittees that will meet at various times during the two-year term.
The first meeting of the 2026-2028 Committee term is scheduled for
Thursday, September 10, 2026. Meeting notices will be published in the
Federal Register.
V. Nomination Information
All nominations for Committee membership must include the following
information:
1. If you are self-nominating: Your name, title, relevant contact
information (including telephone and email address), and the
representative role for which you wish to be considered;
2. If you are nominating another individual: The nominee's name,
title, and relevant contact information, and the Committee position for
which you are submitting the nominee;
3. For both self-nominations and nominations by other individuals:
(a) A short paragraph or biography about the nominee (fewer than 250
words), summarizing their resum[eacute] or otherwise highlighting the
contributions the nominee would bring to the Committee; and (b) the
nominee's resum[eacute] or curriculum vitae.
Nominations selected for appointment to the Committee will be
notified in writing prior to the first Committee meeting of the seventh
term.
[[Page 20712]]
VI. Public Interest Determination
Pursuant to 41 CFR 102-3.65, the National Archives and Records
Administration provides this written notice determination that the FOIA
Advisory Committee is in the public interest. The following factors
below provide an overview of the Committee's operations and public
interest intent.
Annual Budget--The overall operating costs for the Committee
$230,632. The expected costs are:
(i) Federal personnel (based on a full-time equivalent (FTE) of
.97) is $195,491.
(ii) Other Federal internal costs are $4,233.
(iii) Proposed payments to members is $0. The estimated
compensation to non-NARA government members, borne by their employing
agencies, is $35,141.
(iv) Reimbursable costs are $0.
The Committee does not recommend grants.
Criteria for Selecting Members--Committee members must have
significant knowledge of and expertise with FOIA. Eight of the 10
government seats are designated for specific FOIA stakeholder
representation. Three seats are designated for representatives of
Cabinet-level departments while three seats are designated for non-
Cabinet-level agencies.
Seven of the 10 non-government seats are designated for specific
FOIA stakeholder representation with seats designated for
representatives of non-government organizations that advocate on FOIA
matters, and representatives from the three FOIA fee categories, among
others. Selection criteria includes consideration of geography,
organization size, and range of representatives across business,
academia, non-profit and non-governmental sectors.
Existing Federal Advisory Committees--NARA has three Federal
advisory committees in addition to the FOIA Advisory Committee:
(1) Records of Congress Advisory Committee
(2) National Industrial Security Program Policy Advisory Committee
(3) State, Local, Tribal, and Public Sector Policy Advisory
Committee
Justification--The FOIA Advisory Committee is unique. No other
Federal advisory committee--or alternative, less costly mechanism--
provides a structured forum for FOIA requesters and FOIA professionals
to jointly address systemic challenges in FOIA administration. The
Committee directly supports the Office of Government Information
Services' (OGIS) statutory responsibility under 5 U.S.C. 552(h)(2)(C)
to identify procedures and methods for improving FOIA compliance. While
OGIS draws insights from assisting requesters and agencies in more than
6,000 cases annually, it relies on the Committee's cross-sector
expertise to fulfill this statutory mandate effectively.
Summary of Previous Committee Accomplishments--Since its
establishment in 2014, the FOIA Advisory Committee has issued 67
recommendations, leading to measurable government-wide improvements in
FOIA administration, including:
(1) Updated OMB FOIA Fee Guidelines
(2) Creation of the Technology Committee of the Chief FOIA Officers
Council
(3) Department of Justice (DOJ) Office of Information Policy
guidance on key issues
(4) Recommendations to modify the Federal Acquisition Regulation
(FAR)
(5) Development of three e-Learning FOIA training modules for the
Federal workforce: executives, FOIA professionals, and Federal
employees whose primary responsibility is not FOIA
(6) Publication of a request for information (RFI) and scheduling
of a FOIA tech showcase to identify technology for Federal agencies to
assist in FOIA administration using artificial intelligence (AI)
Why the Committee is Essential--Renewing the Committee charter is
particularly important during a period of significant government
transition. The President's Management Agenda (December 2025)
emphasizes transparency. FOIA is the most robust transparency mechanism
and a cornerstone of public access to Federal records.
The Committee's work supports NARA's vision of embracing a shared
commitment to transparency and the emphasis on transparency and access
to information in the President's Management Agenda.
In conclusion, this public interest determination documents that
renewing the Committee is in the public interest, essential to the
conduct of agency business, and that the information to be obtained is
not already available through another advisory committee or source
within the Federal Government.
Merrily Harris,
Committee Management Officer.
[FR Doc. 2026-07479 Filed 4-16-26; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 7515-01-P
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