# Foia Requests > Freedom of Information Act (FOIA) and public records request workflows. Use when drafting records requests, tracking submissions, understanding exemptions, appealing denials, or managing large document productions. Essential for investigative journalists, researchers, and transparency advocates. - **Type:** Skill - **Install:** `agentstack add skill-jamditis-claude-skills-journalism-foia-requests` - **Verified:** Yes — security-reviewed for prompt injection and unsafe behavior - **Seller:** [jamditis](https://agentstack.voostack.com/s/jamditis) - **Installs:** 0 - **Category:** [Agent Skills](https://agentstack.voostack.com/c/agent-skills) - **Latest version:** 0.1.0 - **License:** MIT - **Upstream author:** [jamditis](https://github.com/jamditis) - **Source:** https://github.com/jamditis/claude-skills-journalism/tree/master/journalism-core/skills/foia-requests - **Website:** https://skills.amditis.tech/ ## Install ```sh agentstack add skill-jamditis-claude-skills-journalism-foia-requests ``` Requires the [AgentStack CLI](https://agentstack.voostack.com/docs/cli). Works with Claude Code, Cursor, and any MCP-compatible agent. ## About # FOIA and public records requests Workflows and templates for obtaining government records through freedom of information laws. ## Understanding FOIA landscape ### Jurisdiction overview | Level | Law | Scope | |-------|-----|-------| | Federal | Freedom of Information Act (5 U.S.C. § 552) | Federal executive branch agencies | | State | Varies by state (e.g., OPRA in NJ, FOIL in NY) | State and local agencies | | Local | Often covered by state law | Municipal, county, school boards | ### Key federal exemptions (U.S. Federal FOIA) ```markdown ## The 9 federal FOIA exemptions 1. **National security** - Classified information 2. **Internal personnel rules** - Agency housekeeping matters 3. **Statutory exemptions** - Other laws prohibit disclosure 4. **Trade secrets** - Confidential business information 5. **Inter/intra-agency memos** - Deliberative process privilege 6. **Personal privacy** - Personnel, medical files 7. **Law enforcement** - Could interfere with proceedings 8. **Financial institutions** - Bank examination reports 9. **Geological data** - Oil and gas well information Note: Agencies must segregate and release non-exempt portions ``` ## State public records laws All 50 states have enacted laws requiring certain government records to be open to the public. ### State-specific resources ```markdown ### State public records resources #### Reporters Committee for Freedom of the Press - Open Government Guide: rcfp.org/open-government-guide - State-by-state analysis of public records laws - Sample request letters by state #### National Freedom of Information Coalition - nfoic.org/state-freedom-of-information-laws - State FOI organization contacts - Training and resources #### MuckRock - muckrock.com - File requests through platform - Search previous requests/responses - Agency response time data ``` ### Common state exemptions State legislatures may be subject to different rules than the rest of their governing bodies: 1. **Exempt from public records statute** (e.g., Massachusetts, Oklahoma, Oregon, Wyoming) 2. **Excluded from definition of public body** (e.g., Georgia, Minnesota) 3. **Covered by separate statute** (e.g., California) 4. **Allowed to set own policies** (e.g., Mississippi, New York) Court decisions and attorneys general opinions in some states have held that the separation of powers doctrine prevents courts from enforcing public records statutes against the legislature. ### State-by-state reference | State | Public Records Law | Legislative Exemptions/Notes | |-------|-------------------|------------------------------| | Alabama | AL Code § 36-12-40 et seq. | AL Code § 29-6-7.1 Legislative confidential communication | | Alaska | AK Stat. § 40.25.110 | AK Stat. § 24.20.100 Research and drafting services confidential | | Arizona | AZ Rev. Stat. § 39-121.01 | AZ Rev. Stat. § 41-1279.05 Confidential records of auditor general | | Arkansas | AR Code Ann. § 25-19-101 et seq. | AR Code Ann. § 10-2-129; § 10-4-422; § 25-19-105(b)(7) | | California | CA Govt. Code § 7920 et seq. | CA Govt. Code § 9070 et seq. Legislative Open Records Act | | Colorado | CO Rev. Stat. Ann. § 24-72-200 et seq. | CO Rev. Stat. Ann. § 24-72-202(6); § 2-3-505(2) | | Connecticut | CT Gen. Stat. § 1-200 et seq. | CT Gen. Stat. § 1-210(b)(19); § 52-146r | | Delaware | 29 Del. Laws, c. 100 § 10001 et seq. | § 10002(o)(16 & 19) Exempt records; GA emails | | Florida | FL Stat. § 119.01 et seq. | FL Stat. § 11.0431(2); § 11.26; § 15.07 | | Georgia | O.C.G.A. § 50-18-70 et seq. | General Assembly not included in definitions | | Hawaii | HI Rev. Stat. § 92F-1 et seq. | HI Rev. Stat. § 84-12; § 92F-13(5); § 23G-4 | | Idaho | ID Stat. § 74-101 et seq. | ID Stat. § 74-109 Draft legislation exempt | | Illinois | 5 ILCS 140/1 | 5 ILCS 140/7(1)(f) Legislative documents exempt | | Indiana | IN Code § 5-14-3-1 et seq. | IN Code § 5-14-3-4(b)(13) & (14) Staff work products exempt | | Iowa | IA Code § 22.1 et seq. | IA Code § 2A.1(3); § 23.12 | | Kansas | K.S.A. § 45-215 et seq. | K.S.A. § 45-217(l)(3)(B); § 45-221(a)(20)-(22) | | Kentucky | KRS § 61.870 et seq. | KRS § 7.117; § 7.119; § 7.120 | | Louisiana | LA Rev. Stat. § 44:1 et seq. | LA Rev. Stat. § 44:4(6); § 44:4.1; § 44:2 | | Maine | ME Rev. Stat. Tit. 1 § 400 et seq. | ME Rev. Stat. Tit. 1 § 402(3)(C) Legislative exception | | Maryland | MD General Provisions Code § 4-101 et seq. | MD State Govt. Code § 2–1226 | | Massachusetts | MA Gen. Laws Ch. 66 § 1 et seq. | Ch. 66 § 18 General Court exempt | | Michigan | MI Comp. Laws § 15.231 | MI Comp. Laws § 4.1109 LSB confidentiality | | Minnesota | MN Stat. § 13.03 | MN Stat. § 3C.05; § 10.46; § 3.098 | | Mississippi | MS Code Ann. § 25-61-1 et seq. | MS Code Ann. § 25-61-17 Legislature regulates own records | | Missouri | MO Rev. Stat. § 610.010 et seq. | MO Rev. Stat. § 610.010(6); § 610.021 | | Montana | MT Code Ann. § 2-6-1001 et seq. | N/A | | Nebraska | NE Rev. Stat. § 84-712 et seq. | NE Rev. Stat. § 84-712.05(14) | | Nevada | NV Rev. Stat. § 239.001 et seq. | NV Rev. Stat. § 41.071; § 218F.150 | | New Hampshire | NH Rev. Stat. § 91-A:1 et seq. | NH Rev. Stat. § 91-A:5(IX) | | New Jersey | NJ Rev. Stat. § 47:1A-1 et seq. | NJ Rev. Stat. § 47:1A-1.1; § 52:13D-22(d) | | New Mexico | NM Stat. § 14-2-1 et seq. | NM Stat. § 2-3-13 Services confidential | | New York | NY PBO Article 6 § 84 et seq. | NY PBO Article 6 § 88; Article 4 § 74(c) | | North Carolina | NC G.S. § 132-1 et seq. | NC G.S. § 120 et seq. Confidentiality of communications | | North Dakota | ND Cent. Code § 44-04-18 et seq. | ND Cent. Code § 44-04-18.6 | | Ohio | OH Rev. Code § 149.43 | OH Rev. Code § 101.30 Staff confidentiality | | Oklahoma | OK Stat. Tit. 51 § 24A.1 et seq. | Legislature not a public body under OORA | | Oregon | ORS § 192.001 et seq. | ORS § 192.311(6); § 192.355; § 171.405 | | Pennsylvania | 65 Pa. Stat. § 67.101 et seq. | 101 Pa. Code § 3.6 | | Rhode Island | R.I. Gen. Laws § 38-2-1 et seq. | R.I. Gen. Laws § 38-2-2(4)(K & M) | | South Carolina | SC Code § 30-4-10 et seq. | SC Code § 30-4-40(a)(7 & 8) | | South Dakota | SD Cod. Laws § 1-27-1 et seq. | SD Cod. Laws § 1-27-1.5(12 & 19); § 19-19-508 | | Tennessee | Tenn. Code Ann. § 10-7-503 et seq. | Tenn. Code Ann. § 3-12-105; § 3-12-106 | | Texas | TX Stat. Gov. Code § 552.001 et seq. | § 306.003; § 323.017-018; § 325.0195; § 552.106; § 552.111; § 552.146 | | Utah | UT Code § 63G-2-101 | UT Code § 63G-2-305(19-22); § 63G-2-703; § 63G-2-208 | | Vermont | 1 V.S.A. § 315 et seq. | 2 V.S.A. 403(b)(1) Legislative council requests confidential | | Virginia | VA Code § 2.2-3700 et seq. | VA Code § 30-28.18; § 2.2-3705.7(2) | | Washington | RCW 42.56 | RCW 1.08.027; RCW 40.14.180; RCW 42.56.280 | | West Virginia | WV Code § 29B | WV Code § 4-1A-6; § 4-1A-7; § 4-1A-12 | | Wisconsin | WI Stat. § 19.21 et seq. | WI Stat. § 13.91 et seq.; § 16.61(2)(b)(1) | | Wyoming | WY Stat. Ann. § 16-4-201 et seq. | WY Stat. Ann. § 28-8-116 | *Source: [National Conference of State Legislatures](https://www.ncsl.org/center-for-legislative-strengthening/public-records-law-and-state-legislatures), Updated April 2025* ### NJ OPRA reforms (P.L. 2024, c. 16) — effective Sept. 3, 2024 Senate bill S2930 (signed June 5, 2024; effective Sept. 3, 2024) changed New Jersey's Open Public Records Act in five ways that make requesting harder: - **Fee-shifting weakened.** Prevailing requesters now receive attorneys' fees only when a court finds the agency's denial was in bad faith or knowing and willful. Previously, prevailing requesters were entitled to fees in most successful suits. - **Anonymous requesters lose standing.** Requesters must identify themselves by name and address; agencies may reject anonymous requests. - **Deadline tiers introduced.** The standard 7-business-day response window remains, but agencies can extend timelines for "voluminous" or "complex" requests under defined criteria, and may treat certain commercial requests differently. - **Special service charge presumption.** Agencies may impose extraordinary service fees more readily; requests for large data extracts, bulk records, or programmatic responses are presumed to justify a service charge above the standard copy fee. - **Agencies can sue requesters.** Public agencies have new authority to seek injunctive relief against requesters whose requests the agency deems harassing, repeated, or filed in bad faith. Practical effect for journalists: file under your byline and outlet (anonymous requests are now risky); narrow the scope to avoid triggering "voluminous" treatment; document the public-interest rationale up front because fee-shifting protection is weaker. Sources: New Jersey P.L. 2024, c. 16 (S2930); New Jersey Press Association coverage; Lowenstein Sandler client advisory; HealthLaw Advisor analysis; Chasan Lamparello Mallon & Cappuzzo summary. ## Drafting effective requests ### Request template (Federal FOIA) ```markdown [NAMES] [ADDRESS] [CITY],[STATE] [ZIPCODE] [EMAIL] [PHONE] [DATE] FOIA Officer [AGENCY] [AGENCY_ADDRESS] [STATUTE] Request Dear FOIA Officer: My name is [NAME] and I am a [TITLE] for [OUTLET]. Pursuant to the [STATUTE], I am writing to request the following: - [RECORDS_REQUESTED1] between [START_DATE] to [END_DATE] from [SPECIFIC_OFFICES] including the following words/phrases [KEYWORD1], [KEYWORD2], [KEYWORD3], [KEYWORD4] - [RECORDS_REQUESTED2] between [START_DATE] to [END_DATE] from [SPECIFIC_OFFICES] including the following words/phrases [KEYWORD1], [KEYWORD2], [KEYWORD3], [KEYWORD4] - [RECORDS_REQUESTED3] between [START_DATE] to [END_DATE] from [SPECIFIC_OFFICES] including the following words/phrases [KEYWORD1], [KEYWORD2], [KEYWORD3], [KEYWORD4] **INSTRUCTIONS REGARDING SEARCH:** 1. Instructions Regarding "Leads": As required by the relevant case law, [AGENCY] should follow any leads it discovers during the conduct of its searches and perform additional searches when said leads indicate that records may be located in another system. Failure to follow clear leads is a violation of [STATUTE]. 2. Request for Public Records: Please search for any records even if they are already publicly available. 3. Request Regarding Attachments, Photographs and Other Visual Materials: I request that any photographs or other visual materials responsive to my request be released to me in their original or comparable forms, quality and resolution. For example, if a photograph was taken digitally, or if [AGENCY] maintains a photograph digitally, I request disclosure of the original digital image file, not a reduced resolution version of that image file nor a printout and scan of that image file. Likewise, if a photograph was originally taken as a color photograph, I request disclosure of that photograph as a color image, not a black and white image. For video and audio files I request that they be provided in their complete, original and unedited format. Please contact me at the number or email listed below for any clarification on these points. 4. Request for Duplicate Pages: l request disclosure of any and all supposedly "duplicate" pages. Scholars analyze records not only for the information available on any given page, but also for the relationships between that information and information on pages surrounding it. As such, though certain pages may have been previously released to me, the existence of those pages within new context renders them functionally new pages. As such, the only way to properly analyze released information is to analyze that information within its proper context. Therefore, I request disclosure of all "duplicate" pages. 5. Request for Search of Records Transferred to Other Agencies: I request that in conducting its search, [AGENCY] should disclose releasable records even if they are available publicly through other sources outside the [AGENCY] office. If [AGENCY] is unable to do so, it should disclose where specifically the relevant records are available. 6. Regarding Destroyed Records If any records responsive or potentially responsive to my request have been destroyed, my request includes, but is not limited to, any and all records relating or referring to the destruction of those records. This includes, but is not limited to, any and all records relating or referring to the events leading to the destruction of those records. INSTRUCTIONS REGARDING SCOPE AND BREADTH OF REQUESTS Please interpret the scope of this request broadly. [AGENCY] is instructed to interpret the scope of this request in the most liberal manner possible short of an interpretation that would lead to a conclusion that the request does not reasonably describe the records sought. EXEMPTIONS AND SEGREGABILITY The FOIA Improvement Act of 2016 codified a foreseeable-harm standard at 5 U.S.C. § 552(a)(8)(A). An agency may withhold information only if it (i) reasonably foresees that disclosure would harm an interest protected by an exemption, or (ii) disclosure is prohibited by law. Embarrassment to officials, the possibility that disclosure might reveal errors or failures, and speculative or abstract fears are not legitimate grounds for withholding. Even where an exemption properly applies to part of a record, the statute requires the agency to release all reasonably segregable non-exempt portions. If documents are denied in part or in whole, please specify which exemption(s) is (are) claimed for each passage or whole document denied. Please provide a complete itemized inventory and a detailed factual justification of total or partial denial of documents. Specify the number of pages in each document and the total number of pages pertaining to this request. For "classified" material denied, please include the following information: the classification (confidential, secret or top secret); identity of the classifier; date or event for automatic declassification or classification review or downgrading; if applicable, identity of official authorizing extension of automatic declassification or review past six years; and, if applicable, the reason for extended classification beyond six years. In excising material, please "black out" the material rather than "white out" or "cut out." I expect, as provided by FOIA, that the remaining non-exempt portions of documents will be released. Please release all pages regardless of the extent of excising, even if all that remains are the letterhead, page numbers, or administrative markings. In addition, I ask that your agency exercise its discretion to release records which may be technically exempt, but where withholding serves no important public interest. **Format requested:** I request that any releases stemming from this request be provided to me in its original digital format (soft-copy), ideally through an online file transfer or digital portal system. Should this be impossible, material may be provided on a compact disk, flash drive, hard drive or other like media. I request that you provide records as they become available, rather than all at once. Please produce all records with administrative markings and pagination included. Please send a memo (copy to me) to the appropriate units in your office to assure that no records related to this request are destroyed. Please advise of any destruction of records and include the date of and authority for such destruction. **Fee waiver request (for U.S. federal FOIA):** I am a [JOB_TITLE] for [CURRENT_OUTLET], covering [BEAT/TOPIC]. My reporting has appeared in [PRIOR_OUTLETS]. I request a waiver of all fees pursuant to 5 U.S.C. § 552(a)(4)(A)(iii), which provides that documents shall be furnished without charge "if disclosure of the information is in the public interest because it is likely to contribute significantly to public understanding of the operations or activities of the government and is not primarily in the commercial interest of the requester." The records I have requested meet that standa … ## Source & license This open-source skill is cataloged on AgentStack and links to its original source — we do not rehost the code. - **Author:** [jamditis](https://github.com/jamditis) - **Source:** [jamditis/claude-skills-journalism](https://github.com/jamditis/claude-skills-journalism) - **License:** MIT - **Homepage:** https://skills.amditis.tech/ Install and usage instructions live in the source repository linked above. ## Pricing - **Free** — Free ## Security capabilities Automated source analysis of v0.1.0 — what this tool can access: - **Network access:** no - **Filesystem access:** no - **Shell / process execution:** no - **Environment & secrets:** no - **Dynamic code execution:** no *"Yes" means the capability is present in the source — more access means more to trust, not that it is unsafe.* ## Versions - **0.1.0** — security scan: passed — Imported from the upstream source. ## Links - Listing page: https://agentstack.voostack.com/l/skill-jamditis-claude-skills-journalism-foia-requests - Seller: https://agentstack.voostack.com/s/jamditis - Browse the marketplace: https://agentstack.voostack.com/browse --- Listed on AgentStack — the marketplace for AI agent skills and MCP servers. 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