OFFICE OF ADMINISTRATION
FOIA HANDBOOK

This handbook is intended to assist you in making a Freedom of Information Act (FOIA) request to the Office of Administration (OA), Executive Office of the President (EOP). For further details please refer to the OA FOIA Regulations which can be found at 5 CFR §2502 and are currently being reviewed in light of the passage of the E-FOIA Amendment of 1996.

OA is a distinct entity from the other components of the EOP. OA does not usually have custody and control over records belonging to other EOP entities, as is required for release under the FOIA. Please contact the separate EOP entities, that are subject to FOIA, individually, if you would like to make a FOIA request for their records.

The EOP entities subject to the FOIA are:

• Council on Environmental Quality
  
• Office of Administration
  
• Office of Management and Budget
  
• Office of National Drug Control Policy
  
• Office of Science and Technology Policy
  
• United States Trade Representative

The EOP entities exempt from the provisions of the FOIA are:

•     White House Office
  
•     Office of the Vice President
  
•     Council of Economic Advisers
  
•     National Security Council
  
•     Office of Policy Development
  
•     President's Foreign Intelligence Advisory Board

Mission of the Office of Administration:

The Office of Administration (OA) was established within the Executive Office of the President (EOP) by Reorganization Plan No. 1 of 1977. The Office was activated, effective December 4, 1977, by Executive Order 12028 of December 12, 1977. Its primary function is to provide common administrative and support services for the various entities of the EOP. The services include personnel; financial management; data processing; library services; records maintenance; and general office operations, such as mail, messenger, printing, procurement, and supply services. OA has no field organizations and consists of the following:

     (1)   Office of the Director

     (2)   Facilities Management

     (3)   Financial Management

     (4)   General Services

     (5)   Information Systems & Technology

     (6)   Human Resources Management

     (7)   Library Research Services

OA's Current Publications: None

Submitting a Freedom of Information Act Request:

A request made under the FOIA must be submitted in writing, by mail or fax, to the following address:

     Office of Administration
     FOIA Officer
     725 17th Street NW.
     Washington, DC 20503
     Phone: (202) 395-2273
     Fax: (202) 456-7921

The words FOIA REQUEST should be clearly marked on both the letter and the envelope. Due to security measures at the Old and New Executive Office Buildings, requests made in person should be delivered to Room G-1, at the above address. Describe the specific records requested in enough detail so that they can be located with a reasonable amount of effort. Requests for answers posed as questions are not covered under the FOIA. The request must be for records. Records must exist at the time the request is submitted.

Please state your willingness and ability to pay applicable fees or provide a justification to support a fee waiver.

For further information, please refer to the Office of Administration FOIA Regulations at
5 CFR §2502, which are currently being reviewed in light of the passage of the E-FOIA Amendment of 1996. Questions relating to the OA records and disclosure regulations may be directed to (202) 395-2273.

Privacy Act:

Information may also be requested from OA under the Privacy Act, 5 U.S.C. 552a. Privacy Act requests for information in OA's files must be in writing and sent to the same address as FOIA requests (see Submitting a Freedom of Information Act Request). For further details please refer to the OA Privacy Act Regulations which can be found at 5 CFR §2504.

The Privacy Act Regulations apply to all records maintained by the Office of Administration that are contained in a system of records, and that contain information about an individual. The regulations also establish procedures that (a) authorize an individual's access to records maintained about him/her; (b) limit the access of other persons to those records; and (c) permit an individual to request the amendment or correction of records about him/her self.

Please note that records maintained by OA are usually kept only on individuals employed by the office and not on all other citizens or residents of the United States.

EOP Publications Office:

There are no OA publications. A FOIA request does not need to be made for White House (WH) and Office of Management and Budget (OMB) publications which are distributed by the EOP Publications Office. If you are interested in receiving a WH or OMB publication, please call or write the EOP Publications Office.

Address: EOP Publications Office
              725 17th Street, NW
              NEOB Room 2200
              Washington, DC 20503
              Phone: (202) 395-7332

OA's website address:

http://www.whitehouse.gov/WH/EOP/html/other/OA.html

OA's Electronic Reading Room

Commonly requested records such as:

• The IMPAC Credit Card Holders Listing;
• 1996 OA Annual FOIA Report;
• Handbook for FOIA Requests; and
• Government Information Locator System (GILS),

can be found in OA's Electronic Reading Room located on OA's
website (see address above).