Family history researchers created a surge in Freedom of Information Act requests in 2004.
Family history researchers created a surge in
Freedom of Information Act (FOIA) requests for federal records during 2004, according to an Associated Press (AP) review <
www.ap.org/foi>. The FOIA requires the US government to release records to the public, except to protect national security.
FOIA requests surpassed 4 million in 2004, with the growth largely due to 1.5 million genealogy-related requests — double the 2003 number — to the Social Security Administration (SSA). The Department of Veterans Administration (VA) received 1.8 million requests, mostly for personnel and medical records.
People seeking genealogical information from the federal government fare relatively well in getting their questions answered. Uncle Sam granted 88 percent of FOIA requests in 2003 versus 66 percent in 1998 — an increase, says the AP, due entirely to SSA and VA requests. At the Agriculture, Commerce, Defense, Education, Interior, State, Transportation and Treasury departments, the amount of requested information that's eventually released has been declining since 1998.