Freedom of Information Act

July 31, 1995

Friday, Senator Leahy introduced, with Senators Hank Brown (R-CO) and John Kerry (D-MA), a bill to bring the Freedom of Information Act into the computer age. This bill would take important steps in making the information resources of federal agencies available to the public on the emerging National Information Infrastructure.

Recognizing that every Federal office now has a computer, Senator Leahy said," this bill will help insure that agencies use that technology to make government more accessible and accountable to its citizens."

This bill also has solutions for the biggest single complaint of people making requests for federal agency records -- the delays in getting the bureaucracy to respond. For some agencies, the delays can stretch to over two years. Senator Leahy said, "Long delays in access can mean no access at all."

The bill's cures include giving agencies an incentive to comply with statutory time limits by allowing agencies in compliance to retain half of their fees, and encouraging them to use better records management techniques.

As the Federal government increasingly turns to electronic formats to maintain its records, Sen. Leahy's electronic FOIA bill makes sure that Americans have access to agency electronic information in a timely manner on the same basis as information in paper files. Through changes to the requirements for processing requests, the bill improves the government's responsiveness to requests for information in all forms.

Senator Leahy said: "This bill is not just important for broader citizen access to government records. Government information is a valuable commodity and a national resource. It is essential for American competitiveness that easy, fast access to that resource be available. The electronic FOIA bill will contribute to that information flow."

Last year, a unanimous Judiciary Committee reported the bill, which then passed the Senate by voice vote on August 25, 1994. The bill is supported by 23 organizations, including the American Library Association, OMB Watch, Public Citizen, and press and civil liberties organizations representing a substantial portion of the FOIA requestor community.