Source: https://www.federalregister.gov/documents/2019/06/14/2019-11775/freedom-of-information-act-regulations
Timestamp: 2019-08-20 02:53:58
Document Index: 169414369

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A Rule by the Commission of Fine Arts on 06/14/2019
84 FR 27721
27721-27734 (14 pages)
https://www.federalregister.gov/d/2019-11775 https://www.federalregister.gov/d/2019-11775
Please address comments concerning this rule to foia@cfa.gov.
As established by Congress in 1910, the Commission of Fine Arts (CFA) is a small independent advisory body made up of seven presidentially appointed “well qualified judges of the arts” whose primary role is architectural review of designs for buildings, parks, monuments and memorials erected by the Federal or District of Columbia governments in Washington, DC. In addition to architectural review, the Commission considers and advises on the designs for coins, medals, and U.S. memorials on foreign soil. The Commission also advises the District of Start Printed Page 27722Columbia government on private building projects within the Georgetown Historic District, the Rock Creek Park perimeter, and the Monumental Core area. The Commission advises Congress, the President, Federal agencies, and the District of Columbia government on the general subjects of design, historic preservation, and on orderly planning on matters within its jurisdiction.
The Commission of Fine Arts routinely and promptly responds to requests from concerned citizens and interested parties to review a wide variety of agency documents. To this end, the staff regularly posts agendas for upcoming meetings and draft documents relevant to those meetings to the agency website (https://www.cfa.gov/​). Agendas, meeting minutes, recommendation letters, and actions taken under the Shipstead-Luce and Old Georgetown Acts are posted on the website in a timely manner. In that same spirit of openness and transparency, the CFA strives to organize and fulfill Freedom of Information Act (FOIA) requests efficiently and expediently, within the perimeters of current legislation. The CFA published revised regulations to replace those published in 1986 and invited public commentary. Commentary was received, reviewed and incorporated into this final rule.
The Commission adopts the interim rule published in Federal Register on April 16, 2019, at 84 FR 15512, as final with changes. The changes were incorporated from the comments received on the interim rule and for the convenience of the reader, the Commission is setting out the part revised in its entirety. Comments received include identification of unnecessary repetition, clarification on fee categories specified in FOIA legislation, suggestions to highlight the availability of a FOIA Public Liaison and other minor copy and wording suggestions.
Start Printed Page 27723 Authority: 5 U.S.C. 552, as amended by Public Law 110-175, 121 Stat. 2524 and Pub. L. 114-185, 130 Stat. 538.
(b) Definitions of terms used in this part are found at § 2105.67.
(e) You are encouraged to review the Agency's FOIA libraries before filing a FOIA request. The material you seek may be immediately available electronically at no cost.
In the event that the Agency identifies records that may be subject to exclusion from the requirements of the FOIA pursuant to 5 U.S.C. 552(c), the agency must confer with legal counsel and the Department of Justice, Office of Information Policy, to obtain approval to apply the exclusion.
(d) If the Agency determines that your request does not reasonably describe the records sought, the Agency will inform you what additional information you need to provide in order to reasonably describe the records that you seek so the requested records can be located with a reasonable amount of effort. The Agency will also notify you that it will not be able to comply with your request unless the additional information it has requested is received from you in writing within 20 workdays after the Agency has requested it and that you may appeal its determination. If you receive this type of notification, you may wish to discuss it with the Agency's designated FOIA contact or the FOIA Public Liaison (see § 2105.63). If the Agency does not receive your written response containing the additional information within 20 workdays after the Agency has requested it, the Agency will presume that you are no longer interested in the records and will close the file on the request.
(a) Your request should state that you will pay all fees associated with processing the request, that you will pay fees up to a specified amount, and/or that you are seeking a fee waiver.
(d) If you are seeking a fee waiver, your request must include a justification that addresses and meets the criteria in §§ 2105.43 and 2105.46. Failure to provide sufficient justification will result in a denial of the fee waiver request. If you are seeking a fee waiver, you may also indicate the amount you are willing to pay if the fee waiver is denied. This allows the Agency to process the request for records while it considers your fee waiver request.
(e) If you are required to pay a fee and it is later determined on appeal that you were entitled to a full or partial fee waiver, you will receive an appropriate refund.
(a) Generally, you may choose the form or format of disclosure for records requested. The Agency must provide the records in the requested form or format if the Agency can readily reproduce the record in that form or format.
(b) The Agency can require you to supply additional information if necessary to verify that a particular Start Printed Page 27724person has consented to disclosure or is deceased.
You may ask for the processing of your request to be expedited. If you are seeking expedited processing, your request must include a justification that addresses and meets the criteria in § 2105.18 and includes the certification required at § 2105.18(b)(2).
(1) Paragraphs (b) through (f) of this section address consultations and referrals that occur outside the Agency when the Agency has responsive records.
(2) Paragraph (g) of this section addresses what happens when the Agency has no responsive records but believes responsive records may be in the possession of a Federal agency outside the Agency.
(c) If the Agency refers records to another agency, it will document the referral and maintain a copy of the records that it refers and notify you of the referral in writing. When the Agency notifies you of the referral, it will tell you whether the referral was for part or all of your request and provide the name and contact information for the other agency. You may treat such a response as a denial of records and file an appeal, in accordance with the procedures in § 2105.56.
(d) The standard referral procedure is not appropriate where disclosure of the identity of the Agency to which the referral would be made could harm an interest protected by an applicable exemption, such as the exemptions that protect personal privacy or national security interests. In such instances, in order to avoid harm to an interest protected by an applicable exemption, the Agency that received the request will coordinate with the originating agency and seek its views on the disclosability of the record. The release determination for the record that is the subject of the coordination will then be conveyed to the requester by the Agency that originally received the request.
(e) If the Agency locates records that originated with another Federal agency while responding to a request, the Agency will make the release determination itself (after consulting with the originating agency) when:
(f) On receipt of any request involving classified information, the Agency will determine whether the information is currently and properly classified in accordance with applicable classification rules. Whenever a request involves a record containing information that has been classified or may be appropriate for classification by another agency under any applicable Executive order concerning the classification of records, the receiving agency will refer the responsibility for responding to the request regarding that information to the agency that classified the information, or that should consider the information for classification. Whenever the Agency's record contains information that has been derivatively classified (for example, when it contains information classified by another agency), the Agency will refer the responsibility for responding to that portion of the request to the agency that classified the underlying information.
(g) If the Agency receives a request for records not in its possession, but that the Agency believes may be in the possession of a Federal agency outside the Agency, the Agency will return the request to you, may advise you to submit it directly to the other agency, will notify you that the Agency cannot comply with the request, and will close the request. If you believe this response was in error, you may file an appeal in accordance with the procedures in § 2105.56.
(4) Voluminous: Requests in this track involve very complex processing challenges, which may include a large number of potentially responsive Start Printed Page 27725records, and will take over sixty workdays to process.
(2) Make available its FOIA Public Liaison (see § 2105.63) to assist in resolving any disputes between you and the Agency, and notify you of your right to seek dispute resolution from the Office of Government Information Services (OGIS).
(c) If the Agency extends the time limit under this section and you do not receive a response in accordance with § 2105.15(a) in that time period, you may consider the request denied and file an appeal in accordance with the procedures in § 2105.56.
(g) If you appeal the Agency's expedited processing decision, that portion of your appeal (if it is properly formatted under § 2105.56) will be processed before appeals that do not challenge expedited processing decisions.
(h) If the Agency has not responded to the request for expedited processing within 10 calendar days, you may file an appeal (for nonresponse in accordance with § 2105.54(a)(8)).
(a) When the Agency informs you of its decision to comply with a request by granting, partially granting, or denying the request, it will do so in writing and in accordance with the deadlines in subpart D of this part. The Agency's written response will include a statement about the services offered by its FOIA Public Liaison. The Agency's Start Printed Page 27726written response will also include a statement about the services offered by the Office of Government Information Services (OGIS).
(b) The notification will inform you of the availability of its FOIA Public Liaison to offer assistance, and of any fees charged under subpart G of this part.
(a) The Agency must notify you in writing of any denial of your request.
(5) The name and title of legal counsel consulted (if the Agency is denying a fee waiver request or withholding all or part of a requested record);
(6) Advisement of the right to seek dispute resolution services from the Agency's FOIA Public Liaison and the Office of Government Information Services (OIGS); and
(7) A statement that the denial may be appealed under subpart H of this part and a description of the procedures in subpart H of this part.
(a) The Agency encourages, but does not require, submitters to designate confidential information in good faith (in other words, to identify specific information as information the submitter considers protected from disclosure under Exemption 4 of the FOIA, found at 5 U.S.C. 552(b)(4)), at the time of submission or reasonably soon thereafter.
(a) Either a copy of the request, the exact language of the request, or (for notices published under § 2 105.25(b)) a general description of the request;
(c) A description of the procedures for objecting to the release of the possibly confidential information under §§ 2105.28 and 2105.29;Start Printed Page 27727
If a submitter has any objections to disclosure, it should provide the Agency 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.
(b) Copies of the records or information the Agency intends to release; and
(d) You may usually pay fees by check, certified check, or money order made payable to the “Department of Treasury.”
(2)(i) If the Agency has determined that unusual circumstances apply (as the term is defined in § 2105.67) and the Agency provided you a timely written notice to extend the basic time limit in accordance with § 2105.17, the noncompliance is excused for an additional 10 workdays.
(iii) If a court has determined that exceptional circumstances exist (as that term is defined in § 2105.67), the noncompliance is excused for the length of time provided by the court order.
(g) If the fee for processing your request is less than $50, you will not be charged unless multiple requests are Start Printed Page 27728aggregated under § 2105.52 to an amount that is $50 or more.
(i) If you would like to reformulate your request so it will meet your needs at a lower cost, you may wish to seek assistance from the Agency's designated FOIA contact or its FOIA Public Liaison (see § 2105.63).
(a) There are three categories of requesters for the purposes of determining fees:
(1) Commercial-use;
(2) Educational and noncommercial scientific institutions and representatives of news media; and
(b) If you do not submit sufficient information in your FOIA request for the Agency to determine your proper fee category, the Agency may ask you to provide additional information (see § 2105.49). If you request placement in a particular fee category but the Agency places you in a different fee category, the Agency will provide you with an explanation of why you were not placed in the fee category you requested (for example, if you were placed in the commercial use requester category rather than the category you requested, the Agency will describe how the records would further your commercial, trade, or profit interests).
(c) See § 2105.67 for the definitions of each of these fee categories.
Educational and noncommercial scientific institutions and representative of news media requester No No Yes (first 100 pages, or equivalent volume, free).
(a) The Agency will charge the types of fees discussed in this subpart unless a waiver of fees is required under § 2105.37 or has been granted under § 2105.43.
(b) Because the types of fees discussed in this subpart already account for the overhead costs associated with a given fee type, the Agency should not add any additional costs to those charges.
(c) You can review the current fee schedule for the categories discussed in paragraph (b) of this section at https://www.cfa.gov/​foia.
(c) The Agency will not charge for reviews at the administrative appeal stage of exemptions applied at the initial review stage. However, if the appellate authority determines that an exemption no longer applies, any costs associated with the Agency's re-review of the records to consider the use of other exemptions may be assessed as review fees.Start Printed Page 27729
(b) Examples of these services include providing multiple copies of the same record, converting records that are not already maintained in a requested format to the requested format, obtaining research data under § 2105.66, sending records by means other than first class mail, and conducting a search that requires the creation of a new computer search program to locate the requested records.
(c) The Agency will notify you of these fees before they accrue and will obtain your written assurance of payment or an advance payment before proceeding (see §§ 2105.47 and 2105.48).
(e) The Agency must not make value judgments about whether the information at issue is “important” enough to be made public; it is not the Agency's role to attempt to determine the level of public interest in requested information.
(a) The basis for the denial, including a full explanation of why the fee waiver request does not meet the Agency's fee waiver criteria in § 2105.46;
(d) Advisement of the right to seek dispute resolution services from the Agency's FOIA Public Liaison and the Office of Government Information Services (OIGS);
(e) Your right to appeal the denial under subpart H of this part and a description of the requirements set forth therein, within 30 workdays from the date of the fee waiver denial letter; and
(f) Your anticipated fees, in accordance with § 2105.47.
(a) In deciding whether your fee waiver request meets the requirements of § 2105.43(a)(1), the Agency will consider the criteria listed in paragraphs (a)(1) through (4) of this section.
(2) The Agency will not find that disclosing the requested information will be primarily in your commercial interest where the public interest is greater than any identified commercial interest in disclosure.Start Printed Page 27730
(a) The Agency may require advance payment before starting further work when it finds the estimated fee is over $250.
(1) When the Agency determines or estimates that a total fee to be charged under this section will exceed $250.00, it may require that you make an advance payment up to the amount of the entire anticipated fee before beginning to process the request. The Agency may elect to process the request prior to collecting fees when it receives a satisfactory assurance of full payment from a requester with a history of prompt payment.
(2) If you have previously failed to pay a properly charged FOIA fee within 30 calendar days of the billing date, the Agency may require that you pay the full amount due, plus any applicable interest on that prior request. The Agency may require that you make an advance payment of the full amount of any anticipated fee before it begins to process a new request or continues to process a pending request or any pending appeal.
(2) Pay any unpaid amount of the previous fee, plus any applicable interest penalties (see § 2105.51), and pay in advance the estimated fee for the new request.
If your FOIA request does not contain sufficient information for the Agency to determine your proper fee category or leaves another fee issue unclear, the Agency may ask you to provide additional clarification. If it does so, the Agency will notify you that it will not be able to comply with your FOIA request unless you provide the clarification requested.
(2) The Agency may aggregate requests separated by a longer period only where there is a reasonable basis for determining that aggregation is warranted in view of all the circumstances involved.Start Printed Page 27731
(8) The Agency denied, or was late in responding to, a request for expedited processing filed under the procedures in § 2105.18.
(b) An appeal under paragraph (a)(8) of this section relates only to the request for expedited processing and does not constitute an appeal of the underlying request for records. Special procedures apply to requests for expedited processing of an appeal (see § 2105.60).
(c) Before filing an appeal, you may wish to communicate with the contact person listed in the FOIA response, the Agency's FOIA Officer, and/or the FOIA Public Liaison to see if the issue can be resolved informally. However, appeals must be received by the FOIA Appeals Officer within the time limits in § 2105.55 or they will not be processed.
(a) Appeals covered by § 2105.54(a)(1) through (5) must be received by the FOIA Appeals Officer no later than 90 days from the date of the final response.
(b) Appeals covered by § 2105.54(a)(6) must be received by the FOIA Appeals Officer no later than 90 days from the date of the letter denying the fee waiver.
(c) Appeals covered by § 2105.54(a)(7) may be filed any time after the time limit for responding to the request has passed.
(d) Appeals covered by § 2105.54(a)(8) should be filed as soon as possible.
(b) A decision that upholds the Agency's determination in whole or in part must contain a statement that identifies the reasons for the affirmance, including any FOIA exemptions applied. The decision must provide you with notification of the statutory right to file a lawsuit and will inform you of the dispute resolution services offered by the Office of Government Information Services (OGIS) of the National Archives and Records Administration as a non-exclusive alternative to litigation. If the Agency's decision is remanded or modified on appeal, the Agency will notify you of that determination in writing. The Agency will then further process the request in accordance with that appeal determination and will respond directly to you.
(c) Dispute resolution is a voluntary process. If the Agency 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.
(a) The basic time limit for responding to an appeal is 20 workdays after receipt of an appeal meeting the requirements of § 2105.56.
(a) Each Agency must preserve all correspondence pertaining to the requests that it receives under subpart B of this part, as well as copies of all requested records, until disposition or destruction is authorized by the General Records Schedule 4.2 of the National Archives and Records Administration (NARA) or another NARA-approved records schedule.
Fee category means one of the three categories, discussed in §§ 2105.36 and 2105.37, that agencies place you in for the purpose of determining whether you will be charged fees for search, review, and duplication.Start Printed Page 27733
Published means, for the purposes of § 2105.66 only, when:
Recipient means, for the purposes of § 2105.66 only, an organization receiving financial assistance directly from Federal awarding agencies to carry out a project or program. The term includes public and private institutions of higher education, public and private hospitals, and other quasi-public and private non-profit organizations. The term may include commercial organizations, foreign or international organizations (such as agencies of the United Nations) which are recipients, subrecipients, or contractors or subcontractors of recipients or subrecipients at the discretion of the Federal awarding agency. The term does not include Government-owned contractor-operated facilities or research centers providing continued support for mission-oriented, large-scale programs that are Government-owned or controlled, or are designated as federally-funded research and development centers.
Research data means, for the purposes of § 2105.66 only, the recorded factual material commonly accepted in the historic and/or architectural communities as necessary to validate research findings, but not any of the following: Preliminary analyses, drafts of scientific papers, plans for future research, peer reviews, or communications with colleagues. The term recorded as used in this definition excludes physical objects (e.g., laboratory samples). Research data also do not include:
Start Printed Page 27734
(3) Certification:
[FR Doc. 2019-11775 Filed 6-13-19; 8:45 am]