Strengthening Our Democracy Through Government Transparency With requestFIOA
When citizens have access to information, they make informed decisions to strengthen their communities
FRAMINGHAM, Mass., Aug. 20, 2018 /PRNewswire-PRWeb/ -- When citizens have access to detailed information about local, state and federal administrations, elected officials and government offices can be held accountable for their conduct of business and the services they provide to their constituents. When communities are educated and engaged, it strengthens our democracy. As citizens, we pay taxes that fund government programs and services; we should be able to see where our money is going, and where it benefits our communities.
Since 1967, the Freedom of Information Act has bestowed the public with the right to request access to official government records. However, a vast majority of people are unaware of the degree of access they have to government-generated documents and what information constitutes as a public record and is permissible for the general public to view. Public records are defined as documents or segments of information that are not considered confidential and generally pertain to the conduct of government; they are required by law to be kept and maintained in the public office where they were filed. Any material created by a government agency or an officer during the course of the performance of duty qualifies as a public record.
There are many degrees of accessibility to public records between states; each state has its own laws, rules and regulations regarding what is considered to be a public record. Obtaining public records can be extremely challenging. Many individuals do not know where to begin, what agencies to contact, or which laws and exemptions apply.
"In 2017, when the public records law in Massachusetts was updated, it became more stringent. This inspired me to begin researching how other states and the federal government responded to public records requests. My colleagues joined in my interest, and together we began researching how the laws varied from state to state and we began monitoring how the requests were processed from agency to agency. As you can understand, some are better than others. In our research, we have found that it is not unusual for a request to be delayed because it is unclear or that it may be overly redacted, concealing key information without explanation; or in extreme cases we saw requests completely ignored.
"My colleagues and I built a streamlined process which applies to every federal, state, county and municipal request for public records, removing some of the challenges and actually retrieving the documents that requestors are seeking with requestFOIA.com," said Nichol Figueiredo, President/CEO.
America can only be a strong nation when its citizens are engaged and informed. requestFOIA provides a gateway for individuals, law firms, higher education and businesses to request federal, state, county and local public records at affordable prices, cutting through the red tape.
At each level of service a public records expert will review the request and begin the process to obtain the requested records.
Bronze Tier - Provides a gateway for individuals to request federal, state, county and local public records keeping documents confidential at $19.99.
Silver Tier - Provides the same service as our bronze tier, and additionally secures your identity and the documents you have requested at $29.99.
Gold Tier - Provides all of the benefits of the bronze and silver tiers of service, however we will also challenge any adverse decisions on your behalf for $49.99.
We offer discounted pricing programs for individuals, professionals and organizations that wish to file multiple request or who would like a monthly subscription plan.
For more information visit http://www.requestFOIA.com, email [email protected] or call us at (800) 296-8598. Don't forget to like us on Facebook @requestFOIA and follow us on Twitter @request_FOIA
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