[govinfo] FW: OPEN Gov't Act / FOIA reform gets another vote, this time in House
- From: "Patrice McDermott" <pmcdermott@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx>
- To: "Steering Committee" <opengovsteer@xxxxxxxxxxxxx>
- Date: Tue, 26 Sep 2006 20:28:13 -0400
FYI.
Patrice McDermott, Director
OpenTheGovernment.org
1742 Connecticut Ave NW, 3rd floor
Washington, DC 20009
202.332.OPEN (6736)
www.openthegovernment.org
_____
From: Rick Blum [mailto:rblum@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx]
To: FOI-L@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx
Sent: Tue, 26 Sep 2006 14:58:26 -0400
Subject: FW: MEDIA ADVISORY: OPEN Gov't Act / FOIA reform gets another vote,
this time in House
Sorry for cross-posts.
Rep. Todd Platts (R-PA) has scheduled a vote on the OPEN Government Act in his
subcommittee for tomorrow (Sep. 27) at 2pm in 2247 Rayburn House Office
Building. While FOIA reform is unlikely to pass this Congress, this move gives
extra momentum to FOIA reform going into next year.
______________
Rick Blum
Coordinator, Sunshine in Government Initiative
_____
From: Rick Blum [mailto:rblum@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx]
Sent: Tuesday, September 26, 2006 2:34 PM
To: 'rblum@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx'
Subject: MEDIA ADVISORY: OPEN Gov't Act / FOIA reform gets another vote, this
time in House
MEDIA ADVISORY
For immediate release
September 26, 2006
Contact: Rick Blum, coordinator, Sunshine in Government Initiative
703-807-2100 or rblum@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx
FOIA Reform Bill Up for Key House Vote:
Momentum builds to promote open government
A key House subcommittee has scheduled a vote tomorrow on the OPEN Government
Act (H.R. 867), which would fix longstanding obstacles the public faces
accessing government documents under the Freedom of Information Act (FOIA).
What: Subcommittee vote on the OPEN Government Act (H.R. 867)
Where: House Government Reform Subcommittee on Government Management, Finance
& Accountability
When: Wednesday, September 27, 2006 at 2pm
When: Rayburn House Office Building, Room 2247
Who: The Subcommittee is chaired by Rep. Todd Platts (R-PA) and the bill is
sponsored in the House by Rep. Lamar Smith (R-TX) and has 31 House co-sponsors.
The OPEN Government Act has also been pushed on a bipartisan basis in the
House by Rep. Tom Davis (R-VA) and Rep. Henry Waxman (D-CA).
The scheduled vote comes less than a week after the Senate Judiciary Committee
approved the identical Senate version (S. 394) of the OPEN Government Act. The
attention Congress is giving this bill in both chambers reflects the urgency
members of Congress feel about removing unnecessary obstacles the public faces
getting government records and reforming the FOIA process. On July 26,
Chairman Platts held a hearing to review the Freedom of Information Act, which
signed into law 40 years ago on July 4, 1966. That hearing was Rep. Platts'
second hearing focused on FOIA in as many years. The hearings documented that
FOIA has been a less reliable, less timely and less effective tool for the
public.
ABOUT THE OPEN GOVERNMENT ACT
Among the specific reforms, the bill (1) helps FOIA requesters obtain timely
responses to their requests by restoring meaningful deadlines for agency
action, (2) requires agencies to create FOIA hotlines and request tracking
systems to help the public follow up on requests, (3) creates an independent
mediator to help resolve disputes and encourage alternatives to litigation, (4)
makes it easier for requesters to recover attorney fees when litigation is
unavoidable, and (5) penalizes agencies for delaying responses.
ABOUT THE SUNSHINE IN GOVERNMENT INITIATIVE
The Sunshine in Government Initiative is a coalition of media groups committed
to promoting policies that ensure the government is accessible, accountable and
open. Public oversight is the ultimate safeguard of democracy. It is the
inalienable right of citizens to examine and judge their government; and that
right is served when news media act on behalf of the public to gain access to
information.
-30-
SGI Members:
American Society of Newspaper Editors
The Associated Press
Association of Alternative Newsweeklies
Coalition of Journalists for Open Government
National Newspaper Association
Newspaper Association of America
Radio-Television News Directors Association
The Reporters Committee for Freedom of the Press
Society of Professional Journalists
_________________
Rick Blum
Coordinator, Sunshine in Government Initiative
1101 Wilson Blvd., Suite 1100
Arlington, VA 22209
rblum@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx
Phone 703-807-2100
Fax 703-807-2109
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