Statement of Patrice McDermott, Executive Director of OpenTheGovernment.org:
We are particularly concerned that Speaker Boehner has now said that he has “no knowledge of the plan” to pass the bipartisan, bicameral FOIA reform bill. If accountability and making the federal government answer to the public is really a priority for the Republican Caucus, passing this bill should be a priority. The House passed the House companion bill 410 – 0. The Senate passed the bill by unanimous consent after the open government community waged an all-out war against a last second attempt by the Federal Trade Commission (FTC) and other independent agencies that are supposed to be on the public’s side to stop the bill. It’s up to Speaker Boehner to put this bill to a vote and create the levels of open government the public needs. We call on Speaker Boehner to work with Minority Leader Pelosi to pass S.2520 by unanimous consent.
The House has an opportunity to pass a meaningful Freedom of Information Act (FOIA) reform bill today that will force federal agencies to be more accountable to the public. While we understand that the bill, S. 2520, is jostling for position on the House schedule with many other pieces of legislation, we urge Congressional leadership to not miss this window of opportunity.
OpenTheGovernment.org warmly welcomes the Senate's passage of S. 2520, the bipartisan FOIA Improvement Act, and thanks Chairman Leahy (D-VT), Ranking Member Grassley (R-IA), and Senator Cornyn (R-TX) for their tireless championship of the Freedom of Information Act (FOIA).
Statement of Patrice McDermott, Executive Director of OpenTheGovernment.org:
We encourage Senator Rockefeller to reconsider his hold on the bipartisan FOIA Improvement Act, S. 2520, and release the bill as soon as possible. The benefits of this critical reform bill far outweigh any nebulous concerns about unintended consequences, all of which can be addressed by the Senate as they pass the bill. S. 2520 was passed unanimously by the Judiciary Committee and is set to be taken up by the House as soon as it clears the Senate. It is also widely supported by a range of groups that cross the political spectrum and represent a wide range of interests. Senator Rockefeller should not remain the sole holdout that stops our ability to make the federal government more open and accountable.
The Senate Judiciary Committee approved the FOIA Improvement Act today, prepping the bill for a vote by the full Senate. The bipartisan legislation introduced by Senators Patrick Leahy and John Cornyn bolsters the public’s ability to obtain information about what the federal government is doing and why.
The lame duck session of the 113th Congress has already acted on one open government priority-- sending a bill to the President for signature that will help speed up the release of historical White House Records -- and leaders in the Senate have taken steps to push forward legislation to reform the National Surveillance Agency's (NSA) surveillance programs and to strengthen the Freedom of Information Act (FOIA).
Modern Americans have come to expect and demand real-time access to information about the things we run into in daily life: the weather, traffic conditions, lunch specials in the cafeteria, etc. Shockingly, though, we continue to accept that our access to information about the laws being considered by Congress, and how Congress is managing other policy issues, is slow and incomplete.
In creating the Office of Government Information Services (OGIS) at the National Archives and Records Administration (NARA), Congress charged the office with the dual responsibility of mediating disputes regarding Freedom of Information Act (FOIA) requests between requesters and federal agencies, and providing Congress and the President with recommendations on how to improve agencies compliance with the FOIA. At five years old, OGIS faces challenges and changes.
A recent article in Federal Computer Week started off with the questions, "Could FOIA Work on a DATA Act Model?" The short answer to that question is no. The more complete version of the answer is no, but it would help the FOIA system work better for the public. Turning FOIA into a law that actually provides timely access to records the public wants to help it better understand what the government is doing and why, however, requires other reforms.
