Freedom of Information Act and Sunshine Laws

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The freedom of information act is your most valuable source in researching puppy mills. As an American Citizen, you are entitled to any unclassified information from any federal government office. However, I have learned that more often than not, the information is provided at the agencies convenience, and often the agencies seem to go out of their way to slow down the process. In fact, after the attacks on our country on 9/11, the government is using the threat of future terrorist attacks as a reason to deny or halt the flow of information. The Agriculture Department (where puppy mill records are maintained) is no different and I have pending requests that are well over a year old now. Regardless, FOIA (the acronym for Freedom of Information Act...pronounced 'FOY-YUH") is still your best bet and under normal circumstances your request should take about 2 weeks.

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Normally you will not be charged for your FOIA request, however if doing multiple requests (I'm talking hundreds of records) you should always remember to ask for information in electronic format! The availability of records through electronic format is possible through legislation called E-FOIA (Electronic Freedom of Information Act). This can include floppy disks, CD Rom, and even availability through the WWW. Note that I have never been charged for a FOIA request from USDA and this includes some files that contained tens of thousands of records (in electronic format).

For all the information available from the Department of Justice about the Freedom of Information Act, go to: http://www.justice.gov/oip/foi-act.htm

Sunshine Laws
State agency information does not fall under the Freedom of Information Act. FOIA only applies to federal agencies and federal records. Most states have enacted their own set of FOIA laws, which are often referred to as the Sunshine Laws. U.S. federal and state laws requiring regulatory authorities' meetings, decisions and records to be made available to the public.

Investopedia explains Sunshine Laws
Sunshine laws were first created in the mid-70s in a bid to increase public disclosure of governmental agencies. Sunshine laws do not allow all citizens to attend meetings, but they do ensure that media and representatives of the public can attend.

For a complete list of states and their information laws and request procedures, please visit the link below:
http://www.rcfp.org/ogg/index.php
http://sunshinereview.org/index.php/State_sunshine_laws

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