FOIA Delays: Federal Backlogs and State Legislative Shifts Impacting Public Access

This week, two federal agencies reported increasing gaps between incoming FOIA requests and their ability to process them. The National Archives and Records Administration saw a 23% rise in requests, with complex requests taking nearly five years to process. The General Services Administration experienced a 43% increase in requests, leading to a 152% rise in backlog. A federal court ruled on expedited processing in CREW v. U.S. Department of Justice, ordering faster processing but declining to set a specific pace. In Florida, House Bill 437, which mandates quicker responses to public records requests, advanced to the House floor. Meanwhile, Georgia's House Bill 1223 proposes new exemptions for law enforcement recordings, sparking debate over access and definitions. Links to all source material are in the show notes.

📚 Sources:

• https://www.foiaadvisor.com/post/nara-reports-a-sharp-increase-in-foia-requests-in-fy-2025
• https://www.foiaadvisor.com/post/gsa-foia-annual-report-fy-2025-request-volume-surges-backlog-more-than-doubles
• https://www.foiaadvisor.com/post/court-grants-crew-expedited-foia-processing-but-declines-to-order-specific-production-rate
• https://floridapolitics.com/archives/781844-release-the-records-final-house-committee-oks-government-transparency-bill/
• https://www.wrdw.com/2026/02/26/ga-bill-could-curb-public-access-police-body-camera-footage/

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Rather than summarizing headlines, the briefing prioritizes court rulings, policy changes, and reporting that materially affect records operations and workload. Content is selected for relevance to records officers, public information staff, legal counsel, and compliance teams navigating increasing disclosure demands.

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