FOIA March Madness 2019 - Exhibition bracket - FOIA funding, staffing, and activities (Department of Interior, Office of the Special Trustee)

Beryl Lipton filed this request with the Department of Interior, Office of the Special Trustee of the United States of America.
Tracking #

DOI-OS-2023-002114
Multi Request FOIA March Madness 2019 - Exhibition bracket - FOIA funding, staffing, and activities
Submitted March 15, 2019
Status
Completed

Communications

From: Beryl Lipton

Subject: Freedom of Information Act Request: FOIA March Madness 2019 - Exhibition bracket - FOIA funding, staffing, and activities (Department of Interior, Office of the Special Trustee)

Email


To Whom It May Concern:

Pursuant to the Freedom of Information Act, I hereby request the following records:

The following materials related to the funding, staffing, and activities of this FOIA office:

***Budget materials***
- - - > > > for the years 2017, 2018, and 2019, all budget materials or plans applicable to offices responsible for processing and response to FOIA requests and appeals submitted to this Bureau and its offices.

***Staffing orders/reports/contacts***
- - - > > > for the years 2017 and 2018, staffing reports and plans, including the count of employee numbers and for offices responsible for processing and responses to FOIA requests and appeals submitted to this Bureau and its offices.
- If this report is available in a form that includes the total number of hours worked for FOIA personnel, that version would be preferred.
- If reports are available for each month, that version is preferred.
- According to this agency’s “About Us” website (https://www.doi.gov/foia/About-Us):
“The Department has decentralized its FOIA operations among 13 bureaus and offices, each of which has a Bureau/Office FOIA Officer leading its separately managed and resourced FOIA Program. Secretarial Order 3244 (November 12, 2002) anchored Bureau/Office FOIA Offices within their respective CIOs' Offices. That order was superseded by Secretarial Order 3309 (December 14, 2010), which replaced Bureau/Office CIOs with Assistant Directors for Information Resources and initiated a series of significant ongoing organizational changes as part of the Department's IT Transformation.
Bureau/office FOIA Officers are responsible for tracking, managing and responding to FOIA requests for records in their organization's possession and control, and administering their organization's FOIA programs. In addition to Bureau/Office FOIA Officers, some bureaus/offices also have Regional FOIA Coordinators and Field Offices that process requests. Some bureaus/offices have their program offices (i.e., the offices whose records are the subject of the requests) prepare the responses to FOIA requests. These responses are reviewed by the FOIA Officer or Regional FOIA Coordinator and the appropriate FOIA attorney (when the decision is to withhold information, make a discretionary release, or deny a fee waiver).”

- - - > > > all staffing reports and plans for the year 2019
- If reports are available for each month, such a version is preferred.

- - - > > > contact information, including email addresses and phone numbers (if available), for each FOIA officer currently tasked with an open public records request

***FOIA requester categories***
- - - > > > for the years 2017 and 2018, the designated category of each requester of a FOIA request to this office, including those assigned to the following categories:
* commercial;
* educational and noncommercial scientific institutions;
* representative of news media requester;
* all other requesters
- If this information is kept in an aggregate form including the number of requesters by fee category by year, a copy of this report will suffice to fulfill this element of the request.

***FOIA fee waivers***
- - - > > > for the years 2017 and 2018, the number of fee waivers granted by this office and, if available, the tracking numbers for the FOIA requests to which waivers were granted

***FOIA fee collection***
- - - > > > for the years 2017 and 2018, any report capturing the following information:
* total estimated processing and copy fees quoted to FOIA requesters
* total processing and copy fees collected by this Bureau from each fee category
- If this information is kept in an aggregate form, such as a FOIA log, that material would be sufficient to satisfy the bullet points “FOIA requester categories” and “FOIA fee collection” if it captures the following information:
* FOIA tracking number
* requester fee category
* amount processing and copy fees associated with the request
* the status of the requester’s payment for the request

***FOIA Policy Staff audit reports or summaries***
- - - > > > for the years 2017 and 2018, any and all reports of self-assessments conducted by FOIA Policy Staff
- According to the U.S. Department of the Interior 2018 Chief FOIA Officer Report, “Department FOIA Policy Staff regularly conduct self- assessments of the Department’s FOIA program, by reviewing Annual Report data, conducting audits of each bureau at least bi-annually, and reviewing and updating processing procedures, including its FOIA regulations.”

The requested documents will be made available to the general public, and this request is not being made for commercial purposes.

In the event that there are fees, I would be grateful if you would inform me of the total charges in advance of fulfilling my request. I would prefer the request filled electronically, by e-mail attachment if available or CD-ROM if not.

Thank you in advance for your anticipated cooperation in this matter. I look forward to receiving your response to this request within 20 business days, as the statute requires.

Sincerely,

Beryl Lipton

From: Department of Interior, Office of the Special Trustee

Subject: RE: Freedom of Information Act Request: FOIA March Madness 2019 - Exhibition bracket - FOIA funding, staffing, and activities (Department of Interior, Office of the Special Trustee)

Email

Hello:

Thank you for your email dated September 16, 2022, to Ms. Meleanie Bell of the Bureau of Trust Funds Administration (BTFA). The Assistant Secretary - Indian Affairs FOIA office did not received any FOIA submission. It appears you are seeking to make a FOIA request, but you sent your request via email rather than using one of the written forms of submission listed on the Department’s FOIA website, https://www.doi.gov/foia, or utilizing physical or facsimile addresses of an appropriate FOIA contact, located at https://www.doi.gov/foia/contacts. Per our regulations, your request cannot be processed until you resubmit it utilizing one of the written forms of submission noted above. See 43 C.F.R. § 2.3(b). Thank you.
Bureau and Office FOIA Contacts | U.S. Department of the Interior<https://www.doi.gov/foia/contacts>
You may use the below contact information to ask questions to the bureau/office FOIA Contacts to assist you in determining what information you can obtain without submitting a FOIA request or where such information may be located.
www.doi.gov

Freedom of Information Act (FOIA) Requests | U.S. Department of the Interior<https://www.doi.gov/foia>
The Freedom of Information Act (FOIA) allows the public to request records from federal agencies. In this section, learn how to request and access agency records made available under the FOIA.
www.doi.gov

Heather Garcia
​​​​Government Information Specialist
Assistant Secretary- Indian Affairs - FOIA Office
1849 C Street NW 3216-MIB
Washington, DC 20240
Phone# (202)208-3135
heather.garcia@bia.gov<mailto:heather.garcia@bia.gov>
POSITIVE PEOPLE POWERFUL RESULTS

https://www.bia.gov/as-ia/foia/reading-room The ASIA FOIA Reading Room. Frequently requested records are posted here.

The Freedom of Information Act (FOIA) office in the Assistant Secretary - Indian Affairs are continuing to process FOIA requests to the best of their ability during the COVID-19 pandemic. To keep employees healthy and safe, the Assistant Secretary - Indian Affairs is maximizing telework flexibility and employing social distancing protocols. As a result of these precautions, most employees are working remotely and unable to collect hard copy records located in government facilities at this time. If your request is for hard copy records, the response to your request will very likely be delayed.

Warning: this email may contain Privacy Act data/sensitive data which is intended only for the use of the individual(s) to whom it is addressed. It may contain information that is privileged, confidential, or otherwise protected from disclosure under applicable laws. If you are not the intended recipient, you are hereby notified that any distribution or copy of this email is strictly prohibited.

From: Muckrock Staff

Subject: RE: Freedom of Information Act Request: FOIA March Madness 2019 - Exhibition bracket - FOIA funding, staffing, and activities (Department of Interior, Office of the Special Trustee)

Mail

Hi,

Please see the following request for records. Thank you for your help with this request.

Sincerely,
MuckRock

From: Department of Interior, Office of the Special Trustee

Subject: None

Web

Thank you for your email dated January 20, 2022, to Ms. Heather Garcia in the Office of the Assistant Secretary - Indian Affairs. The Assistant Secretary - Indian Affairs FOIA office does not have record of this FOIA submission in our tracking system. It appears you are seeking to make a FOIA request, but you sent your request via email rather than using one of the written forms of submission listed on the Department’s FOIA website, https://www.doi.gov/foia, or utilizing physical or facsimile addresses of an appropriate FOIA contact, located at https://www.doi.gov/foia/contacts. Per our regulations, your request cannot be processed until you resubmit it utilizing one of the written forms of submission noted above. See 43 C.F.R. § 2.3(b). Thank you.

From: Department of Interior, Office of the Special Trustee

Subject: FOIA Request DOI-OS-2023-002114 Submitted

Email

This message is to confirm your request submission to the FOIAonline application: View Request. Request information is as follows: (https://foiaonline.gov/foiaonline/action/public/submissionDetails?trackingNumber=DOI-OS-2023-002114&type=Request)

* Tracking Number: DOI-OS-2023-002114
* Requester Name:
Beryl Lipton
* Date Submitted: 01/25/2023
* Request Status: Submitted
* Description:
To Whom It May Concern:

Pursuant to the Freedom of Information Act, I hereby request the following records:

The following materials related to the funding, staffing, and activities of this FOIA office:

***Budget materials***
- - - > > > for the years 2017, 2018, and 2019, all budget materials or plans applicable to offices responsible for processing and response to FOIA requests and appeals submitted to this Bureau and its offices.

***Staffing orders/reports/contacts***
- - - > > > for the years 2017 and 2018, staffing reports and plans, including the count of employee numbers and for offices responsible for processing and responses to FOIA requests and appeals submitted to this Bureau and its offices.
- If this report is available in a form that includes the total number of hours worked for FOIA personnel, that version would be preferred.
- If reports are available for each month, that version is preferred.
- According to this agency’s “About Us” website (https://www.doi.gov/foia/About-Us):
“The Department has decentralized its FOIA operations among 13 bureaus and offices, each of which has a Bureau/Office FOIA Officer leading its separately managed and resourced FOIA Program. Secretarial Order 3244 (November 12, 2002) anchored Bureau/Office FOIA Offices within their respective CIOs' Offices. That order was superseded by Secretarial Order 3309 (December 14, 2010), which replaced Bureau/Office CIOs with Assistant Directors for Information Resources and initiated a series of significant ongoing organizational changes as part of the Department's IT Transformation.
Bureau/office FOIA Officers are responsible for tracking, managing and responding to FOIA requests for records in their organization's possession and control, and administering their organization's FOIA programs. In addition to Bureau/Office FOIA Officers, some bureaus/offices also have Regional FOIA Coordinators and Field Offices that process requests. Some bureaus/offices have their program offices (i.e., the offices whose records are the subject of the requests) prepare the responses to FOIA requests. These responses are reviewed by the FOIA Officer or Regional FOIA Coordinator and the appropriate FOIA attorney (when the decision is to withhold information, make a discretionary release, or deny a fee waiver).”

- - - > > > all staffing reports and plans for the year 2019
- If reports are available for each month, such a version is preferred.

- - - > > > contact information, including email addresses and phone numbers (if available), for each FOIA officer currently tasked with an open public records request

***FOIA requester categories***
- - - > > > for the years 2017 and 2018, the designated category of each requester of a FOIA request to this office, including those assigned to the following categories:
* commercial;
* educational and noncommercial scientific institutions;
* representative of news media requester;
* all other requesters
- If this information is kept in an aggregate form including the number of requesters by fee category by year, a copy of this report will suffice to fulfill this element of the request.

***FOIA fee waivers***
- - - > > > for the years 2017 and 2018, the number of fee waivers granted by this office and, if available, the tracking numbers for the FOIA requests to which waivers were granted

***FOIA fee collection***
- - - > > > for the years 2017 and 2018, any report capturing the following information:
* total estimated processing and copy fees quoted to FOIA requesters
* total processing and copy fees collected by this Bureau from each fee category
- If this information is kept in an aggregate form, such as a FOIA log, that material would be sufficient to satisfy the bullet points “FOIA requester categories” and “FOIA fee collection” if it captures the following information:
* FOIA tracking number
* requester fee category
* amount processing and copy fees associated with the request
* the status of the requester’s payment for the request

***FOIA Policy Staff audit reports or summaries***
- - - > > > for the years 2017 and 2018, any and all reports of self-assessments conducted by FOIA Policy Staff
- According to the U.S. Department of the Interior 2018 Chief FOIA Officer Report, “Department FOIA Policy Staff regularly conduct self- assessments of the Department’s FOIA program, by reviewing Annual Report data, conducting audits of each bureau at least bi-annually, and reviewing and updating processing procedures, including its FOIA regulations.”

The requested documents will be made available to the general public, and this request is not being made for commercial purposes.

In the event that there are fees, I would be grateful if you would inform me of the total charges in advance of fulfilling my request. I would prefer the request filled electronically, by e-mail attachment if available or CD-ROM if not.

Thank you in advance for your anticipated cooperation in this matter. I look forward to receiving your response to this request within 20 business days, as the statute requires.

Sincerely,

Beryl Lipton

From: Department of Interior, Office of the Special Trustee

Subject: FOIA Request #DOI-OS-2023-002114

Portal

Good evening Ms. Lipton:
Please see the attached correspondence pertaining to the subject FOIA request.
Thank you again for your interest in the Department.
Regards,
Bill

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