[Federal Register Volume 74, Number 187 (Tuesday, September 29, 2009)]
[Notices]
[Pages 49892-49893]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: E9-23375]


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DEPARTMENT OF JUSTICE


Office of Information Policy; Attorney General Memorandum for 
Executive Departments and Agencies Concerning the Freedom of 
Information Act

AGENCY: Department of Justice.

ACTION: Notice.

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SUMMARY: On January 21, 2009, the President issued a memorandum for the 
heads of executive departments and agencies on the Freedom of 
Information Act (FOIA). That memorandum required that the Attorney 
General issue new guidelines governing the FOIA to the heads of 
executive departments and agencies, reaffirming the commitment to 
accountability and transparency, and to publish such guidelines in the 
Federal Register. Pursuant to the President's directive, the Attorney 
General issued new FOIA guidelines on March 19, 2009. Those guidelines 
are now published here.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Melanie Ann Pustay, Director, Office 
of Information Policy, U.S. Department of Justice, 1425 New York 
Avenue, NW., Suite 11050, Washington, DC 20009, telephone (202) 514-
3642.

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: In his January 21, 2009 memorandum on the 
Freedom of Information Act (FOIA) the President stated that ``[a]ll 
agencies should adopt a presumption in favor of disclosure, in order to 
renew their commitment to the principles embodied in FOIA, and to usher 
in a new era of open Government.'' This memorandum is published in the 
Federal Register at 74 FR 4683-84 and is available at http://www.whitehouse.gov/thepress_office/FreedomoflnformationAct/.
    The President also directed the Attorney I General ``to issue new 
guidelines governing the FOIA to the heads of executive departments and 
agencies, reaffirming the commitment to accountability and 
transparency.'' Pursuant to this instruction, the

[[Page 49893]]

Attorney General issued new FOIA guidelines on March 19, 2009; The 
purpose of the Attorney General's memorandum is to underscore the 
FOIA's purpose of providing an open government and to help ensure that 
it is realized in practice. The guidelines provided by the Attorney 
General stress the important implications of the President's call for a 
presumption of openness, emphasize that the FOIA is everyone's 
responsibility, and direct agencies to work proactively and promptly. A 
full text of these guidelines is available on the Department of 
Justice's Web site at http://www.usdoj.gov/ag/foia-memo-march2009.pdf. 
Pursuant to the President's instruction, the Attorney General's 
guidelines are also published here.

    Dated: September 17, 2009.
Melanie Ann Pustay,
Director, Office of Information Policy.
[FR Doc. E9-23375 Filed 9-28-09; 8:45 am]
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