Oversight Committee Passes Bipartisan FOIA Reform Legislation

Press Release

Today, the House Committee on Oversight and Government Reform unanimously passed H.R. 653, the FOIA Oversight and Implementation Act, which was introduced by Ranking Member Elijah E. Cummings and Rep. Darrell Issa to strengthen our nation's Freedom of Information Act (FOIA) laws. The Act would establish a presumption of openness for releasing information while creating electronic accessibility for frequently released information. The Issa-Cummings bill would also strengthen oversight and review of FOIA compliance, as well as dispute resolution from the Office of Government Information Services.

"This bipartisan legislation will strengthen one of our most critical open government laws by bringing greater sunlight to federal agency actions," said Cummings. "There should be a presumption of openness in this country, and agencies should have to justify their actions when they want to withhold information from the American people."

"Transparency is not a partisan issue," said Issa. "It is about good governance and should apply to Democrats and Republicans alike. And the distrust many Americans feel for their government demands a solution. To that end, the FOIA Oversight and Implementation Act creates a presumption of openness -- assuming, by default, that Americans have a right to the information they're requesting. The bill would also simplify the FOIA request process, creating a single web portal through which Americans would be able to submit their requests. I am pleased to see this vital reform pass out of Committee and look forward to its ultimate passage."

Last Congress, the FOIA Act passed the House with a unanimous and bipartisan vote of 410 to zero. The legislation is supported by dozens of open government groups, including The Sunshine in Government Initiative, a coalition of media associations that promotes ways to improve FOIA.

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