Code of Federal Regulations Title 22. Foreign Relations § 22.301.3 Action on requests for declassification review

(a) The Director of Security shall present each request for declassification to the Peace Corps Classification Review Committee, which shall consist of the Associate Director for International Operations, the Associate Director for Management and the General Counsel, or their designees, together with his or her recommendation for action.

(b) Every effort will be made to complete action on each request within 60 days of receipt thereof.

(c) Information shall be declassified or downgraded as soon as national security considerations permit. If the Classification Review Committee determines that the material for which review is requested no longer requires this protection, it shall be declassified and made available to the requester unless withholding is otherwise authorized by law.

(d) If the Peace Corps Classification Review Committee determines that requested information must remain classified, the requester shall be given prompt notice of the decision and, if possible, a brief explanation of why the information cannot be declassified.

(e) The Peace Corps may refuse to confirm or deny the existence or non-existence of requested information whenever the fact of its existence or non-existence is itself classified under E.O. 12356.

(f) A requester may appeal a refusal to declassify information to the Director of the Peace Corps, or the Director's designee. Appeals shall be in writing, addressed to the Director of the Peace Corps, Washington, DC 20526, and shall briefly state the reasons why the requester believes that the Peace Corps Classification Review Committee decision is in error. Appeals must be submitted within 30 days after receipt of notice of the Classification Review Committee decision. The decision of the Peace Corps Director, or designee, will be based on the entire record, and will be rendered in writing within 60 days after receipt of an appeal. The decision of the Director or Director's designee is the final Peace Corps action on a request.