History Coalition Endorses “Faster FOIA Act”
On March 17, the National Coalition for History joined OpenTheGovernment.org and 29 other organizations on a letter in support of S. 3111, the “Faster FOIA Act.” The bill, introduced by Senators Patrick Leahy (D-VT) and John Cornyn (R-TX) would establish an advisory commission charged with presenting recommendations to Congress and the President to reduce delays in the administration of the Freedom of Information Act (FOIA).
While backlogs have presented a longstanding problem in agency implementation of the FOIA, the conditions and practices that create those backlogs are not fully understood. By undertaking a thorough study of the root causes of FOIA processing delays, and developing concrete recommendations, the commission will help agencies successfully implement President Obama’s directive to reduce significant backlogs of outstanding FOIA requests.
Read entire article at Lee White at the National History Coalition
While backlogs have presented a longstanding problem in agency implementation of the FOIA, the conditions and practices that create those backlogs are not fully understood. By undertaking a thorough study of the root causes of FOIA processing delays, and developing concrete recommendations, the commission will help agencies successfully implement President Obama’s directive to reduce significant backlogs of outstanding FOIA requests.