Office- or department-wide emails, USDA Office of Civil Rights

Dear Mr. Eaton:

The office is in receipt of both your January 24, 2017 and February 22, 2017 Freedom of Information request received in the Freedom of Information Office of the Assistant Secretary for Civil Rights on February 28, 2017. Before we began processing your initial request, we will need to clarify that you are only seeking "All office -or department-wide emails sent or received between January 20, 2017, and the date the office processes your, request, inclusive."

Sincerely,

Samantha Y. Jones, FOIA Specialist
Office of the Assistant Secretary for Civil Rights
Office of Adjudication
Patriot Plaza III
355 E Street, S.W., 3rd Floor
Room 3-240
Washington, DC 20024
E-mail: Samantha.Jones@ascr.usda.gov<mailto:Samantha.Wiggins@ascr.usda.gov>
Voice: 202-720-7569
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This electronic message contains information generated by the USDA solely for the intended recipients. Any unauthorized interception of this message or the use or disclosure of the information it contains may violate the law and subject the violator to civil or criminal penalties. If you believe you have received this message in error, please notify the sender and delete the email immediately.

Dear Mr. Eaton:

Thanks you for clarifying your FOIA request. It appears that you did not submit your FOIA requests through the Agency email box at ascrfoia@ascr.usda.gov<mailto:ascrfoia@ascr.usda.gov>; therefore, can you confirm the email address where you sent your initial FOIA requests, in order that we may conduct a search for records in that email box.

Sincerely,

Samantha Y. Jones, FOIA Specialist
Office of the Assistant Secretary for Civil Rights
Office of Adjudication
Patriot Plaza III
355 E Street, S.W., 3rd Floor
Room 3-240
Washington, DC 20024
E-mail: Samantha.Jones@ascr.usda.gov<mailto:Samantha.Wiggins@ascr.usda.gov>
Voice: 202-720-7569
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Dear Mr. Eaton:

This email is in response to your FOIA requests dated January 24, 2017 and February 22, 2017 Freedom of Information request received in the Freedom of Information Office of the Assistant Secretary for Civil Rights on February 28, 2017. The FOIA request number you provide above is not an assigned FOIA request of USDA. We are assigning your request number as case no.# 2017-ASCR-00016-F. In your initial request you seek "All office- or department-wide emails sent or received between Jan. 20, 2017, and the date your office processes this request, inclusive."

In response to your reply

Dear Mr. Eaton:

The office of the Assistant Secretary for Civil Rights provided you a final response to your FOIA requests dated January 24, 2017 and February 22, 2017 on May 15, 2017 by e-mail please see the attached.

Sincerely,

Samantha Y. Jones, FOIA Specialist
Office of the Assistant Secretary for Civil Rights
Office of Adjudication
Patriot Plaza III
355 E Street, S.W., 3rd Floor
Room 3-240
Washington, DC 20024
E-mail: Samantha.Jones@ascr.usda.gov<mailto:Samantha.Wiggins@ascr.usda.gov>
Voice: 202-720-7569
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Dear Mr. Eaton:

This email is in response to your April 9, 2018, Freedom of information Act (FOIA) request received in the Office of the Assistant Secretary for Civil Rights FOIA Office. Your new FOIA request is assigned FOIA request no. #2018-ASCR-0345-F. Specifically, you are seeking “all-staff emails — that is, emails that went out to all staff in the Department of Agriculture Office of Civil Rights, for example on an all-staff email list — from Jan. 20, 2017, to the date your office processes this request.”

In response to your FOIA request, the FOIA Office submitted a record request to the Data Records and Management Division. Once, the FOIA Office receives the records we will review them and make a disclosure determination.

The actual processing time of your request will depend upon the complexity and whether or not it involves sensitive or voluminous records, or extensive searches and/or consultations. Additionally, this office processes FOIA/PA request on a multi-track basis. This means that simple requests, requiring minimal effort to respond (1-5 days), are processed in one track; normal requests requiring more time to respond (6-20 days) are processed in another track; and complex request involving voluminous records, extensive searches or consultations (requiring more than 20 days) are processed in yet another track. Because your FOIA request may involve voluminous documents, we have placed your request in the complex track. We anticipate completing the review and the disclosure determination of your records no later than May 17, 2018.

If you have questions regarding the status of your request, you may contact this office at the telephone number or email address provided below. Please be sure to reference your request by the assigned case tracking number.

Sincerely,

Dear Mr. Eaton,

In response your email below this office sent you on May 15, 2017, and email pertaining to FOIA case #2017-ASCR-00016-F. The case was processed and closed. We are not permitted to hold cases open or reopen a cases in our system for the previous Fiscal Year once it has been processed; unless there was an appeal to the response. An appeal must be file within 45 days of this office response. Therefore, I am required to assigned a new case #2018-ASCR-0345-F.

Your new request has been given the upmost attention.

Sincerely,

Dear Mr. Eaton:

In response to your FOIA request, the FOIA Office submitted a record request to the Data Records and Management Division, who found your request rather broad, and asked that you narrow your request for emails sent to all OASCR staff to a specific subject. For example, OASCR staff receive emails regarding Human Resource matters, Training, IT matters, Severe Weather Alert, Transportation issues, Policy and Regulation notices along with other broadcasts relating to Civil Rights issues.

Please provide us with a reply in order that we may accurately respond to your FOIA request.

Sincerely,

Office of the Assistant Secretary for Civil Rights
Freedom of Information/Privacy Office
Office of Adjudication
Patriot Plaza III
355 E Street, S.W., 3rd Floor
Washington, DC 20024
E-mail: ascrfoia@ascr.usda.gov<mailto:ascrfoia@ascr.usda.gov>
Voice: 202-720-7569

Dear Mr. Eaton:

This email is in response to your April 5, 2018, Freedom of information Act (FOIA) request received in the Office of the Assistant Secretary for Civil Rights’ (OASCR) FOIA office. Your FOIA request is assigned FOIA request no. #2018-ASCR-0345-F. Specifically, you seek “all-staff emails that went out to all staff in OASCR from January 20, 2017 to the date the office processes this request.”