Senate Judiciary Committee Approves FOIA Reform Bill

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The Senate Judiciary Committee approved by voice vote an overhaul of the Freedom of Information Act sponsored by Sens. Patrick Leahy, D-VT, and John Cornyn, R-TX. The bill (S 849) would create a FOIA ombudsman, create a penalty if agencies fail to respond within the 20-working day deadline, tighten reporting requirements and allow requesters to recover legal costs if they sue and then receive the information requested. The House approved a similar bill (H 1309) on March 13. (4/12/007)