Freedom of Information and Privacy Act
The Fort Riley Freedom of Information and Privacy Act Office is responsible for the management of the Freedom of Information Act (FOIA) & Privacy Act (PA) in accordance with 5 USC, and Public Law 106-554. The office staff provides information to military members, Department of Defense civilians, military family members, the American public, Congress and the news media.
Fort Riley FOIA Point of Contact:
Directorate of Human Resources
Administrative Services Division
ATTN: FOIA Officer
210 Custer Ave,Basement, Room 06
Fort Riley, KS 66442
Phone (785) 239-3759
References that can assist you:
The Department of the Army Freedom of Information Act Program Army Regulation 25-55
Citizen's Guide: using the Freedom of Information Act and the Privacy Act of 1974 to request government records.
Fort Riley FOIA Request For Information (FR Form 32):requestor should complete and provide to the Fort Riley FOIA Office for processing.
RMDA FOIA Electronic Reading Room: Records Management and Declassification Agency
Department of Justice Listing of FOIA Electronic Reading Rooms
What is the FOIA?
The Freedom of Information Act generally provides that any person has a right, enforceable in court, to obtain access to federal agency records, except to the extent that such records (or portions of them) are protected from disclosure by one of nine exemptions or by one of three special law enforcement record exclusions.
Enacted in 1966, the FOIA established for the first time an effective statutory right of access to government information. The principles of government openness and accountability underlying the FOIA, however, are inherent in the democratic ideal: "The basic purpose of [the] FOIA is to ensure an informed citizenry, vital to the functioning of a democratic society, needed to check against corruption and to hold the governors accountable to the governed." The Supreme Court has emphasized that "official information that sheds light on an agency's performance of its statutory duties falls squarely within that statutory purpose."
This was emphasized also in the statement of FOIA policy issued by President Clinton on Oct. 4, 1993, in which he called upon all federal agencies to renew their commitment to the Act and to enhance its effectiveness as a vital mechanism of government openness and accountability:
"For more than a quarter century now, the Freedom of Information Act has played a unique role in strengthening our democratic form of government. The statute was enacted based upon the fundamental principle that an informed citizenry is essential to the democratic process and that the more the American people know about their government the better they will be governed. Openness in government is essential to accountability and the Act has become an integral part of that process."
On Monday, December 31, 2007, President Bush signed into law the following changes to the Freedom of Information Act:
S. 2488, the "Openness Promotes Effectiveness in our National Government Act of 2007'", which amends the Freedom of Information Act (FOIA) by: (1) establishing a definition of "a representative of the news media;" (2) directing that required attorney fees be paid from an agency's own appropriation rather than from the Judgment Fund; (3) prohibiting an agency from assessing certain fees if it fails to comply with FOIA deadlines; and (4) establishing an Office of Government Information Services in the National Archives and Records Administration to review agency compliance with FOIA.