FOIA reform

Just weeks after last year's overhaul that strengthened Illinois' freedom of information laws took effect, there are more than a half-dozen proposals before the state legislature that would create new obstacles to accessing records, The State Journal-Register reported.

A Delaware House committee approved a bill giving public agencies 10 business days to respond to public records requests, Delaware Online reported. 

The bill's sponsor told the committee on Wednesday that the measure would help correct existing FOIA law in Delaware, which does not set a deadline for agencies to comply with FOIA requests. "Someone can file a request and it sits and sits and sits," said state Rep. Brad Bennett.

Illinois Gov. Pat Quinn signed a bill today overhauling the state’s freedom of information law.

The legislation has been sitting on Quinn’s desk for several months since squeaking out of the last legislative session at its very end.

The federal government's chief FOIA administrator spoke with members of the requester community Wednesday at its "FOIA Requester Roundtable," outlining strides the office is making to improve the Freedom of Information Act and asking where it falls short.

A federal appeals court has decided for the first time that the 2007 amendments to the Freedom of Information Act dealing with attorney’s fees are not retroactive.

The National Archives announced Wednesday it has filled the newly created position of FOIA ombudsman for the federal government, a role open government advocates hope will help resolve access disputes.

Miram Nisbet has been hired to head the Office of Government Information Services, which is housed at the National Archives and Records Administration. The ombudsman's office was created by the 2007 amendments to the Freedom of Information Act to be an intermediary between government agencies and requesters.

The White House has launched a Web site in response to President Obama's Transparency and Open Government memorandum, calling for suggestions from the public on open government policy.

Accepting the Robert Vaughn FOIA Legend Award Monday, Sen. Patrick Leahy reaffirmed his commitment to government transparency through the Freedom of Information Act, asserting that the public and its leaders can and must do more to promote accountability.

Lawmakers and open-government advocates in Illinois are hoping to turn corruption lemons into transparency lemonade, the Chicago Tribune reports, with a new push for long-overdue reform in the state Freedom of Information Act. 

Illinois Gov. Pat Quinn on Wednesday called for state agencies to improve the handling of valid state Freedom of Information Act requests, thus promoting a more open government, reports the Associated Press.