FOIA reform is essential

Post and Courier, Charleston, S.C.: Legislation to strengthen the federal Freedom of Information Act (FOIA) regrettably died in this Congress on the very verge of enactment. The issues that apparently killed the reforms should be quickly resolved, and Congress should be strongly encouraged to enact an improved FOIA process early next year.

The worthwhile purpose of the FOIA reforms is to speed up the process and reduce the cost of obtaining public records and to narrow the exceptions that government agencies may use to withhold documents.

FOIA reforms passed the Senate and House unanimously, but in slightly different versions.

Congress should pass the strongest bill possible, so it was reasonable for House Speaker John Boehner to refuse to bring the Senate version of the FOIA bill to the House floor without further study. The Speaker, however, should be obliged to give the FOIA reforms a fast track next year.

Improvements to open government shouldn’t be viewed as merely optional.