Public Availability of Information

Agencies generate an enormous variety of information and records that are potentially of interest to the public, including while engaged in administrative processes such as rulemaking, licensing, investigation, enforcement, and adjudication, as well as in litigation when courts review agency actions. Making information and records publicly available can promote transparency, enhance efficiency by reducing the need for people to file requests for agency records and agencies to respond to such requests, and support the legitimacy and accountability of agency decisions.

Various statutes govern what information and records agencies must make publicly available, either proactively or on request, and how they must make them publicly available. Relevant statutes include the Freedom of Information Act, Federal Register Act, Administrative Procedure Act, E-Government Act, and Government in the Sunshine Act. Some statutes, such as the Privacy Act and Freedom of Information Act, also require or authorize agencies to withhold certain information and records under certain circumstances.

ACUS has adopted dozens of recommendations and produced many other resources to help agencies manage public access to the information and records they generate. The Statement of Principles for the Disclosure of Federal Administrative Materials provides a general overview of ACUS recommendations on the subject. Select a category below to access individual recommendations, reports, and other resources:

Assembly Recommendations

Publications and Reports

Information Interchange Bulletins

News Releases and Blog Posts

Assembly Recommendations

Publications and Reports

News Releases and Blog Posts

Assembly Recommendations

Publications and Reports

Information Interchange Bulletins 

News Releases and Blog Posts

Assembly Recommendations

Publications and Reports

Information Interchange Bulletins

News Releases and Blog Posts

Assembly Recommendations

Publications and Reports

Information Interchange Bulletins

Assembly Recommendations

Publications and Reports

Information Interchange Bulletins

Blog Posts and News Releases

Assembly Recommendations

Publications and Reports

Information Interchange Bulletins

Current Projects

News Releases and Blog Posts

Assembly Recommendations

Publications and Reports

Assembly Recommendations

Publications and Reports

Information Interchange Bulletins

Current Projects

News Releases and Blog Posts