HRI Seminar Series - Kristina Alexander

"Making a Request Under the Freedom of Information Act (FOIA)"

KRISTINA ALEXANDER
ENDOWED CHAIR FOR MARINE POLICY AND LAW
HARTE RESEARCH INSTITUTE FOR GULF OF MEXICO STUDIES
TEXAS A&M UNIVERSITY-CORPUS CHRISTI

The Freedom of Information Act requires federal agencies to release publicly available information upon written request. However, it is not as easy as it looks. There are hundreds of federal offices, bureaus, and agencies to choose from, and despite a statutory requirement to disclose records within 20 days, agencies frequently take much longer. In addition, a request for a fee waiver needs to include certain information or the requestor could end up paying.

This one-hour seminar will help researchers understand the basics of FOIA, how to find the right location to send the request, and how to craft a strong request for information including seeking a fee waiver. 

Kristina Alexander is the Endowed Chair of Marine Policy and Law at the Harte Research Institute for Gulf of Mexico Studies. She has served as a Legislative Attorney for the Congressional Research Service in Washington, D.C., a Senior Research Counsel at the Mississippi-Alabama Sea Grant Consortium, and an Environmental Specialist at Arnold & Porter, LLP. Prior to these positions she was the FOIA coordinator for the Federal Highway Administration's southeast region in Atlanta, where she was an Attorney Adviser.