Senate Panel Approves Cornyn Bill To Expand Open Government
Press Release
Senate Panel Approves Cornyn Bill To Expand Open Government
The U.S. Senate Judiciary Committee unanimously approved bipartisan legislation by U.S. Sen. John Cornyn on Thursday to expand public access to government information, advancing the bill to the full Senate for consideration. The OPEN Government Act of 2007, introduced along with Judiciary Committee Chairman Patrick Leahy, D-Vt., would make the most significant reforms to the Freedom of Information Act in more than a decade.
"It is encouraging to see this bill move forward to shed more sunlight on the government in Washington," said Sen. Cornyn, a member of the Judiciary Committee. "I'm optimistic about the prospects of implementing these important reforms this year."
Sen. Cornyn added: "Open government is one of the most basic requirements of a healthy democracy. It allows taxpayers to see where their money is going; it permits the honest exchange of information ensuring government accountability; and it upholds the ideal that government never rules without the consent of the people."
The bipartisan OPEN Government Act expands accessibility, accountability and openness of government information to the American people. The bill contains more than a dozen substantive provisions designed to achieve the following four objectives:
1. Strengthen FOIA and close loopholes
2. Help FOIA requestors obtain timely responses to their requests
3. Ensure that agencies have strong incentives to act on FOIA requests in a timely fashion
4. Provide FOIA officials with all of the tools they need to ensure that our government remains open and accessible
"Texas has one of the strongest laws in the U.S. facilitating citizen access to government information," Sen. Cornyn said. "Since being elected to the U.S. Senate, I've worked continually to bring some of that Texas sunshine and openness to Washington."
Sen. Cornyn serves on the Armed Services, Judiciary and Budget Committees. In addition, he is Vice Chairman of the Senate Select Committee on Ethics. He serves as the top Republican on the Judiciary Committee's Immigration, Border Security and Refugees subcommittee and the Armed Services Committee's Airland subcommittee.
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