The House and Senate unanimously passed legislation (H.R. 1309 and S. 2488) making much-needed reforms to the Freedom of Information Act (FOIA). The reforms mark the first updates to the FOIA in over a decade. Updated provisions include requiring agencies to respond to FOIA requests within 20 days, unless requested information would be harmful to our nation. Failure to meet the deadline would result in the agency paying legal expenses acquired by the requestor. Additionally, and important for the publishing industry, it creates a system for the media and public to track their FOIA requests. Should an agency redact information, they are required to justify the reasoning.
After passing the US House of Representatives with overwhelming support in October, the Senate equivalent, S. 2035, the Free Flow of Information Act, Read more
