--- name: foia-tracker description: "Manage the full Freedom of Information Act (FOIA) and state public records request lifecycle — intake form generation, agency-specific portal routing (FOIA.gov, FBI eFOIA, USCIS, FOIAonline successor portals)." version: "1.0.1" category: analysis platforms: - CLAUDE_CODE --- # FOIA Request Lifecycle Tracker You manage the full FOIA / state public records request lifecycle — for both requesters (journalists, attorneys, accountability groups) and agency FOIA officers responding to requests. The federal backlog topped 200k pending requests in 2026; tooling that compresses any stage of the lifecycle is high-leverage. ============================================================ === PRE-FLIGHT === ============================================================ Verify: - [ ] **Side**: requester (filing) OR agency (responding)? Different workflows. - [ ] **Jurisdiction**: federal (5 U.S.C. § 552) OR state (each state has its own statute — CA Public Records Act, TX Public Information Act, NY Freedom of Information Law, FL Sunshine Law, etc. — wildly different timelines). - [ ] **Target agency**: which federal/state agency? Some have dedicated portals (FBI eFOIA, USCIS Electronic Reading Room, DHS FOIA Online). Multi-agency requests get bounced. - [ ] **Records scope**: specific document set / time range / officials? Vague requests get denied as "burdensome." Narrow scope = faster response. - [ ] **Fee posture**: commercial (full fees), educational/journalism (search only), public-interest (waiver eligible). Recovery: - If jurisdiction unclear, default to federal and surface the state-specific differences as TODO. - For multi-agency requests, generate one request per agency rather than a single shotgun letter. ============================================================ === PHASE 1: INTAKE FORM GENERATOR === ============================================================ Generate a standards-compliant FOIA request letter: **Required elements** (federal): - Statement: "This is a request under the Freedom of Information Act, 5 U.S.C. § 552." - Records description: specific enough to allow a "professional employee familiar with the subject area to locate the records with a reasonable amount of effort" (5 C.F.R. § 294.106(a)). - Time range. - Format preferred (electronic, native format, OCR-readable PDF). - Fee category and waiver request (if applicable). - Expedited processing request (if eligible — imminent threat to life/safety, urgency to inform the public). - Contact info + mailing/email address for response. **Pre-built templates by category**: - Records about a specific person (Privacy Act waiver attached if subject is requester). - Records about a specific event or incident (date range + agency component). - Policy / rule / guidance documents. - Contract or grant records (cite SAM.gov reference). - Communications / correspondence (cite participants + keywords). - Statistical / aggregate data (cite specific database if known). VALIDATION: Generated letter cites § 552 correctly, includes all required elements, and the records description passes a "specificity" review (would a third party know what to search for?). FALLBACK: If records description is too vague, refuse to generate — prompt user to narrow. ============================================================ === PHASE 2: AGENCY PORTAL ROUTING === ============================================================ Route the request to the correct intake mechanism per agency: | Agency | Portal / channel | Notes | | ---------------- | ------------------------------------------------------------------- | --------------------------------------------- | | FBI | efoia.fbi.gov | Has its own Records/Information Dissemination | | USCIS | first.uscis.gov | Use eRequest for A-file requests | | DHS components | Component-specific (TSA, CBP, ICE, USCIS) | Component-level FOIA officers | | DOJ | foiarequest.justice.gov | Component routing (FBI, ATF, DEA, USMS, BOP) | | State Department | foia.state.gov | Diplomatic cables = long timelines | | HHS / CMS / FDA | FDA has its own platform (post-2025 modernization) | | | EPA | epa.gov/foia | High-volume agency | | GSA | gsa.gov/foia | Operates FOIA.gov portal infrastructure | | Other federal | foia.gov (unified portal) | Auto-routes to component | | State agencies | varies — `state.gov/foia` not enough — check the specific state DOJ | | Each portal accepts: PDF/MS Word OR direct form input. Generate both formats — some agencies still mail-only for classified or pre-decisional materials. VALIDATION: Portal URL is current (not deprecated post-FOIAonline sunset). ============================================================ === PHASE 3: STATUTORY CLOCK TRACKER === ============================================================ Federal: agency has **20 working days** from receipt to issue a determination (5 U.S.C. § 552(a)(6)(A)). Extensions: - 10 additional working days for "unusual circumstances" (must be in writing, citing one of three statutory reasons). - Indefinite tolling permitted while the agency seeks clarification from the requester. - "Multitrack" processing: simple vs complex queue. Asking for the simple queue speeds response. State: ranges from 1 business day (FL) to 60+ days (DE without justification). Generate a tracker (SQLite or JSON): ```json { "request_id": "...", "agency": "...", "filed_at": "ISO8601", "ack_received": "ISO8601 or null", "determination_due": "computed", "extensions": [{"reason": "...", "ends": "..."}], "tolling_periods": [{"start": "...", "end": "...", "reason": "clarification requested"}], "interim_releases": [...], "final_response": null, "status": "intake|searching|reviewing|appealing|closed" } ``` Send reminder when due date is in 5/2/0 days. After due date, generate the "constructive denial" appeal trigger. VALIDATION: Working-day math respects federal holidays + weekends. Tolling is excluded from clock. ============================================================ === PHASE 4: EXEMPTION-AWARE REDACTION STUB === ============================================================ (For agency side: generate a redaction proposal that flags candidate text per exemption. Agency FOIA officer must review — this is a stub, not a legal determination.) The nine FOIA exemptions: | # | Exemption | Typical patterns to flag | | --- | -------------------------------------------- | ------------------------------------------------------------- | | b1 | National defense / foreign policy classified | "TOP SECRET", "SECRET", "CONFIDENTIAL", classification stamps | | b2 | Internal personnel rules | Operating manuals, employee schedules | | b3 | Statutorily exempt | Cite specific statute (e.g., 26 USC § 6103 for tax data) | | b4 | Trade secrets / confidential commercial | Pricing, formulas, proprietary methods (Argus Leader test) | | b5 | Deliberative / pre-decisional / privileged | Draft documents, attorney work product, deliberative emails | | b6 | Personal privacy | SSN, DOB, home address, medical info, personnel files | | b7 | Law enforcement | Subdivided b7(A)-(F); informant identities, techniques | | b8 | Financial institution examination | Bank examination reports | | b9 | Oil well geological data | Rare | For each candidate redaction, output: `{page, span, suggested_exemption, reasoning, confidence}`. Agency officer accepts/rejects. Foreseeable harm standard (FOIA Improvement Act 2016) requires identifying specific harm — generate the harm statement template per exemption. VALIDATION: Output is a proposal, not a fait accompli. Every suggested redaction has a citable exemption AND a foreseeable-harm statement template. CRITICAL: Output is for human review. Never auto-apply redactions in production agency workflows — that's a § 552 violation waiting to happen. ============================================================ === PHASE 5: RESPONSE QUALITY AUDITOR (REQUESTER SIDE) === ============================================================ When the agency response arrives, audit for: 1. **Page count delta** — did they release everything claimed? Compare cover letter count to actual PDF count. 2. **Over-redaction signals** — fully-redacted pages, every-paragraph black bars, missing context. 3. **Unjustified exemptions** — exemptions cited without specific harm explanation (post-2016 standard). 4. **Withheld in full** — "no documents" claims should be skeptically reviewed; suggest reformulating. 5. **Glomar response** ("can neither confirm nor deny") — narrow path to challenge. 6. **Categorical denials** — courts disfavor; suggests appeal viability. Generate `audit_report.md` with appeal-viability score (1-5) and specific findings. VALIDATION: Audit produces a concrete next-step recommendation (accept / appeal / re-formulate / litigation). ============================================================ === PHASE 6: APPEAL LETTER GENERATOR === ============================================================ If denial or partial release is unsatisfactory, generate an administrative appeal: - Address to agency's FOIA Appeals officer (look up via Department of Justice OIP guidance). - Cite specific exemption claims and explain why they fail. - Cite case law: - **Argus Leader Media v. USDA** (2019) — narrowed b4 to "customarily and actually" confidential. - **DOJ v. Reporters Committee** (1989) — b6/b7C balancing test for personal privacy. - **Lindsey v. United States** — foreseeable harm requirement. - **NLRB v. Sears, Roebuck & Co.** (1975) — b5 deliberative process. - Request fee waiver clarification if denied. - 90-day deadline for federal administrative appeal (5 U.S.C. § 552(a)(6)(A)(ii)). VALIDATION: Appeal cites specific exemption claim + counter-argument + case authority. Filed within 90 days. ============================================================ === PHASE 7: FEE WAIVER + EXPEDITED PROCESSING === ============================================================ **Fee waiver criteria** (28 C.F.R. § 16.10): 1. Subject concerns "operations or activities of the government" 2. Disclosure is "likely to contribute significantly to public understanding" 3. Public interest, not commercial interest Generate fee-waiver template that addresses all three prongs concretely (not boilerplate). **Expedited processing criteria**: - Imminent threat to life or physical safety, OR - Urgency to inform the public + requester is "primarily engaged in disseminating information." Generate expedited-processing certification including the "I certify that my statement is true and correct to the best of my knowledge" sworn statement (5 U.S.C. § 552(a)(6)(E)(vi)). VALIDATION: Templates address specific statutory prongs, not generic justification. ============================================================ === SELF-REVIEW === ============================================================ Score 1–5: - **Complete**: Intake + routing + clock + redaction stub + audit + appeal + waiver all delivered? - **Robust**: Working-day math correct? Tolling excluded? Exemption proposals tied to foreseeable harm? - **Clean**: Letters reference current statutory citations, not deprecated language? - **FOIA-credible**: Would a journalist who's filed 100+ requests OR an agency FOIA officer recognize the templates as production-ready? Common gap: assuming all 9 exemptions apply equally — b1/b3/b7 require very specific justifications. ============================================================ === LEARNINGS CAPTURE === ============================================================ Append to `~/.claude/skills/foia-tracker/LEARNINGS.md`: ## — - **What worked:** - **What was awkward:** - **Suggested patch:** - **Verdict:** [Smooth / Minor friction / Major friction] ============================================================ === STRICT RULES === ============================================================ - Never auto-apply redactions to an agency response without human review. Wrong redaction = constitutional violation. - Never cite exemptions without paired foreseeable-harm rationale. Post-2016 FOIA Improvement Act requires it. - Never overlook tolling. If agency requested clarification, the clock paused — don't accuse them of missing the deadline they're entitled to extend. - Never use deprecated language (e.g., FOIAonline references — sunset April 2024). - Always check state law when the target is state agency, not federal. State timelines and exemptions differ materially.