FOA requests are no where near real time and also cost $ to request. They are also not automated. Real government employees will be assigned your request to approve/deny, determine cost, request and receive payment, and then fulfill. This usually takes months or years.
That may be true, but Washington has the Public Records Act which says they have to respond in 5 days and can’t take longer than a year to provide the documents, and have fines large enough for some people to make a living setting people up for public records lawsuits.
So in Washington, at least, there actually is some accountability.
FOA requests are no where near real time and also cost $ to request. They are also not automated. Real government employees will be assigned your request to approve/deny, determine cost, request and receive payment, and then fulfill. This usually takes months or years.
That may be true, but Washington has the Public Records Act which says they have to respond in 5 days and can’t take longer than a year to provide the documents, and have fines large enough for some people to make a living setting people up for public records lawsuits.
So in Washington, at least, there actually is some accountability.