FOIA Renewed!
FOIA has got a few baby teeth now. In March, the House passed H.R. 1309, the OPEN Government Act, sponsored Reps. Todd Platts (R-Penn.), Henry Waxman (D-Calif.) and William Lacy Clay (D-Mo.). The Senate passed its version last week and yesterday the House accepted the final bill through a unanimous voice vote. FOIA now provides for an independent ombudsman to resolve citizen disputes, better tracking of requests, and more opportunity for the public to recover the costs of litigating denied requests.