Open Government Material
The Board of Ethics and Government Accountability (BEGA) is committed to a transparent, open form of government. District of Columbia public policy entitles all persons to full and complete information regarding the affairs of government and the official acts of those who represent them. Enacted in 1973, the District's Freedom of Information Act (FOIA) is designed to "pierce the veil of administrative secrecy and to open agency action to the light of public scrutiny." The Act gives any person the right to request records, in any form, that are prepared, owned, used, in the possession of, and retained by a public body. When FOIA requests are submitted, agencies are required to make a reasonable search for records.
District agency websites are required to make certain records available online to the public, if those records exist. In cases where these records exist but are not yet available online, agencies are working to provide them as soon as possible. If you have any questions, please contact the BEGA FOIA Officer. BEGA's records may be accessed using the links below.
Public Employee Salary Information (Please note that this is the complete listing of District employees. Agency designation is located in column two.)
District-wide and agency FOIA Reports
Public Financial Disclosure Forms
BEGA’s Organizational Chart (PDF)
Final Opinions and Orders made in the Adjudication of Cases
Statements of policy, interpretations of policy, and rules adopted by the agency
Submit Feedback
FOIA Requests
If you cannot find the information you are looking for here or elsewhere on DC.gov you may submit a FOIA request online via the DC government Public FOIA Portal or to BEGA's FOIA Officer. Please note that FOIA requests submitted online will be easier to track and process. To understand the process before making a request, please see foia.dc.gov.
Anyone may submit a FOIA request. There is no central FOIA office in the District government; therefore, each public body responds to requests for its records. To submit a request, you should determine which public body is likely to maintain the records you are seeking and submit a request to the FOIA Officer of that public body. A FOIA request may be submitted orally or in writing and may be mailed or emailed. When submitting your request, mark the outside of the envelope or the subject line of the fax or email: "Freedom of Information Act Request" or "FOIA Request."
To ensure that your FOIA request is to BEGA, if you are seeking BEGA records, processed smoothly, please describe the record(s) you are seeking as clearly and precisely as possible. In your description, please be as specific as possible about names, dates, places, events, subjects, and other pertinent details that will help BEGA identify the records you seek. The more specific you are about the records you are seeking, the more likely BEGA will be able to locate those records. We may ask you to clarify your FOIA request if we are not able to ascertain, understand, or determine what records you are seeking. This may delay the processing of your request, so please make your request as specific as possible. Include a daytime telephone number, email address, or mailing address in your request letter so that the FOIA Officer may contact you, if necessary...
FOIA requests for the Board of Ethics and Government Accountability's records should be mailed/emailed to:
Anthony J Scerbo, FOIA Officer
Board of Ethics and Government
Accountability
1030 15th Street, NW, Suite 700, Washington, DC 20005
Telephone: (202) 481-3411
Email: [email protected]
Administrative Appeals
If BEGA denies your FOIA request, you may file an action in the D.C. Superior Court or submit an administrative appeal to the Mayor. If an administrative appeal is submitted to the Mayor, it may be submitted online via the DC government Public FOIA Portal. An appeal may also be submitted by mail or email. The appeal must include a copy of the original request as well as a copy of the public body's written denial letter issued to you, if any. In addition, the appeal must include a written statement of the arguments, circumstances, or reasons in support of the information sought by your request. The appeal letter must include "Freedom of Information Act Appeal" or "FOIA Appeal" in the subject line of the letter as well as marked on the outside of the envelope. You may direct a written appeal to [email protected] or
Mayor’s Office of Legal Counsel
FOIA Appeal
1350 Pennsylvania Avenue, NW, Suite 407
Washington, DC 20004
A copy of the appeal must be provided to BEGA and addressed to BEGA’s FOIA Officer.
Judicial Review
Please refer to the District of Columbia Superior Court rules concerning procedures for filing a civil action.
Please refer to the FOIA statute at DC Code §§ 2-531-539 and the FOIA regulations at 1 DCMR §§ 400-417 for additional information.
Open Meetings Act Complaints and FOIA Advice
The Office of Open Government provides advice on FOIA and enforces the Open Meetings Act (OMA).