Source: https://www.eeoc.gov/eeoc/foia/reports/annrep2007.html
Timestamp: 2018-01-22 04:13:47
Document Index: 289902713

Matched Legal Cases: ['§2000', '§621', '§206', '§12101', '§2000', '§107', '§12117', '§706', '§107', '§12117', '§1610']

The majority of fiscal year 2007 Freedom of Information Act (FOIA) requests received by the Commission were for materials contained in the Commission’s investigative case files that involved charges of discrimination filed pursuant to Title VII of the Civil Rights Act of 1964, 42 U.S.C. §2000e, the Age Discrimination in Employment Act, 29 U.S.C. §§621-633, the Equal Pay Act, 29 U.S.C. §206(d), and the Americans with Disabilities Act, 42 U.S.C. §§12101-213. Sections 706(b) and 709(e) of Title VII, 42 U.S.C. §§2000e-5(b) and 8(e), and §107 of the ADA, 42 U.S.C. §12117, prohibit Commission employees from making public Title VII or ADA charges, conciliation materials, required reports and case file information. In certain instances, parties to the charge are entitled to access to the disclosable portions of the charge file. Examples of non-disclosable material in charge files are discussed in detail in Section XII: Report on FOIA Executive Order Implementation.
Appeal -- a request to a federal agency asking that it review at a higher administrative level a full denial or partial denial of access to records under the Freedom of Information Act, or any other FOIA determination (e.g., a matter pertaining to fees).
Partial grant -- an agency decision to disclose a record in part in response to a FOIA request, deleting information determined to be exempt under one or more of the FOIA’s exemptions; or a decision to disclose some records in their entirety, but to withhold others in whole or in part.
Denial -- an agency decision not to release any part of a record or records in response to a FOIA request because all the information in the requested record is determined by the agency to be exempt under one or more of the FOIA’s exemptions, or for some procedural reason (e.g., because no record is located in response to the request).
Time limits -- the time period in the Freedom of Information Act for an agency to respond to a FOIA request (ordinarily 20 working days from proper receipt of a “perfected” FOIA request).
“Perfected” request -- a FOIA request for records which adequately describes the records sought, which has been received by the FOIA office of the agency or agency component in possession of the records, and for which there is no remaining question about the payment of applicable fees.
The exemption 3 statutes relied on by the Commission in FY 2007 were §§706(b) and 709(e) of Title VII of the Civil Rights Act of 1964, as amended, 42 U.S.C. 2000e-5(b) and 8(e), and §107 of the ADA, 42 U.S.C. §12117. These sections prohibit Commission employees from making public Title VII or ADA charges, conciliation materials, required reports and case file information.
The Commission’s use of exemption 3 has been upheld by the courts. The landmark case supporting the Commission’s position is EEOC v. Associated Dry Goods Corp., 449 U.S. 590 (1981). There was no litigation involving the Commission’s use of this exemption in FY 2007.
Number of requests pending as of end of preceding fiscal year 1,6931
Number of requests received during current fiscal year 14,602
Number of requests processed during current fiscal year 14,879
Number of requests pending as of end of current fiscal year 1,416
(This line has also been entered on line VII.B.1.)
Number of total grants 800
Number of partial grants 9,643
records destroyed 239
request converted to section 832 300
records lost 346
(Enter this number from line V.A.4)
Description of supplementation/modification of Agency Improvement Plan
The Commission’s Fiscal Year 2005 Agency Improvement Plan (Plan) contained six areas selected for review and six areas identified for improvement. Information concerning established time milestones only refers to static time milestones. Several of the time milestones require continual review and revision. The Plan is attached to this report, and a link to the website is provided at section XII.G., infra.
Proactive Disclosure of Information. The Plan did not establish any milestones to be met for fiscal year 2007 under this section.
Overall FOIA Website Improvement. The Plan did not establish any milestones to be met for fiscal year 2007 under this section.
Improvement of FOIA Reference Guide. The Plan did not establish any milestones to be met for fiscal year 2007 under this section.
Backlog Reduction. The Plan established a backlog reduction goal of 5% for fiscal year 2007. EEOC exceeded this goal by completing more than 90% of the identified backlog.
Identification and discussion of any deficiency in meeting plan milestones.
The Commission met all time milestones established in the Agency Improvement Plan.
The EEOC has established one FOIA Requester Service Center as required by Section 2 of the Executive Order, allowing for contact via telephone, e-mail, fax, postal mail and tty. The Center is staffed by five EEOC employees, including one FOIA Public Liaison.
EXEMPTION 4 - Exemption 4 protects from disclosure information that would reveal “trade secrets and commercial or financial information obtained from a person [that is] privileged or confidential.” EEOC uses this exemption on occasion. When the EEOC receives a FOIA request for trade secrets or confidential commercial or financial information, it is required by Executive Order 12600 and its regulations to notify the submitter of the information of the FOIA request and permit the submitter an opportunity to object to disclosure of the record. The requester is advised of the submitter notification.
EXEMPTION 7 - Exemption 7 has six sub-parts and is a special exemption that only applies to law enforcement agencies. EEOC is a law enforcement agency. We routinely use certain sub-parts of this exemption. Exemption 7 allows for the withholding of “records or information compiled for law enforcement purposes,” with the limitations discussed below:
EXEMPTION 7(A): Permits the withholding of EEOC records or information that were compiled for law enforcement purposes if the release of such records “could reasonably be expected to interfere with enforcement proceedings.” EEOC routinely uses this exemption to deny access to open charge files and cases in litigation. Information withheld pursuant to the Exemption 7(A) includes, but is not limited to:
Any charge files involved in cases that the Commission is litigating or considering litigating
EXEMPTION 7(B): Permits the withholding of EEOC records or information that were compiled for law enforcement purposes if the release of such records “would deprive a person of a right to a fair trial or an impartial adjudication.” EEOC does not use this exemption.
EXEMPTION 7(C): Permits the withholding of EEOC records or information that were compiled for law enforcement purposes if the release of such records “could reasonably be expected to constitute an unwarranted invasion of personal privacy.” EEOC routinely uses this exemption in conjunction with Exemption 6. Information withheld pursuant to the Exemption 7(C) includes, but is not limited to:
EXEMPTION 7(D): Permits the withholding of EEOC records or information that were compiled for law enforcement purposes if the release of such records “could reasonably be expected to disclose the identity of a confidential source, including a State, local, or foreign agency or authority or any private institution which furnished information on a confidential basis, and, in the case of a record or information compiled by a criminal law enforcement authority in the course of a criminal investigation or by an agency conducting a lawful national security intelligence investigation, information furnished by a confidential source.” EEOC uses this exemption to deny access to confidential sources that have provided information during the investigation of allegations of discrimination. Information withheld pursuant to the Exemption 7(D) includes, but is not limited to:
Any references that would identify confidential witnesses. Documents must be marked confidential by the investigator or the Commission
EXEMPTION 7(E): Permits the withholding of EEOC records or information that were compiled for law enforcement purposes if the release of such records “would disclose techniques and procedures for law enforcement investigations or prosecutions, or would disclose guidelines for law enforcement investigations or prosecutions if such disclosure could reasonably be expected to risk circumvention of the law.” EEOC very rarely uses this exemption.
EXEMPTION 7(F): Permits the withholding of EEOC records or information that were compiled for law enforcement purposes if the release of such records “could reasonably be expected to endanger the life or physical safety of any individual.” EEOC very rarely uses this exemption.
Consultations Received From Other Agencies During FY07
Consultations Received From Other Agencies That Were Processed by Your Agency During FY07 (includes those received prior to FY07)
Consultations Received From Other Agencies That Were Pending at Your Agency as of October 1, 2007 (includes those received prior to FY07)
2Section 83 of the EEOC Compliance Manual provides for access to relevant case files by charging parties, aggrieved persons on whose behalf a charge has been filed, and entities against whom charges have been filed. 29 C.F.R. §1610.17(d). FOIA requests processed by EEOC field offices are subject to review by the Regional Attorneys. FOIA requests that are converted to Section 83 can usually be processed more expeditiously, and some FOIA requesters are amenable to converting their requests to Section 83 for this reason.