[govinfo] GovInfo News 9-15-06
- From: "Patrice McDermott" <pmcdermott@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx>
- To: "govinfo@xxxxxxxxxxxxx" <govinfo@xxxxxxxxxxxxx>, "FOI-L@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx" <FOI-L@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx>
- Date: Fri, 15 Sep 2006 10:52:40 -0400
- CIA backtracks on its power to judge 'newsworthiness'
- Congress Approves Federal Spending Database Bill
Patrice McDermott, Director
OpenTheGovernment.org
202-332-OPEN (6736)
www.openthegovernment.org
- CIA BACKTRACKS ON ITS POWER TO JUDGE 'NEWSWORTHINESS'
http://www.rcfp.org/news/2006/0914-foi-ciabac.html
The National Security Archive is poised to win a lawsuit against the CIA after
the agency abandoned its plan to charge higher fees in a recent court filing.
Sep. 14, 2006 . The CIA has promised to stop judging the individual
newsworthiness of the FOIA requests of the National Security Archive, a private
research organization, in a move that could affect groups that have been
charged higher fees under a recent change in CIA policy.
In the CIA's ongoing legal dispute with the Archive, the agency recently made a
full-scale retreat from its earlier position that would have potentially cost
the Archive thousands of dollars for search fees relating to its Freedom of
Information Act requests, instead of only charging the private research
institute for copy costs as a member of the news media.
In court filings and in a letter to the Archive dated Friday, the CIA also
agreed to change its policies for determining what constitutes a
"representative of the news media" under FOIA so that the agency is in line
with the government's model regulations.
[. . .]
- CONGRESS APPROVES FEDERAL SPENDING DATABASE BILL
http://www.govexec.com/dailyfed/0906/091306m1.htm
Daily Briefing
September 13, 2006
By Jenny Mandel
jmandel@xxxxxxxxxxx
The Senate and House on Wednesday evening passed legislation to create a
publicly accessible government spending database, adopting language only
slightly different from that previously cleared by the Senate and advancing the
measure to President Bush for his signature.
The Senate passed the Federal Funding Accountability and Transparency Act
(S.2590) by unanimous consent, incorporating minor modifications agreed upon
with House leaders since the Senate first approved the measure last week.
The House passed the measure shortly after by voice vote. Because the two
versions are identical, the legislation does not require conference
negotiations and can be forwarded to the president immediately.
The bill would create a free, publicly accessible Web site that allows users to
search all federal contracts and grants, and download the results. The search
would gather information from existing databases such as the Federal
Procurement Data System, Federal Assistance Award Data System and Grants.gov.
It would provide access to data on all payments of more than $25,000, with
exceptions for classified information and federal assistance payments made to
individuals.
[.]
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