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Written Public Summary of FOIA Procedures and Guidelines

Written Public Summary of FOIA Procedures and Guidelines

Table of Contents

A. How to Submit Written Requests

FOIA requests must be submitted in writing to Michigan Department of Lifelong Education, Advancement, and Potential (MiLEAP) by sending an email or mail to:

Email: MiLEAP-FOIA@michigan.gov

Mail:

Michigan Department of Lifelong Education, Advancement, and Potential (MiLEAP)
Attn: FOIA Coordinator
Landmark Building, Second Floor
105 W. Allegan St.
Lansing, MI 48933

By statute, requests MUST include:

  • the requesting person's complete name.
  • requesting person’s address in compliance with United States Postal Service addressing standards, and, if the request is made by a person other than an individual, the complete name, address, and contact information of the person’s agent who is an individual.
  • contact information must include a valid telephone number or electronic mail address.
  • a sufficient description of the requested records, including the date range to enable the Department to search for and locate any potentially existing responsive documents.

B. How to Understand the Department's Written Responses to FOIA requests

The Department has several options when responding to written requests for public records. It can grant the FOIA request, deny the request, grant it in part and deny it in part, or take one 10-business day extension. If the Department requires additional time to process the request and takes the 10-business day extension, the Department must then respond with one of the three other options by the deadline date of the 10-business day extension.

If the request is granted or granted in part and denied in part, the department can also charge a fee to process the request. There is no fee for requests that do not require the department to incur costs above the threshold set in its Procedures and Guidelines. Fees are calculated using its procedures and guidelines and you will receive a detailed itemization of the fee. The department may require you to pay a good-faith deposit before it processes your request. After you pay any deposit and final balance due, the department will produce records in its possession that fall within the scope of your request and that legally may be disclosed to the public. The department may also notify you that some of the records you have requested are available on its website.

If the request is denied, the department will inform you of the basis for its denial in a written notice. Reasons the department may deny a request include:

  1. You did not provide a sufficient description of the records to enable the Department to determine what records are you are seeking.
  2. The Department has determined that it does not have any existing records that respond to your request in its possession; or
  3. The records you have requested are exempt from public disclosure. 

If all or part of your request is denied, the Department will inform you of your right to appeal its denial to the Executive Director of the Department and/or to file a lawsuit against the Department in its written response.

C. Deposit Requirements

If the Department estimates a fee to process a FOIA request greater than $50.00, the Department will require a good-faith deposit from you before providing the public records. The deposit shall not exceed 1/2 of the total estimated fee. Any written notice containing a notice of a deposit shall also contain a best effort estimate by the Department regarding the time frame after a deposit is received that it will take the Department to provide the public records. The time frame estimate is not binding upon the Department, but the Department shall provide the estimate in good faith and strive to be reasonably accurate and to provide the public records in a manner based on this State's public policy under section 1 of the FOIA, MCL 15.231, and the nature of the request in the particular instance. If a fee appeal has not been filed under section 10a of the FOIA, MCL 15.240a, the department must receive the required deposit within 45 days after your statutorily determined receipt of the estimate (3 days after the department sends the estimate), otherwise the FOIA request will be considered abandoned, and the department will not be required to fulfill the request.

D. Fee Calculations

The FOIA permits the Department to charge a fee to process FOIA requests using a form to give you a detailed itemization of the costs involved. The Department may charge for the following costs: 

  1. the costs of labor for the search, location, and examination of public records.
  2. the costs of labor for the review of public records and separation and deletion of exempt from nonexempt material.
  3. the cost of nonpaper physical media.
  4. the cost of duplication and publication of public records.
  5. the costs of labor for the duplication or publication of public records.
  6. the actual cost of mailing public records.
  7. Labor costs for monitoring an inspection of original records will be calculated using the hourly wage of the department's lowest paid employee capable of monitoring the inspection. Labor costs for monitoring an inspection will not be charged for the first hour. The hourly wage will be based on the department's payroll records for the applicable fiscal year. 

E. Inspection of Records

The Department shall furnish a person a reasonable opportunity for inspection and examination of a public record and shall furnish a reasonable facility during the usual business hours. Note: Section 3(3) of the FOIA, MCL 15.233(3), provides, in pertinent part, that "[a] public body shall protect public records from loss, unauthorized alteration, mutilation, or destruction." The Department will:

  1. Provide a designated space for inspection and examination.
  2. Be present while the document is being reviewed.
  3. Not allow original documents to be removed from the file or from the designated space (unless a copy is made by the FOIA coordinator or liaison).
  4. Protect a public record from loss, unauthorized alteration, mutilation, or destruction.
  5. Record and invoice a reasonable fee for department staff who assist and oversee the process of a person’s record search, copying, and examination of the public record.

F. Avenues for Challenge and Appeal

If the Department charges a fee or denies all or part of a request, you may submit to the Executive Director of the Department a written appeal that specifically states the word "appeal" and identifies the basis for which the fee should be reduced, or the disclosure determination should be reversed. Written appeals may be sent to the email address or mailing address listed above and will be forwarded to the Executive Director or the person designated at the Michigan Department of Lifelong Education, Advancement, and Potential (MiLEAP) to respond to written appeals.

G. Transparency Liaison

Governor Gretchen Whitmer’s Executive Directive No. 2019-11, states that each Department or autonomous agency is required to designate a transparency liaison.

In compliance with the Executive Directive, MiLEAP is committed to helping members of the public seeking a public record from the Department or agency in navigating the requirements of the Freedom of Information Act or other law applicable to public records. The Transparency Liaison will advocate for the disclosure of public records in a quick and cost-efficient manner.

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