House Oversight panel approves FOIA reforms

The House Oversight Committee approved a bill aimed at increasing the public's access to government documents. The changes to the Freedom of Information Act, approved by voice vote, were sponsored by Reps Darrell Issa (R-CA) and Ranking Member Elijah Cummings (D-MD). The House unanimously passed a similar bill in the 113th Congress. The Senate Judiciary Committee reported out its own FOIA reform bill earlier in 2015. The bills, similar in many ways, have each been endorsed by nearly 50 public interest groups, and both passed their respective chambers in the 113th Congress.

Squabbles between the House and Senate in 2014 prevented reform from hitting the president's desk. Advocates predict the two proposals will eventually have to go to conference. The measure would also limit the amount of time that certain documents are exempt from disclosure. One section of FOIA allows for agencies to withhold "inter- and intra-agency documents," and advocates have derisively dubbed it the "withhold it because you want to" exemption. The bills would not allow that exemption to apply to documents older than 25 years. The committee also adopted an amendment, sponsored by Chairman Jason Chaffetz (R-UT), that would narrow the scope of what the government can withhold through this exemption.