OFFICIALS LEGISLATION INTEREST GROUPS PUBLIC STATEMENTS COMMITTEES VETOES

Reducing Information Control Designation Act

Floor Speech

Date: July 29, 2008
Location: Washington, DC
Issues: Government Operations

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Mr. DAVIS of Illinois. Mr. Speaker, I yield myself such time as I might consume.

Mr. Speaker, H.R. 6576, the Reducing Information Control Designations Act, limits the Federal Government's use of information control designations.

Investigations by the Committee on Oversight and Government Reform have found that Federal agencies have increasingly placed restrictions on unclassified information by using information control designations such as ``sensitive but unclassified.'' These designations are dangerous because they impede information-sharing with State and local governments and the public.

There is no statutory authority for agency use of information control designations. Thus, these designations are not used consistently and are often overused and confusing. In May, the White House issued a memorandum to address this issue. That memo did not go far enough. While it addressed the number of designations, it did not try to limit their use.

This bill further seeks to limit the use of these designations to improve information-sharing within the government and with the public.

I support this bill and urge my colleagues to do the same.

I would reserve the balance of my time.

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