15 USC 7306(c): Public Safety Information

About This Project

This project uses data compiled by the Sunshine in Government initiative, a coalition of journalism and transparency groups. SGI compiled data from federal agency annual FOIA reports to track how often b(3) exemptions were used. SGI also standardized the exemptions since some agencies used slightly different citations of the same laws. In some cases, agencies listed general laws without specifying a section under which information was withheld. This project does not include information from agencies that use no b(3) exemptions in 2008 or 2009. ProPublica compiled information about FOIA denials.

Department Claims
Dept. of Commerce 5.0
      
 
                      TITLE 15--COMMERCE AND TRADE
 
              CHAPTER 99--NATIONAL CONSTRUCTION SAFETY TEAM
    
          
Sec. 7306. Disclosure of information
(a) General rule

    Except as otherwise provided in this section, a copy of a record, 
information, or investigation submitted or received by a Team shall be 
made available to the public on request and at reasonable cost.

(b) Exceptions

    Subsection (a) of this section does not require the release of--
        (1) information described by section 552(b) of title 5 or 
    protected from disclosure by any other law of the United States; or
        (2) information described in subsection (a) of this section by 
    the National Institute of Standards and Technology or by a Team 
    until the report required by section 7307 of this title is issued.

        
            
 
(c) Protection of voluntary submission of information Notwithstanding any other provision of law, a Team, the National Institute of Standards and Technology, and any agency receiving information from a Team or the National Institute of Standards and Technology, shall not disclose voluntarily provided safety-related information if that information is not directly related to the building failure being investigated and the Director finds that the disclosure of the information would inhibit the voluntary provision of that type of information. (d) Public safety information A Team and the National Institute of Standards and Technology shall not publicly release any information it receives in the course of an investigation under this chapter if the Director finds that the disclosure of that information might jeopardize public safety. (Pub. L. 107-231, Sec. 7, Oct. 1, 2002, 116 Stat. 1475.)