(a) Non-exempt records available to public. Except for records exempt from disclosure by 5 U.S.C. 552(b) or published in the Federal Register under 5 U.S.C. 552(a)(1), OSTP's agency records subject to the FOIA are available to any requester who requests them in accordance with these regulations.

(b) Record availability on the OSTP website. OSTP shall make records available on its website in accordance with 5 U.S.C. 552(a)(2), as amended, and other documents that, because of the nature of their subject matter, are likely to be the subject of FOIA requests. To save both time and money, OSTP strongly urges requesters to review documents available on the OSTP website before submitting a request.

(c) Definitions. For purposes of this part:

(1) All of the terms defined in the FOIA and the definitions included in OMB's “Uniform Freedom of Information Act Fee Schedule and Guidelines” apply unless otherwise defined in this subpart.

(2) The term agency record means a record that is:

(i) Either created or obtained by OSTP; and

(ii) Under OSTP's control at the time the FOIA request is received.

(3) The term commercial use request means a request from or on behalf of a person who seeks information for a use or purpose that furthers his or her commercial, trade, or profit interests, which can include furthering those interests through litigation. OSTP shall determine, whenever reasonably possible, the use to which a requester will put the requested records. When it appears that the requester will put the records to a commercial use, either because of the nature of the request itself or because OSTP has reasonable cause to doubt a requester's stated use, OSTP shall provide the requester a reasonable opportunity to submit further clarification.

(4) The terms disclose and disclosure refer to making records available, upon request, for examination and copying, or furnishing a copy of records.

(5) The term direct cost means those expenditures OSTP actually incurred in searching for and duplicating (and, in the case of commercial use requests, reviewing) records in response to a FOIA request. Direct costs include the salary of the personnel performing the work (i.e., the basic rate of pay for the employee plus 16 percent of that rate to cover benefits) and the cost of operating computers and other electronic equipment, such as photocopiers and scanners. Direct costs do not include overhead expenses, such as the cost of space, heating, or lighting of the facility in which the records are stored.

(6) The term duplication means the making of a copy of a record, or of the information contained in it, necessary to respond to a FOIA request. Copies can take the form of paper, microform, audiovisual materials, or electronic records (e.g., magnetic tape or disk), among others.

(7) The term educational institution means a preschool, a public or private elementary or secondary school, an institution of undergraduate higher education, an institution of graduate higher education, an institution of professional education, or an institution of vocational education that operates a program of scholarly research. To fall within this category, a requester must show that the request is authorized by and is made under the auspices of a qualifying institution and that the records are not sought for a commercial use, but rather are sought to further scholarly research.

(8) The term fee waiver means the waiver or reduction of processing fees if a requester can demonstrate that certain statutory standards are satisfied.

(9) The term FOIA Public Liaison means an agency official who is responsible for assisting requesters in defining the scope of their request to reduce processing time, increasing transparency and understanding of the status of requests, and assisting in the resolution of disputes.

(10) The term non-commercial scientific institution means an institution that is not operated on a commercial basis, as that term is defined in these regulations, and that is operated solely for the purpose of conducting scientific research, the results of which are not intended to promote any particular product or industry. To fall within this category, a requester must show that the request is authorized by and is made under the auspices of a qualifying institution and that the records are not sought for a commercial use, but rather are sought to further scientific research.

(11) The term perfected request means a FOIA request for records that reasonably describes the records sought and has been received by OSTP in accordance with the requirements set forth in § 2402.4.

(12) The terms representative of the news media and news media requester mean any person or entity that gathers information of potential interest to a segment of the public, uses its editorial skills to turn the raw materials into a distinct work, and distributes that work to an audience. In this clause, the term news means information that is about current events or that would be of current interest to the public. Examples of news media entities are television or radio stations broadcasting to the public at large and publishers of periodicals (but only if such entities qualify as disseminators of news) who make their products available for purchase by, subscription by, or through free distribution to the general public. These examples are not all-inclusive. Moreover, as methods of news delivery evolve, such as through electronic or digital means, such news sources shall be considered to be news media entities. A freelance journalist shall be regarded as working for a news media entity if the journalist can demonstrate a solid basis for expecting publication through that entity, whether or not the journalist is actually employed by the entity. A publication contract would present a solid basis for such an expectation; the Government may also consider the past publication record of the requester in making such a determination.

(13) The term requester means any person, including an individual, partnership, corporation, association, Native American tribe, or other public or private organization, other than a Federal agency that requests access to records.

(14) The term review means the process of examining documents located in response to a request that is for a commercial use to determine whether any portion of any document located is permitted to be withheld. It includes the processing of any documents for disclosure—i.e., doing all that is necessary to excise exempt information and otherwise prepare them for release. Review does not include time spent resolving general legal or policy issues regarding the application of exemptions.

(15) The term search refers to the process of looking for and retrieving records or information responsive to a request. It includes page-by-page or line-by-line identification of information within records and also includes reasonable efforts to locate and retrieve information from records maintained in electronic form or format.

(16) The term working day means a regular Federal working day between the hours of 9:00 a.m. and 5:00 p.m. It does not include Saturdays, Sundays, or legal Federal holidays. Any requests received after 5:00 p.m. on any given working day will be considered received on the next working day.