Reporters Committee commends Senate for passing FOIA amendments

The Reporters Committee for Freedom of the Press commends the U.S. Senate for the passage of bipartisan reforms in an effort to strengthen the Freedom of Information Act (FOIA).

“This legislation adds both utility and teeth to the FOIA,” Reporters Committee Executive Director Lucy Dalglish said. “Reporters will be able to follow their requests more easily through the system, and hold federal agencies accountable if the information isn’t produced in a timely manner.”

The Openness Promotes Effectiveness in our National Government Act, or OPEN Government Act (S. 849), provides a tracking system for individual information requests, reinforces FOIA deadlines and penalties for federal agencies, creates an ombudsman and makes it easier to recover attorney’s fees when requester are forced to file suit.

The House already approved very similar legislation (H.R. 1309) by an overwhelming vote of 308-117.