U.S. DEPARTMENT OF JUSTICE
Office of the Associate Attorney General
July 13, 1994
The Speaker
United States House of Representatives
Washington, D.C. 20515Dear Mr. Speaker:
Enclosed is a copy of the Department of Justice's 1993 annual report on Freedom of Information Act (FOIA) activities. This report covers the FOIA activities of all Department of Justice organizations. Because the Department, as a matter of administrative discretion, processes all requests received under the Privacy Act of 1974 (requests by individuals for access to records relating to themselves) under the FOIA as well as under the Privacy Act, the enclosed report covers all first-party and third-party access requests received by the Department regardless of the particular Act cited by the requester.
A comparison of the report with the Department's 1992 annual report shows that in 1993 the Department received 7,840 more FOIA requests and 110 fewer Privacy Act requests than during the previous year, an annual increase of 7,730 total requests (6.3%). Reported costs increased by 5.9% in 1993.
The administration of the Freedom of Information Act consumes considerable agency resources. Calendar year 1993 costs are reported at page 24 of the report. This cost table primarily reflects those costs incurred in "processing" access requests. Not included are significant costs incurred by the Department in litigating FOIA issues for the United States Government.
I want to assure you of this Administration's firm commitment to the Freedom of Information Act, to its underlying principles, and to its faithful implementation in the strong spirit of government openness established by President Clinton and Attorney General Janet Reno this past year. We look forward to working together with Congress, in a constructive partnership based upon our mutual interests in sound FOIA administration, on all matters pertaining to the Act.
Sincerely,
William C. Bryson
Acting Associate Attorney General
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