Request for open government reports and recommendations
| Tracking # |
18-06163-F |
| Submitted | March 29, 2018 |
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Communications
From: Alexander Howard
To Whom It May Concern:
Pursuant to the Freedom of Information Act, I hereby request the following records:
1) the draft of the 2016-2018 open government plan, self-assessment and progress report prepared for the agency by its former CTO, Marina Martin, to comply with President Obama's Open Government Directive, along with print or electronic correspondence about this report between Martin, the Secretary of the Agency, and public information officers
3) recommendations for open government and open data prepared and submitted by the U.S. Digital Service, along with print or electronic correspondence about this report between Martin, agency leadership and public information officers
4) Any and all other internal evaluations of open government and open data and related recommendations prepared and submitted to the VA CTO in 2017, along with print or or electronic correspondence about it between Secretary Shulkin's office and the CTO
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 and that the response to it is published online for public consumption, as well as delivered 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,
Alexander Howard
Deputy Director
Sunlight Foundation
From:
An acknowledgement letter, stating the request is being processed.
From:
The request has been rejected by the agency.
From: Alexander Howard
This partial determination is not in the public interest.
The open government plan, progress report and self-assessment should have been proactively disclosed in 2016, per President Obama's executive order and subsequent White House memoranda. Other agencies covered by the CFO Act did so. The VA committed to me that it would disclose them and broke its promise.
Separately, the recommendations and reports on open government and open data that I have requested are also in the public interest to disclose. The use of Exemption 5 to deny disclosure is particularly inappropriate, given the subject matter.
I respectfully ask that the VA reconsider this determination and publish all of my requests at VA.gov/open.
From:
A letter stating that the request appeal has been received and is being processed.
From:
A letter stating that the request appeal has been received and is being processed.
From:
A cover letter granting the request and outlining any exempted materials, if any.
From:
A copy of documents responsive to the request.
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