U.S. Department of Labor Employment and Training Administration 200 Constitution Avenue, N.W. Washington, D.C. 20210 October 4, 2018 Sent Via Email: foia@americanoversi ght.org Mr. Austin R. Evers Executive Director American Oversight 1030 15111Street, N.W. Suite 8255 Washington, D.C. 20005 RE: Freedom of lnfonnation Act (FOIA) Request FOIA Track ing No. 865184 Dear Mr. Evers: This letter is the response to your electronic request for infonnalion under the Freedom of Infonnation Act (FOIA). Your request dated August 13, 2018, was referred to the Employment and Training Administration (ETA), Office of Administrative Services (OAS) on August 23, 2018. Your request was assigned FOIA Trackin g No. 865184. You requested the followin g: "All records reflecting communications (includ ing emails, email attachments, text messages, messa ges on messaging platfonns (such as Slack, GChat or Google Hangouts, Lyne, Skpe, or WhatsApp), telephone call logs, calendar entries/invitat ions, meeting notices, meeting agendas, infonnational material, draft legislation, talking points, any handwr itten or electronic notes taken during any oral communication s, summaries of any oral communications, or other materials involving any employee or representat ive of Ballard Partners (@ballardfl.com), includin g,, but not limited to, Brian Ballard, Sylvester Lukis, Dan McFaul, Rebecca Benn, and Justin Sayfie." The Employment and Trainin g Administration, OAS conducted a search for responsive documents, both hard-copy and electronic , and did not locate any ETA records that are responsive to your request. We regret we were unable to assist you. Althou gh no records were located during our search, you have the right to appeal a "no records~' response, you may appeal my decision to the Solicitor of Labor. You may file an appeal of this decision with the Solicitor of Labor within 90 calendar days of the date of this letter. Address your appe al to the followin g office: Solicitor of Labor U.S. Department of Labor Division of Management and Administrative Legal Services 200 Constitution Avenue, NW. Room N-2420 Washin gton, D.C. 20210 Your appeal may also be emailed to FOIAAppeal@dol.gov . Appeals submitted to any other address will not be accepted. Your appeal must state in writing the grounds for the appeal. It should also include a copy of the original request, the response to your request, and any other supporting statement or argwnents. The appeal letter, the envelope, and the e-mail subject line, should be clearly marked "Freedom oflnformation Act Appeal." If you need further assistance or would like to discuss any aspect of your request, you may contact Maria Sanders, ETA's FOIA Program Manager at 202-693-3101 or DOL's FOIA Public Liaison: Mr. Thomas Hicks, Esq. FOIA Public Liaison U.S. Department of Labor Office of the Solicitor Management and Administrative Legal Services Office of Information Services 200 Constitution Avenue, N.W. RoomN-2420 Washington, D.C. 20210 Phone: 202-693-5427 Email: Hicks.Thomas @dol.gov Finally, you may contact the Office of Government Information Services (OGIS) at the National Archives and Records Administrat i.on (NARA) to inquire about the FOIA mediation services they offer. The contact information for OGIS is as follows : Office of Government Information Services National Archives and Records Administration 8601 Adelphi Road - OGIS College Park, MD 20740-6001 E-mail: ogis@nara.gov Web: https://ogis.archives.gov Telephone: 202-741-5770 Fax: 202-741-5769 Toll-free: 1-877-684-6448 2 It is important to note that the services offered by OGIS, is not an alternative to filing an administrative FOIA appeal. Sincerely, Chris Conboy Disclosure Officer Employment and Training Administration 3