November 3 , 2008[*]
OGE FOIA Reading Room Review & Certification Report Per E.O. 13392
As Deputy General Counsel and Chief FOIA Officer of the U.S. Office of Government Ethics (OGE), I have conducted a review of OGE’s Freedom of Information Act (FOIA) Reading Rooms in accordance with the June 25, 2008 guidance memorandum of the Justice Department Office of Information and Privacy pursuant to Executive Order 13392 on Improving Agency Disclosure of Information. Upon review, I did not identify any deficiencies under the FOIA. OGE, as a small Federal agency, has just one “FOIA Reading Room” document, our “frequently requested” list of Government purchase cardholders. OGE maintains an electronic Reading Room link to this document, as periodically updated, in the FOIA section of OGE’s Website at http://www.usoge.gov/about/foia/mastercard_list.aspx. In addition, as provided in this Agency’s FOIA rules at 5 C.F.R. §§ 2604.201 & 2604.202, OGE offers a conventional Reading Room facility. Upon request, a member of the public may request to come in to the OGE office to access that list, along with, as a matter of agency discretion, certain other clearly publicly available documents such as our FOIA guide, annual FOIA reports or ethics pamphlets that are not technically subject to the Reading Room provision. In the case of Reading Room facility requests, which have been relatively rare over the years, OGE provides space, usually in our library or main conference room for the viewing, with supervision by an OGE staff person. Moreover, OGE will also provide a copy of this Agency’s Government cardholder list by mail, FAX, or E-mail, if requested.
Based on this review as noted above, this is to certify that OGE is in compliance with the FOIA Reading Room requirements.
/s/
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Walter M. Shaub, Jr., OGE Deputy General
Counsel & Chief FOIA Officer