The mission of the Office of Information Policy (OIP) is to encourage and oversee agency compliance with the Freedom of Information Act (FOIA). OIP is responsible for developing government-wide policy guidance on all aspects of FOIA administration. OIP also provides legal counsel and training to agency personnel. To assist agencies in understanding the many substantive and procedural requirements of the FOIA, OIP publishes the United States Department of Justice Guide to the Freedom of Information Act, which is a comprehensive legal treatise addressing all aspects of the FOIA. OIP also provides a range of resources to agencies to guide them in their administration of the Act.
In addition to its policy functions, OIP oversees agency compliance with the FOIA. All agencies are required by law to report to the Department of Justice each year on their FOIA compliance through submission of Annual FOIA Reports and Chief FOIA Officer Reports. OIP develops guidelines for those reports, issues guidance and provides training to agencies to help them complete the reports, and reviews and compiles summaries and assessments of agency progress in administering the law.
OIP also manages the Department of Justice's obligations under the FOIA. This includes adjudicating administrative appeals from denials of access to records made by Department components under the FOIA or the Privacy Act of 1974; handling initial requests for records of the Offices of the Attorney General, Deputy Attorney General and Associate Attorney General, as well as other Senior Management Offices; providing staff support for the Department Review Committee, which reviews Department of Justice records containing classified information; and handling the defense of certain FOIA matters in litigation.