Federal agencies react with wide disparity in the amount of time it takes to process complex Freedom of Information Act requests, compared to simple ones, according to a Sept. 6 report from OpenTheGovernment.org.

The watchdog issues an annual assessment of federal government secrecy practices, including FOIA response. Data on FOIA.gov divides federal response time to FOIA requests between simple and complex requests, the former being ones that do not involve a significant volume of records or lengthy consultations with other entities--although "simple" and "complex" are open to interpretation.

Using the FOIA.gov data, OpenTheGovernment finds that the CIA requires on average 90 working days more to respond to a complex request than a simple one. The Defense Intelligence Agency, however, requires on average 1,049 more working days.

However, the report also notes--citing research from the National Security Archive--that agencies have become more responsive in responding to FOIA requests and cite less frequently an exemption that allows agencies to hold back documents on the basis that they contain "pre-decisional" or "deliberative process" information.

For more:
- download the OpenTheGovernment.org secrecy report (.pdf)

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