Electronic Freedom of Information Act

This final rule amends the administrative procedures of the Food Safety and Inspection Service (FSIS) by implementing the provisions of the Department of Agriculture's (USDA) final rule entitled USDA Freedom of Information Act. Issued on May 4, 1999, the departmental rule authorizes substantive administrative changes to be made by agencies to conform to the requirements of the Electronic Freedom of Information Act (EFOIA) Amendments of 1996 and instructs agencies to promulgate regulations implementing certain of its requirements. Therefore, FSIS is amending its regulations to comply with the departmental regulations. The regulations establish a fourth category of ``reading room records'' in electronic format and require the Agency to make all records it has created on or after November 1, 1996 available electronically on a World Wide Web site by November 1, 1997. The electronic availability obligation applies not only to records in the new fourth reading room category but also to more traditional reading room records created by the Agency, such as staff manuals and other materials regularly requested by the public.