(a) How to make a request. Requests under this subpart for a record
of the Department of Labor must be written and received by mail,
delivery service/courier, facsimile or e-mail.
(b) To whom to direct requests. A request should be sent to the
appropriate official/officer for the component that maintains the
records at its proper address. The request as well as the envelope
itself should be clearly marked ``Freedom of Information Act Request.''
If the request is made by e-mail, it must be sent to
foiarequest@dol.gov. Requests submitted to any other e-mail address
will not be accepted as a request made under this Part.
(1) The functions of each major Department of Labor component are
summarized in the United States Government Manual which is issued
annually. The manual is available in print from the Superintendent of
Documents, Washington, DC 20402-9328, and electronically at the
Government Printing Office's World Wide Web site, http://www.access.gpo.gov/su_docs.
Appendix A of this part lists the
disclosure officers of each component by title and address. This
initial list has been included for information purposes only, and the
disclosure officers may be changed through appropriate designation.
Regional, district and field office addresses have been included in
Appendix A to this part to assist requesters in identifying the
disclosure officer who is most likely to have custody of the records
sought.
(2) Requesters who cannot determine the proper disclosure officer
to whom the request should be addressed may direct the request to the
Office of the Solicitor, Division of Management and Administrative
Legal Services, 200 Constitution Avenue, NW., Room N-2428, Washington,
DC 20210 or by e-mail to foiarequest@dol.gov. Note, pursuant to Sec.
70.25(a), the time for the component to respond to a request begins to
run when the request is received by the proper disclosure officer.
(c) Description of information requested. Each request must
reasonably describe the record or records sought. The descriptions must
be sufficiently detailed to permit the identification and location of
the requested records with a reasonable amount of effort. So far as
practicable, the request should specify the subject of the record, the
date or approximate date when made, the place where made, the person or
office that created it, and any other pertinent identifying details.
(d) Deficient descriptions. If the description is insufficient, so
that a knowledgeable employee who is familiar with the subject area of
the request cannot locate the record with a reasonable amount of
effort, the component processing the request should notify the
requester and describe what additional information is needed to process
the request. Every reasonable effort will be made to assist a requester
in the identification and location of the record or records sought. Any
amended request must be confirmed in writing and meet the requirements
for a request under this Part.
(e) Agreement to pay fees. The filing of a request under this
subpart will be deemed to constitute an agreement by the requester to
pay all applicable fees charged under this part, up to $25.
