Improving Access

The Freedom of Information Act (FOIA), enacted in 1966 and amended several times, establishes the public's right to obtain information from federal government agencies to "ensure an informed citizenry, vital to the functioning of a democratic society, needed to check against corruption, and to hold the governors accountable to the governed." OpenTheGovernment.org works with our partners, the Administration, and Congress to secure full implementation of the FOIA, the amendments to it, and the FOIA reform promised by the White House and the Attorney General

Devil in the Details with New Commitments to Improve FOIA

On December 8, the Administration committed to taking a series of concrete steps in the next two years with the goal of improving implementation of the Freedom of Information Act (FOIA). The steps include: creating a consolidated online FOIA service; developing common FOIA regulations; scaling up targeted efforts to make processing requests more efficient (sharing best practices); establishing a FOIA Modernization Advisory Committee; and improving FOIA training. If the government meets these commitments, will it actually be any easier for the public to ask for and receive government information?

12/12/2013

Farm Bill Poses Threat to Right to Know

On November 6, more than 40 organizations joined OpenTheGovernment.org in urging members of the conference committee on the Farm Bill not to include language that cuts off public access to a broad swatch of information about agricultural and livestock operations.

11/06/2013

FOIA Summit by the Numbers

On October 10 - 11, as hosts of the FOIA Summit, OpenTheGovernment.org kicked off an effort to create a more vibrant and better coordinated effort to make the FOIA work better for the public. As we noted in our latest newsletter, items on the agenda included creating a vision for the Office of Government Information Services, the FOIA Ombudsman; making more records available without having to file a FOIA request; making sure agencies are not over-applying exemptions; and improving the federal government's record keeping practices. Click "read more" for a snapshot of the Summit.

10/15/2013

Let’s be Clear: Anything Obtained Under the FOIA is a Public Document

A recent Wall Street Journal described government records obtained by hedge funds as “nonpublic information” (Open-Government Laws Fuel Hedge-Fund Profits, Markets, Sept. 23) This characterization is misleading and undermines the purpose and intent of the Freedom Of Information Act (FOIA). The FOIA makes it clear the public has a right to access most government records after information that must be kept secret to protect national security or a limited number of other interests has been redacted. By definition, any information that is released under the FOIA is public information.

10/07/2013

GAO Report Offers Recommendations to Help OGIS

Last week the Government Accountability Office (GAO) issued a new report evaluating the Office of Government Information Services' (OGIS) ability to meet its statutory responsibilities to review agency compliance with the Freedom of Information Act (FOIA), offer mediation services for FOIA disputes and make recommendations for improving FOIA processing.

09/17/2013

CREW Files for Release of OLC Memos

Citizens for Responsibility and Ethics in Washington (CREW) filed suit against the Department of Justice last week for not making opinions by the Office of Legal Counsel (OLC) available to the public.

09/03/2013

Multiple Efforts to Bar Access to Ag Info Sprouting on Capitol Hill

Recently we wrote about a successful effort to keep a provision out of the Senate-passed Farm Bill that would have barred the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) from releasing information about farm owners or operators. Unfortunately, though, it seems that the attempt to attach the language to the Farm Bill in the Senate was only the opening salvo in a wider war to stop the EPA from releasing potentially important public health and safety information. The Senators who proposed the Farm Bill amendment, Senators Grassley and Donnelly, recently introduced an identical bill, and similar language appears in the House-passed version of the Farm Bill (Sec. 450) and the House Appropriations Committee's version of the 2014 Interior spending bill (Sec. 11325).

07/31/2013

Reporters Committee Pushes Supreme Court to Keep Government Contractors Accountable to FOIA

The Reporters Committee for Freedom of the Press filed a friend-of-the-court brief encouraging the Supreme Court to reject a Court of Appeals decision that interpreted FOIA Exemption 5 – which allows the government to withhol

07/09/2013

It's Never the Wrong Time to File a FOIA

We hope you joined us in our campaign to honor the 47th birthday of the FOIA and your right to know by filing a FOIA on the 4th.

07/09/2013

Our Focus Issues

Improving Access