House unanimously passes FOIA bill

The House of Representatives unanimously passed a bill that would make Freedom of Information requests easier with potentially faster response times.

The FOIA Oversight and Implementation Act of 2014 (HR 1211) was co-sponsored by House Oversight and Government Reform Committee Chairman Rep Darrell Issa (R-CA) and ranking member Rep Elijah Cummings (D-MD), and puts into action an executive memorandum from President Barack Obama that calls on all agencies to have a "presumption of disclosure" to all FOIA decisions. Perhaps most significantly for journalists, the bill would create a centralized online portal for FOIA requests under the Office of Management and Budget, and set up a group that will recommend future improvements to the FOIA process. The bill would also require agencies to release information publicly once it is released to individual journalists.