Source: https://www.federalregister.gov/documents/2018/05/02/2018-09212/freedom-of-information-act-regulations
Timestamp: 2018-09-23 18:48:01
Document Index: 566624643

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83 FR 19414
19414-19421 (8 pages)
3262-AA00
https://www.federalregister.gov/d/2018-09212 https://www.federalregister.gov/d/2018-09212
Start Preamble Start Printed Page 19414
The National Commission on Military, National, and Public Service (the “Commission”) is issuing an interim final rule, establishing procedure for the public to obtain information from the Commission under the Freedom of Information Act (FOIA).
You may send comments, identified by Regulatory Information Number (RIN), by any of the following methods:
Email: Please send comments to FOIA@inspire2serve.gov and include the RIN in the subject line of the message.
Website: http://www.inspire2serve.gov/​content/​share-your-thoughts. Follow the instructions on the page to submit a comment and include the RIN in the comment.
Mail: National Commission on Military, National, and Public Service, Attn: Rulemaking—RIN 3262 AA00, 2530 Crystal Drive, Suite 1000, Box No. 63, Arlington, VA 22202.
All submissions received must include the RIN for this rulemaking. If the Commission cannot read your comment due to technical difficulties and cannot contact you for clarification, the Commission may not be able to consider your comment.
On December 23, 2016, the President signed into law the National Defense Authorization Act for Fiscal Year 2017, Public Law 114-328, 130 Stat. 2000 (2016), which created the National Commission on Military, National, and Public Service (the “Commission”). Public Law 114-328, Subtitle F, 130 Stat. at 2130. To establish procedures to facilitate public interaction with the Commission, the agency is issuing interim final regulations under the Freedom of Information Act (FOIA).
This interim final rule establishes procedures for the Commission necessary to implement the Freedom of Information Act (FOIA), which provides for the disclosure of agency records and information to the public, unless that information is exempted under statutory exemptions or exclusions. The procedures established herein are intended to ensure that the Commission fully satisfies its responsibility to the public. The authority for this rulemaking is 5 U.S.C. 552(a), which was amended by the FOIA Improvement Act of 2016, Public Law 114-185, 130 Stat. 538 (2016). It also complies with the policy directives set out in Presidential Memoranda dated January 21, 2009, entitled “Freedom of Information Act” (74 FR 4683, January 26, 2009) and “Transparency and Openness” (74 FR 4685, January 26, 2009), which encourage federal agencies to apply a presumption of disclosure in FOIA decision making.
This interim final rule parallels the procedures currently used by other agencies to implement FOIA. The Commission has determined that good cause exists under 5 U.S.C. 553(b) and 5 U.S.C. 553(d)(3) to waive the notice and comment and delayed effective requirements of the Administrative Procedure Act to publish this regulation as an interim final rule with a request for comments. The Commission is a temporary, independent establishment with statutorily-defined deadlines and a limited existence. It is the intent of the agency to be as transparent as practicable in making information available to the public. This regulation establishes procedures to facilitate the Commission's interactions with the public and the public's access to information about the Commission. In light of this agency's limited duration, as set forth in its enabling legislation, and the need for timely access, the Commission has decided that full notice and comment rulemaking is impracticable and contrary to public policy as the absence of FOIA regulations could impair the public's ability to access information. Additionally, the Commission has determined that full notice and comment rulemaking is not necessary as this regulation constitutes a rule of agency procedure under 5 U.S.C. 553(b). This is because the rule merely establishes procedural requirements for accessing information under FOIA from the Commission. In other words, it outlines how the public may access information available under FOIA. It does not change the substantive standards by which the agency evaluates applications under FOIA. Finally, the Commission has determined that this interim final rule should be issued without a delayed effective date pursuant to 5 U.S.C. 553(d)(3). The 30-day delay in effective date typically allows regulated entities time to revise their policies in light of a regulation that governs those entities' conduct. Here, such a delay is unnecessary because the regulation facilitates the accessibility of information under FOIA.
The Commission certifies this interim rule is not subject to the Regulatory Flexibility Act, 5 U.S.C. 601 et seq., because it will not have a significant economic impact on a substantial number of small entities and it is not issuing a notice of proposed rulemaking.
Therefore, for reasons discussed in the preamble, the National Commission on Military, National, and Public Start Printed Page 19415Service amends 1 CFR part 426 as follows:
Authority: 5 U.S.C. 552(a)
2. Add subpart B, consisting of §§ 426.201 through 426.211, to read as follows:
426.203
426.208
426.209
§ 426.201
This subpart contains the regulations of the National Commission on Military, National, and Public Service (the “Commission”) implementing the Freedom of Information Act (“FOIA”), 5 U.S.C. 552, as amended. These regulations set forth procedures for requesting access to records maintained by the Commission. These regulations should be read together with the text of the FOIA, and the Uniform Freedom of Information Fee Schedule and Guidelines published by the Office of Management and Budget (“OMB Guidelines”). Requests made by individuals for records about themselves under the Privacy Act of 1974, 5 U.S.C. 552a, are processed in accordance with the Commission's Privacy Act regulations as well as under this subpart.
§ 426.202
(a) Records that FOIA requires agencies to make available for public inspection in an electronic format may be accessed through the Commission's website at www.inspire2serve.gov. The Commission will ensure that its website of posted records and indices is reviewed and updated on an ongoing basis. The Commission has a FOIA Public Liaison who can assist individuals in locating records particular to the Commission. A list of agency FOIA Public Liaisons is available at http://www.foia.gov/​report-makerequest.html.
§ 426.203
(b) Form of request. For records not available on the website, requesters wishing to obtain information from the Commission should submit a written request to the Commission. It may be submitted by mail or via the internet (website or email). A request by mail must be addressed to: FOIA Request, National Commission on Military, National, and Public Service, 2530 Crystal Drive, Suite 1000, Box No. 63, Arlington, VA 22202. As there may be delays in mail delivery, it is advisable to send the request via email to FOIA@inspire2serve.gov. The Commission will communicate with the requester by email unless he or she specifies otherwise. Requesters may specify the preferred form or format for the records sought, and the Commission will accommodate the request if the record is readily reproducible in that form or format.
(3) If submitting the request as an educational institution, a non-commercial scientific institution, or a representative of the news media, information to support being placed in that category of requester as they are defined in § 426.210(b);
(4) A fee waiver request, if applicable (see § 426.210(f));Start Printed Page 19416
(5) A statement explaining why expedited processing is necessary, if it is being requested (see § 426.205(c)); and
§ 426.204
§ 426.205
(c) Expedited processing. A request for expedited processing must accompany the initial request for records, and the request should be clearly marked “Expedited Processing Requested.” It must be a certified, written statement of compelling need for expedited processing, stating that the facts are true and correct. The Commission shall decide whether to grant the request within 10 calendar days of its receipt, and shall notify the requester in writing. If the Commission grants this request, then the Commission will give the expedited request priority over non-expedited requests and shall process it as soon as practicable. Denials of expedited processing requests can be appealed using the same procedures as denials of other FOIA requests. In determining whether processing should be Start Printed Page 19417expedited, the Chief FOIA Officer may consider whether:
§ 426.206
(a) Acknowledgements of requests. The Commission will send an acknowledgement of the request in writing and assign it an individualized tracking number if it will take longer than 10 working days to process. Upon request, the Commission will provide an estimated date by which the Commission expects to provide a response to the requester. If a request involves a voluminous amount of material, or searches in multiple locations, the agency may provide interim responses, releasing the records on a rolling basis.
(b) Grant of request. If a FOIA Officer grants a request, in full or in part, the Commission shall promptly provide the requester written notice of the decision, what fees apply under section 10 of this subpart, and the availability of its FOIA Public Liaison to offer assistance. The requester will be notified whether the request has been assigned to the Standard, Complex, or Expedited track, pursuant to § 426.205(b).
(c) Request denial. If the Chief FOIA Officer denies a request in any respect, the Commission will notify the requester of that determination in writing. A denial of request includes decisions that: Fees will not be waived, no expedited processing will be done, there are no responsive records subject to FOIA, the requested record does not exist or has been destroyed, the requested record is exempt in whole or in part, or the request does not reasonably describe the records sought. The written notice will include:
(3) A description of the material withheld, such as the approximate number of pages or some other reasonable form of estimation;
(4) A statement that the denial may be appealed under section 8(a) of this subpart, and a description of the appeal requirements; and
(d) Redactions. When a portion of a record is withheld, the amount of information redacted and the claimed exemption will be noted at the place in the record where the redaction was made.
§ 426.207
Confidential commercial information means commercial or financial information obtained by the Commission from a submitter that may be protected from disclosure under Exemption 4 of the FOIA, 5 U.S.C. 552(b)(4).
Submitter means any person or entity, including a corporation, State, or foreign government, but not including another Federal Government entity, that provides confidential commercial information, either directly or indirectly to the Federal Government.
(c) When notice to submitters is required. (1) The Commission must promptly provide written notice to the submitter of confidential commercial information whenever records containing such information are requested under the FOIA if the agency determines that it may be required to disclose the records, provided the requested information has been designated in good faith by the submitter or the Commission has a reason to believe that the requested information may be protected from disclosure under Exemption 4.
(4) The designation made by the submitter under paragraph (b) of this section appears obviously frivolous. In such case, the Commission must give the submitter written notice of any final decision to disclose the information within a reasonable number of days prior to a specified disclosure date.
(2) If a submitter has any objections to disclosure, it should provide the Commission a detailed written statement that specifies all grounds for withholding the particular information under any exemption of the FOIA. In order to rely on Exemption 4 as basis for nondisclosure, the submitter must explain why the information constitutes a trade secret or commercial or financial information that is confidential.
(3) A submitter who fails to respond within the time period specified in the Start Printed Page 19418notice will be considered to have no objection to disclosure of the information. The Commission is not required to consider any information received after the date of any disclosure decision. Any information provided by a submitter under this subpart may itself be subject to disclosure under the FOIA.
(4) The Commission must consider a submitter's objections and specific grounds for nondisclosure in deciding whether to disclose the requested information.
(f) Notice of intent to disclose. Whenever the Commission decides to disclose information over the objection of a submitter, the agency must provide the submitter written notice, which must include:
(g) Notice of FOIA lawsuit. Whenever a requester files a lawsuit seeking to compel the disclosure of confidential commercial information, the Commission must promptly notify the submitter.
(h) Requester notification. The Commission must notify the requester whenever it provides the submitter with notice and an opportunity to object to disclosure; whenever it notifies the submitter of its intent to disclose the requested information; and whenever a submitter files a lawsuit to prevent the disclosure of the information.
§ 426.208
(1) To deny access to records in whole or in part (as provided in § 426.206(c));
(2) To assign a particular fee category to the requester (as provided in § 426.209(d));
(3) To deny a request for a reduction or waiver of fees (as provided in § 426.209(f));
(4) That no records could be located that are responsive to the request (as provided in § 426.206(c)); or
(5) To deny a request for expedited processing (as provided in § 426.205(c)).
(b) Initiating appeals. Requesters not satisfied with the FOIA Officer's decision may make a written request appealing the decision within 90 days of the date of the FOIA Officer's decision. Any appeal requests should be clearly marked with the words “Freedom of Information Act Appeal.” Appeals may be made through the Commission's email, FOIA@inspire2serve.gov; website, www.inspire2serve.gov, or through the mail, and may be addressed to: FOIA Appeals, National Commission on Military, National, and Public Service, 2530 Crystal Drive, Suite 1000, Box No. 63, Arlington, VA 22202. As there may be delays in mail delivery, it is advisable to send the request via email. The request should set out the name and contact information of the requester, specify the date of the initial request and the initial determination, and set forth why the appeal should be granted.
(d) Appeal decisions. The Commission's Chair or his designee shall decide whether to affirm or reverse the initial determination (in whole or in part), and shall notify the requester of this decision in writing within 20 work days, pursuant to § 426.205(c). If the appeal is denied (in whole or in part), the Commission will notify the requester in writing of the decision, the reasons for the denial (including the FOIA exemptions relied upon), the name and title of the official responsible for the determination on appeal, and the provisions for judicial review and dispute resolution services offered by the OGIS. If the appeal is granted in full or in part, the Chief FOIA Officer will notify the requester in writing and promptly process the request.
(e) Dispute resolution. Dispute resolution is a voluntary process. If the Commission agrees to participate in the dispute resolution services provided by OGIS, it will actively engage as a partner to the process in an attempt to resolve the dispute. Requesters may seek dispute resolution by contacting the FOIA Public Liaison or OGIS at: Office of Government Information Services, National Archives and Records Administration, 8601 Adelphi Road, OGIS, College Park, MD 20740; email: ogis@nara.gov; telephone: (202) 741-5770; facsimile: (202) 741-5769; toll free telephone: (877) 684-6448.
§ 426.209
The Commission will preserve all correspondence pertaining to the requests that it receives under this subpart, as well as copies of all requested records, until disposition or destruction is authorized pursuant to title 44 of the United States Code or the General Records Schedule 4.2 of the National Archives and Records Administration. The Commission will not dispose of or destroy records while they are the subject of a pending request, appeal, or lawsuit under the FOIA.
§ 426.210
Direct costs means those expenses that the Commission incurs in searching for and duplicating (and, in the case of commercial use requests, reviewing) records in order to respond to a FOIA request. For example, direct costs include the salary of the employee performing the work (i.e., the basic rate of pay for the employee, plus 16 percent of that rate to cover benefits) and the cost of operating computers and other electronic equipment, such as Start Printed Page 19419photocopiers and scanners. Direct costs do not include overhead expenses such as the costs of space, and of heating or lighting a facility.
Review means the examination of a record located in response to a request in order to determine whether any portion of it is exempt from disclosure. Review time includes processing any record for disclosure, such as doing all that is necessary to prepare the record for disclosure, including the process of redacting the record and marking the appropriate exemptions. Review costs are properly charged even if a record ultimately is not disclosed. Review time also includes time spent both obtaining and considering any formal objection to disclosure made by a confidential commercial information submitter under § 426.207 of this subpart, but it does not include time spent resolving general legal or policy issues regarding the application of exemptions.
(1) Duplicating records. The Commission shall assess requester fees for the cost of copying records. The charge will be $0.12 per page, up to 81/2 x 14, made by photocopy or similar process. The charge will be the actual cost for duplicating photographs, films, and other materials. Where paper documents must be scanned so they can be sent electronically, the requester must pay the direct costs associated with scanning those materials. The Commission will honor a requester's preference for receiving a record in a particular form or format where the agency can readily reproduce it in the form or format requested.
(1) Commercial use. A requester seeking records for commercial use shall be charged the full direct cost of searching for, reviewing, and duplicating the records they request as set forth in paragraph (c) of this section. The Commission is not required to consider a waiver request based upon the assertion that disclosure would be in Start Printed Page 19420the public interest from a commercial use requester.
(e) Other circumstances when fees are not charged. Notwithstanding paragraphs (c) and (d) of this section, the Commission may not charge a requester a fee for processing a FOIA request if the total fee is equal to or less than $25. Additionally, the Commission may not charge a requester a search or duplication fee if the Commission fails to comply with any time limit under § 426.205 or § 426.208, unless:
(2) The Commission has determined that unusual circumstances, as defined by the FOIA, apply and the Commission provides timely written notice to the requester in accordance with § 426.205(d), then the time limit shall be excused for an additional 10 days; or
(3) The Commission has determined that unusual circumstances apply; more than 5,000 pages are necessary to respond to the request; the Commission has provided a timely written notice to the requester in accordance with § 426.205(d), and the Commission has discussed with the requester via written mail, electronic mail, or telephone (or made not less than three good-faith attempts to do so) how the requester could effectively limit the scope of the request. Then the Commission may charge a requester all applicable fees.
(6) If the Commission denies a request to reduce or waive fees, then the requester shall have the right to submit an appeal in accordance with § 426.208. The Commission shall communicate this appeal right as part of its denial notification to the requester.
(h) Advance payment. (1) For requests other than those described in Start Printed Page 19421paragraphs (h)(2) and (3) of this section, the Commission will not require the requester to make an advance payment before work is commenced or continued on a request. Payment owed for work already completed (i.e., payment before copies are sent to a requester) is not an advance payment.
§ 426.211
[FR Doc. 2018-09212 Filed 5-1-18; 8:45 am]