Sherman Testifies for Stronger Freedom of Information Act
Washington, D.C. - Congressman Brad Sherman on Wednesday said efforts by President Bush to improve enforcement of the Freedom of Information Act have fallen short and he urged Congress to strengthen the law.
œCompliance with the law remains spotty, Sherman said, œand the sad reality is that some agencies sometimes stonewall legitimate requests for public information, he told the House Government Reform Subcommittee on Government Management, Finance, and Accountability.
The president last December 14, at an Oval Office ceremony attended by Sherman, signed an executive order requiring agencies to designate a senior official to oversee compliance with FOIA.
Testifying before the House panel, Sherman said, œWe must do more to ensure that government is open to all the people, and that reporters and others who request information get timely responses. News organizations and ordinary citizens still face far too many bureaucratic backlogs and administrative hurdles to obtain information.
Sherman is the primary Democratic sponsor of two pieces of legislation he offered along with Congressman Lamar Smith.
Their Open Government Act would give agencies less leeway to avoid a 20-day time limit for determining whether to comply with a request for records. The existing law waives the deadline if an agency encounters unspecified œunusual circumstances. The Smith-Sherman legislation would remove the waiver unless disclosure within the 20-day time limit would endanger national security, divulge personal or proprietary information or would be illegal for other reasons. Another provision would make agencies in more instances pay legal costs related to efforts to pry open records, such as when courts overturn agency decisions to turn down information requests.
Sherman also is the sponsor of the Faster FOIA Act along with Congressman Smith. That measure would establish an advisory commission of experts and government officials to study what changes in federal law and federal policy are needed to ensure more effective and timely compliance with the Freedom of Information Act.