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Justice Delayed is Justice Denied

The Ten Oldest Pending FOIA Requests

The National Security Archive
Freedom of Information Act Audit

 
Press Release
Executive Summary
The Ten Oldest FOIA Requests in the Federal Government
Chart - Agency Response Times
Table - Oldest Outstanding FOIA Requests
Methodology
Findings Regarding The Ten Oldest FOIA Requests and FOIA Backlogs
Summary Discussion of Individual Agencies
Update on Phase One: The Ashcroft Memorandum
FOIA Audit Phase One: The Ashcroft Memo

 

 

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SMALL BUSINESS ADMINISTRATION (SBA)
13 DAYS TO RESPOND TO ARCHIVE; ONLY RECENT REQUESTS PENDING
Ten Oldest - SBA responded approximately 13 business days after the request was made; it reported ten FOIA requests ranging from January 19, 2003 to January 30, 2003. The requests concerned records regarding SBA's cooperative agreements with organizations in establishing a SNDC Lead Center and responses to proposals for the Lead Center, records concerning the written determination of Flathead Contractors LLC and records concerning the Contracting Officer's request for Certification of Competency to SBA, records of Ted Kassinger, General Counsel of the Office of the Secretary of Commerce, contract with CPA firms performing financial statement audits of entities listed in OMB Bulletin 10-12, prices and quantity for a specified solicitation, a request from a victim of identity theft for assistance dealing with credit agencies, records regarding federal funds awarded to Nipon's Conservatory of Music, lists of buyers or cardholders requested by a GSA Contracted Vendor, records on the program used by SBA loan personnel to evaluate the amount to be granted for Economic Injury Disaster Loans, and a request for guidance on information to obtain a business loan.
Workload Statistics - SBA's reported statistics from 1998 through 2002 indicate that the agency received an increasing number of FOIA requests through 2000 with decreases in 2001 and 2002 (down 13.43% from 2368 in 1998 to 2050 in 2002). The number processed each year also rose and then decreased (down 7.68% from 2293 processed in 1998 to 2117 processed in 2002). SBA's processing rate per year -- a comparison of the number of requests processed to the number received -- increased from 96.83% in 1998 to 103.27% in 2002.
Backlog Statistics - SBA's backlog of pending FOIA requests increased through 2001 and then decreased in 2002 (from 72 FOIA requests pending at the end of 1998 to 65 FOIA requests pending at the end of 2002). SBA's backlog as a percentage of FOIA requests processed each year has decreased from 3.14% in 1998 to 3.07% in 2002. Its backlog rate per year -- a comparison of the number of requests pending at the end of the year to the number received during that year -- has decreased from 3.04% in 1998 to 3.17% in 2002.
Processing Time - SBA's median days to process has ranged from 2-12 days over the 1998-2002 period. In 1998 and 1999, the median days that backlogged requests have been pending is reported as 10 and 8 days respectively. Expedited requests have a median processing time range of 1-9 days over the 1998-2002 time period, with none reported for 1999, 2000 or 2002.

 

TEN OLDEST REQUESTS

SBA Response Letter

SBA January 19, 2003 Letter

SBA January 21, 2003 (1) Letter

SBA January 21, 2003 (2) Letter

SBA January 21, 2003 (3) Letter

SBA January 22, 2003 (1) Letter

SBA January 22, 2003 (2) Letter

SBA January 23, 2003 Letter

SBA January 27, 2003 (1) Letter

SBA January 27, 2003 (2) Letter

SBA January 30, 2003 Letter

 

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