House to Weigh Overhaul of Open Records Process

Fifty years after Congress passed a law opening most government records to public scrutiny, the House is expected on Jan 12 to take up the most important open records overhaul since 2007. Majorities of both Republicans and Democrats are expected to support the legislation.

The bill would, among other measures, require the government to create a single online portal for requests to any government agency, and it would put into law the presumption of openness promised by President Obama. But it is not expected to fully address a complaint by some open records advocates about corporations that overwhelm agencies with document requests and then resell the documents to various industries.

Republicans in the House have complained that the open records process “is broken” and that the Obama Administration has ignored the law. Democrats, while defending the Administration, agree that the records law needs strengthening. The bill already has 54 co-sponsors, including 25 Democrats, making it one of the few pieces of truly bipartisan legislation expected to pass this Congress. For thousands of journalists, historians and executives who file requests every year for government records only to see their requests ignored, delayed for years or refused altogether, the changes cannot come soon enough.