Freedom of Information Act & Privacy Act, U.S. Department of Commerce

U.S. Department
of Commerce

FOIA Reference Guide


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Electronic Reading Room

Laws and Policies

Text of the Freedom of Information Act (5 USC 552) (link to U.S. Department of Justice Web site)

Text of the Privacy Act of 1974, as amended (link to U.S. Department of Justice Web site)

Title 15 Code of Federal Regulations, Commerce and Foreign Trade.Part 4 -  Disclosure of Government Information (link to the U.S. government Printing Office Web site)

Executive Order 13,392, Improving Agency Disclosure of Information (link to White House Web site)

FOIA Updates (link to U.S. Department of Justice Web site)

Annual FOIA Report - 1998

Annual FOIA Report - 1999

Annual FOIA Report - 2000

Annual FOIA Report - 2001

Annual FOIA Report - 2002

Annual FOIA Report - 2003

Annual FOIA Report - 2004

Annual FOIA Report - 2005

Annual FOIA Report - 2006

Annual FOIA Report - 2007 - pdf

Final Opinions

Office of General Counsel - Use this Search page to locate final opinions online.

Final Opinions of the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office (link to the USPTO FOIA Reading Room)

Department of Commerce Policy Statements

Department Organization Orders (DOO's)

Department of Commerce Administrative Staff Manuals  

Department Administrative Orders (DAO's)

Records and Forms

Records Management

Forms Management

Frequently Requested Records

Department of Commerce Mission, Structure, and Statutory Authority

DOC Person Finder

DOC BankCard listing

Department of Commerce IT Investment Portfolio - Exhibit 53

Department of Commerce Information Technology Capital Asset Plan and Business Case Summaries (Exhibit 300s) - Publicly Releasable Version

Security and Prosperity Partnership of America (SPP)

Major Information Systems

Privacy Act System of Records - The Privacy Act Issuances site will provide Department of Commerce systems of records. This service is provided by the U.S. Government Printing Office to assist individuals requesting information about their records.

Government Information Locator Service (GILS) - GILS records identify public information resources within the Federal Government, describe the information available in these resources, and assist in obtaining the information.

National Technical Information Service (NTIS)- NTIS is the central source for U.S. Government scientific, technical, and business information. It is known as the government's central source for the sale of scientific, technical, engineering, and related business information produced by or for the U.S. government and complementary material from international sources.

Stat-USA Internet - Stat-USA/Internet, a service of the U.S. Department of Commerce, is the site for the U.S. business, economic and trade community, providing authoritative information from the Federal government.

U.S. Superintendent of Documents - All documents at the U.S. Superintendent of Documents are shelved by government organization and not by subject matter. The documents include information about U.S. Government laws, regulations, statistics, maps, and bibliographies.

Federal Register - The Federal Register is the official daily publication for Rules, Proposed Rules, and Notices of Federal agencies and organizations, as well as Executive Orders and other Presidential Documents.  

Department of Commerce Selected Publications

Commerce Business Daily

Export America -- A federal source for your global business needs.

Census Economic Indicators Release Schedule: by Date. Source: Census

Census Bureau Publications

Journal of Research of the National Institute of Standards and Technology Source: NIST

NIST Recent General Publications

U.S. Industry & Trade Outlook -- Data and Analysis: Source: ITA

National Telecommunications & Information Administration: Reports, Filings and Related

Department Online Libraries

DOC Main Library

DOC Law Library

National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration Library

Federal Depository Libraries

Additional information on FOIA Web sites of Commerce Bureaus

The Department of Commerce has a decentralized system for handling FOIA requests. Some Commerce components maintain their own electronic reading rooms or provide links to their records on their FOIA Web sites: