Bipartisan Legislation Enacts Most Sweeping Reforms of Freedom of Information Act in Decade
Published: 01-02-08
Published: 01-02-08
WASHINGTON—U.S. Sen. John Cornyn R-Texas made the following statement this evening regarding the OPEN Government Act which President Bush signed into law earlier this evening:“I could not be more pleased to see this long overdue legislation signed into law following years of bipartisan efforts. I appreciate the President’s support.
“When I came to the Senate five years ago I pledged to bring a little Texas sunshine to Washington D.C. This new law does just that. It holds politicians and bureaucrats accountable in an age of ever-expanding size and scope of government. It strengthens our democracy by building on the ideals this nation was founded upon—the people’s fundamental right to know.
“Enactment of this important bipartisan legislation is a victory for the American people.”
BACKGROUND
The Cornyn-Leahy open government bill expands transparency by closing loopholes in the Freedom of Information Act (FOIA) helping FOIA requestors obtain timely responses and ensuring agencies have strong incentives to act on requests among other provisions.
The bipartisan OPEN Government Act will:
• Restore meaningful deadlines for agency action under FOIA;
• Impose real consequences on federal agencies for missing FOIA’s 20-day statutory deadline;
• Clarify that FOIA applies to government records held by outside private contractors;
• Establish a FOIA hotline service for all federal agencies; and
• Create a FOIA Ombudsman to provide FOIA requestors and federal agencies with a meaningful alternative to costly litigation.
Sen. Cornyn’s strong record on increasing government transparency:
For additional information on Sen. Cornyn’s open government record please click here and here. Or go to: www.cornyn.senate.gov/FOIA.
• Impose real consequences on federal agencies for missing FOIA’s 20-day statutory deadline;
• Clarify that FOIA applies to government records held by outside private contractors;
• Establish a FOIA hotline service for all federal agencies; and
• Create a FOIA Ombudsman to provide FOIA requestors and federal agencies with a meaningful alternative to costly litigation.
Sen. Cornyn’s strong record on increasing government transparency:
For additional information on Sen. Cornyn’s open government record please click here and here. Or go to: www.cornyn.senate.gov/FOIA.
To read what they’re saying about the OPEN Government Act please click here.
Sen. Cornyn serves on the Armed Services Judiciary and Budget Committees. In addition he is Vice Chairman of the Senate Republican Conference and 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. He served previously as Texas Attorney General Texas Supreme Court Justice and Bexar County District Judge.
