1.This Act may be cited as the Restore Open Government Act of 2004
.
2.The table of contents for this Act is as follows:
Sec. 1. Short title
Sec. 2. Table of Contents
Title I—Freedom of information
Sec. 101. Revocation of the Ashcroft Memo and the Card Memo
Sec. 102. Findings and policy relating to disclosure of information under the Freedom of Information Act
Sec. 103. Protection of voluntarily furnished confidential information
Title II—Presidential Records
Sec. 201. Revocation of Executive Order of November 1, 2001
Title III—Advisory Committees
Sec. 301. Presidential inter-agency advisory committees
Title IV—Classification of Information
Sec. 401. Reducing excessive classification of information
Title V—Other provisions
Sec. 501. Citizen actions
<enum>I</enum><header>Freedom of information</header>
<section id="HD33FA573F7BD4E2E936E470260A1ED53"><enum>101.</enum><header>Revocation of the Ashcroft Memo and the Card Memo</header><text display-inline="no-display-inline">The <quote>Memorandum for Heads of all Federal Departments and Agencies” on “The Freedom of Information Act” issued by Attorney General John Ashcroft on October 12, 2001, and the “Memorandum for the Heads of Executive Department and Agencies</quote> on <quote>Action to Safeguard Information Regarding Weapons of Mass Destruction and Other Sensitive Documents Related to Homeland Security</quote> issued by Andrew H. Card, Jr., Assistant to the President and Chief of Staff on March 19, 2002, shall have no force or effect.</text></section>
<section id="H6F3643FB0D6B47B7A1F290C6C962439D"><enum>102.</enum><header>Findings and policy relating to disclosure of information under the Freedom of Information Act</header>
<subsection id="H6A4C7F7D2B7B4D58B07784A92900ED1F"><enum>(a)</enum><header>Findings</header><text>Congress finds the following:</text>
<paragraph id="H336D0DE99A5345AEBEFFF106C2AF7CC3"><enum>(1)</enum><text>Public access to information held by the Federal Government is vitally important to the functioning of a democratic society.</text></paragraph>
<paragraph id="H3804F1D5914043048FFA44C45496A497"><enum>(2)</enum><text>The Freedom of Information Act was enacted to ensure such public access to information.</text></paragraph>
<paragraph id="H8B909CB0211343C3BAB7C41B2F9F8E73"><enum>(3)</enum><text>The Freedom of Information Act specifies limited exemptions to the general requirement for disclosure, where disclosure could potentially threaten other important public policy goals.</text></paragraph>
<paragraph id="H9BC50F9A8CEE4DD3A2B761E64E639737"><enum>(4)</enum><text>In establishing the categories of exempt information under the Freedom of Information Act, Congress allowed agencies to withhold information in those categories, but did not in any way mandate or encourage such withholding.</text></paragraph></subsection>
<subsection id="H3AAF9A525E014622AA2FB14DFCD737FE"><enum>(b)</enum><header>Policy</header><text>The policy of the Federal Government is to release information to the public in response to a request under the Freedom of Information Act—</text>
<paragraph id="H77FA62FB5CAF4305BC368FEDE527DA44"><enum>(1)</enum><text>if such release is required by law; or</text></paragraph>
<paragraph id="H6168567C4B3C46E0AA005D623220F8BD"><enum>(2)</enum><text>if such release is allowed by law and the agency concerned does not reasonably foresee that disclosure would be harmful to an interest protected by an applicable exemption.</text></paragraph></subsection>
<subsection id="HB5B92B7B05414610BD71BF4F2F20C7D9"><enum>(c)</enum><header>Guidance</header><text display-inline="yes-display-inline">All guidance provided to Federal Government employees responsible for carrying out the Freedom of Information Act shall be consistent with the policy set forth in subsection (b).</text></subsection></section>
<section id="H2371357112444030A160DA57047E4F2E"><enum>103.</enum><header>Protection of voluntarily furnished confidential information</header>
<subsection id="HE86074248E0F4819BBFD1BA825B2E4A"><enum>(a)</enum><header>In general</header><text display-inline="yes-display-inline">Title II of the Homeland Security Act of 2002 (<external-xref legal-doc="public-law" parsable-cite="pl/107/296">Public Law 107–296</external-xref>) is amended by striking subtitle B and inserting the following:</text>
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<subtitle id="HDD0F6D00956549B890C5F6F050E1455E"><enum>B</enum><header>Protection of Voluntarily Furnished Confidential Information</header>
<section id="H985AA92005AE44DCB3C6413D5D808C6C"><enum>211.</enum><header>Protection of voluntarily furnished confidential information</header>
<subsection id="H902E0C55380C4C669C68EC94BBB8A2E9"><enum>(a)</enum><header>Definitions</header><text>In this section:</text>
<paragraph id="H0E6C0F6EC12742DE002DE8E721813195"><enum>(1)</enum><header>Critical infrastructure</header><text>The term <quote>critical infrastructure</quote> has the meaning given that term in section 1016(e) of the USA PATRIOT ACT of 2001 (<external-xref legal-doc="usc" parsable-cite="usc/42/5195c">42 U.S.C. 5195c(e)</external-xref>).</text></paragraph>
<paragraph id="HD73D97729B2C41C7B49C270092B3EA56"><enum>(2)</enum><header>Furnished voluntarily</header>
<subparagraph id="HAE90036AFC494CE38C127DFA226720DC"><enum>(A)</enum><header>Definition</header><text>The term <quote>furnished voluntarily</quote> means a submission of a record that—</text>
<clause id="HF2FAB5D458E040EC86B4B788554531F5"><enum>(i)</enum><text>is made to the Department in the absence of authority of the Department requiring that record to be submitted; and</text></clause>
<clause id="H2D755C104BBD4CF5B7D5651D6D69905"><enum>(ii)</enum><text>is not submitted or used to satisfy any legal requirement or obligation or to obtain any grant, permit, benefit (such as agency forbearance, loans, or reduction or modifications of agency penalties or rulings), or other approval from the Government.</text></clause></subparagraph>
<subparagraph id="H40DD7E2FE9C94DA4BFE9F807FBCFEF18"><enum>(B)</enum><header>Benefit</header><text>In this paragraph, the term <quote>benefit</quote> does not include any warning, alert, or other risk analysis by the Department.</text></subparagraph></paragraph></subsection>
<subsection id="H2F7206C3E6ED4B5995001DAF7BB12094"><enum>(b)</enum><header>In general</header><text>Notwithstanding any other provision of law, a record pertaining to the vulnerability of and threats to critical infrastructure (such as attacks, response, and recovery efforts) that is furnished voluntarily to the Department shall not be made available under <external-xref legal-doc="usc" parsable-cite="usc/5/552">section 552</external-xref> of title 5, United States Code, if—</text>
<paragraph id="HB83185B889B94BCCAA11FAF5BA657D39"><enum>(1)</enum><text>the provider would not customarily make the record available to the public; and</text></paragraph>
<paragraph id="H99B526CDFBA0428D90E2D41DDC905E"><enum>(2)</enum><text>the record is designated and certified by the provider, in a manner specified by the Department, as confidential and not customarily made available to the public.</text></paragraph></subsection>
<subsection id="H0CD8397199BA4CB794F3EFB826494FB3"><enum>(c)</enum><header>Records shared with other agencies</header>
<paragraph id="H0C18C725F82F4B59BB498CB1E486281E"><enum>(1)</enum><header>In general</header>
<subparagraph id="HEE1FA7929F374E7DA5C168D9DEC74349"><enum>(A)</enum><header>Response to request</header><text>An agency in receipt of a record that was furnished voluntarily to the Department and subsequently shared with the agency shall, upon receipt of a request under <external-xref legal-doc="usc" parsable-cite="usc/5/552">section 552</external-xref> of title 5, United States Code, for the record—</text>
<clause id="HB3E375F5CCAB41BB8BA800D17D6F2C00"><enum>(i)</enum><text>not make the record available; and</text></clause>
<clause id="H0197C9BCE64441BC91B2447DA0DB03D2"><enum>(ii)</enum><text>refer the request to the Department for processing and response in accordance with this section.</text></clause></subparagraph>
<subparagraph id="H390073D270284C739100DFA745D51FC7"><enum>(B)</enum><header>Segregable portion of record</header><text>Any reasonably segregable portion of a record shall be provided to the person requesting the record after deletion of any portion which is exempt under this section.</text></subparagraph></paragraph>
<paragraph id="H9D1E7F6D8626427D974470C87FCA3753"><enum>(2)</enum><header>Disclosure of independently furnished records</header><text>Notwithstanding paragraph (1), nothing in this section shall prohibit an agency from making available under <external-xref legal-doc="usc" parsable-cite="usc/5/552">section 552</external-xref> of title 5, United States Code, any record that the agency receives independently of the Department, regardless of whether or not the Department has a similar or identical record.</text></paragraph></subsection>
<subsection id="H598E3A9A7E9E4B4E9645AEE17163B679"><enum>(d)</enum><header>Withdrawal of confidential designation</header><text>The provider of a record that is furnished voluntarily to the Department under subsection (b) may at any time withdraw, in a manner specified by the Department, the confidential designation.</text></subsection>
<subsection id="H825FF9DEF2B9452AAC38BDDE8FDADA00"><enum>(e)</enum><header>Procedures</header><text>The Secretary shall prescribe procedures for—</text>
<paragraph id="HAE5768CFA5F74B22AFE2D729AB965042"><enum>(1)</enum><text>the acknowledgement of receipt of records furnished voluntarily;</text></paragraph>
<paragraph id="H4A09237C03304B5BB190B16588D30DF"><enum>(2)</enum><text>the designation, certification, and marking of records furnished voluntarily as confidential and not customarily made available to the public;</text></paragraph>
<paragraph id="H99ECD75DB4684BBD94467F89A8BBB3E"><enum>(3)</enum><text>the care and storage of records furnished voluntarily;</text></paragraph>
<paragraph id="H626F74B543F1454F9C8DB8E6328BB038"><enum>(4)</enum><text>the protection and maintenance of the confidentiality of records furnished voluntarily; and</text></paragraph>
<paragraph id="H8C17B26EDC7247B0971BE8FA561D888E"><enum>(5)</enum><text>the withdrawal of the confidential designation of records under subsection (d).</text></paragraph></subsection>
<subsection id="HDFCCEEC7D22B45FDB7CEB8D3B1D8FE5B"><enum>(f)</enum><header>Effect on State and local law</header><text>Nothing in this section shall be construed as preempting or otherwise modifying State or local law concerning the disclosure of any information that a State or local government receives independently of the Department.</text></subsection>
<subsection id="HAB3EBF47A0C04618BA4792F2E1553C50"><enum>(g)</enum><header>Report</header>
<paragraph id="HB67A4DB7CDEF4BBEB86E5900825721F2"><enum>(1)</enum><header>Requirement</header><text>Not later than 18 months after the date of the enactment of the Restore Open Government Act of 2004, the Comptroller General of the United States shall submit to the committees of Congress specified in paragraph (2) a report on the implementation and use of this section, including—</text>
<subparagraph id="HCA2FE1CA5DEA48D8ADAF88EF89C965BB"><enum>(A)</enum><text>the number of persons in the private sector, and the number of State and local agencies, that furnished voluntarily records to the Department under this section;</text></subparagraph>
<subparagraph id="HC21C0BB0F5D3430C9C392F39B5F4CF1"><enum>(B)</enum><text>the number of requests for access to records granted or denied under this section; and</text></subparagraph>
<subparagraph id="H9737A16B377D46E6B501A308F51BB3B"><enum>(C)</enum><text>such recommendations as the Comptroller General considers appropriate regarding improvements in the collection and analysis of sensitive information held by persons in the private sector, or by State and local agencies, relating to vulnerabilities of and threats to critical infrastructure, including the response to such vulnerabilities and threats.</text></subparagraph></paragraph>
<paragraph id="HD565C400EE694CE69CD8C861A3AEACD5"><enum>(2)</enum><header>Committees of Congress</header><text>The committees of Congress specified in this paragraph are—</text>
<subparagraph id="H605C467DF5E7414CB242A3D0A4829EF5"><enum>(A)</enum><text>the Committees on the Judiciary and Governmental Affairs of the Senate; and</text></subparagraph>
<subparagraph id="H4CEC594C57064CB69E03EE78A2CD8200"><enum>(B)</enum><text>the Committees on the Judiciary and Government Reform and Oversight of the House of Representatives.</text></subparagraph></paragraph>
<paragraph id="HC321E2F0C2494DB3B09F79EF95799C3D"><enum>(3)</enum><header>Form</header><text display-inline="yes-display-inline">The report shall be submitted in unclassified form, but may include a classified annex.</text></paragraph></subsection></section></subtitle><after-quoted-block>.</after-quoted-block></quoted-block></subsection>
<subsection id="H009D36B6DE774415B426693DA8B8CDBC"><enum>(b)</enum><header>Technical and conforming amendment</header><text>The table of contents for the Homeland Security Act of 2002 (<external-xref legal-doc="public-law" parsable-cite="pl/107/296">Public Law 107–296</external-xref>) is amended by striking the items relating to subtitle B of title II and sections 211 through 215 and inserting the following:</text>
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<toc regeneration="no-regeneration">
<toc-entry level="subtitle">Subtitle B—Protection of Voluntarily Furnished Confidential Information</toc-entry>
<toc-entry level="section">Sec. 211. Protection of voluntarily furnished confidential information</toc-entry></toc><after-quoted-block>.</after-quoted-block></quoted-block></subsection></section>
<enum>II</enum><header>Presidential Records</header>
<section section-type="subsequent-section" id="H55C967AE09A14E5D89AF88D84E4FA32D" display-inline="no-display-inline"><enum>201.</enum><header>Revocation of Executive Order of November 1, 2001</header><text display-inline="no-display-inline">Executive Order number 13233, dated November 1, 2001 (66 Fed. Reg. 56025), shall have no force or effect, and Executive Order number 12667, dated January 18, 1989 (54 Fed. Reg. 3403), shall apply by its terms.</text></section>
<enum>III</enum><header>Advisory Committees</header>
<section id="H8D0B69563377433CB6EC20AC9D07A0A4"><enum>301.</enum><header>Presidential inter-agency advisory committees</header>
<subsection id="H7C8373632DDD4881AFAFC7F87069FD00"><enum>(a)</enum><header>Definition</header><text display-inline="yes-display-inline">The term <quote>Presidential inter-agency advisory committee</quote> is any committee or task force that—</text>
<paragraph id="H4A345D393F7E4519B6621736E29279D5"><enum>(1)</enum><text>is composed wholly of full-time, or permanent part-time, officers or employees of the Federal Government; </text></paragraph>
<paragraph id="HC7C932D40D3D4DD8A2611241A69099D"><enum>(2)</enum><text>includes officers or employees of at least two separate Federal agencies; </text></paragraph>
<paragraph id="HE198466F69014DAB967CF74790EB2F00"><enum>(3)</enum><text>is established or utilized to provide advice, ideas, or recommendations to the President or Vice President on a specified topic or topics; and </text></paragraph>
<paragraph id="HE53180EDE98943E5A1003560B87D89A4"><enum>(4)</enum><text>has at least one officer or employee assigned full-time as a staff member of the committee to support the functions of the committee.</text></paragraph></subsection>
<subsection id="HA5F8AA7FA1EA4EF498635FFE8403D119"><enum>(b)</enum><header>Requirements</header>
<paragraph id="H304D807031AD4B47A7088DE85321EC93"><enum>(1)</enum><text> The President shall ensure that the names of the members of the committee are published in the Federal Register.</text></paragraph>
<paragraph id="H864CF0937BA24A50A83F09C368FE7779"><enum>(2)</enum><text>The committee must make public each substantive contact between the advisory committee, or individual members of the advisory committee acting on the committee’s behalf, and any person who is not a full-time or permanent part-time officer or employee of the Federal Government, including—</text>
<subparagraph id="HB2F9D9E27351478C84D3DB760071CEC"><enum>(A)</enum><text>the date of the contact;</text></subparagraph>
<subparagraph id="HFA22DB4507794611A163148F74BD74B3"><enum>(B)</enum><text display-inline="yes-display-inline">the form of the contact (in person, by telephone, by e-mail, or in writing);</text></subparagraph>
<subparagraph id="H1047AE48EEEE4F999F6E295F1BB4C93C"><enum>(C)</enum><text>the names and affiliations of the parties involved; and</text></subparagraph>
<subparagraph id="HDBF1D39F1B1C42C5A7707D7B3B2B83B0"><enum>(D)</enum><text display-inline="yes-display-inline">the substance of the communication and the communication itself, if in electronic or written form. </text></subparagraph></paragraph>
<paragraph id="HB7AB3C21BF30471385C004CC601FEF25"><enum>(3)</enum><text>For purposes of this subsection, a contact shall be considered substantive if the information conveyed influenced or was reflected in any way in the committee’s advice, recommendations, or report to the President or Vice President.</text></paragraph></subsection></section>
<enum>IV</enum><header>Classification of Information</header>
<section id="H5FF24479B09D4D9091E90618513DBD65"><enum>401.</enum><header>Reducing excessive classification of information</header><text display-inline="no-display-inline">As soon as possible, but in no event later than 180 days after the date of the enactment of this Act, the President shall require Federal departments and agencies to promote a culture of information sharing by reducing disincentives to information sharing, including overclassification of information and unnecessary requirements for originator approval.</text></section>
<enum>V</enum><header>Other provisions</header>
<section id="HDE784158CAAC440C9CB9AE10511F05A1"><enum>501.</enum><header>Citizen actions</header><text display-inline="no-display-inline"><external-xref legal-doc="usc" parsable-cite="usc/5/552">Section 552(a)(4)(E)</external-xref> of title 5, United States Code, is amended—</text>
<paragraph id="H67277868AC5247DF92D04C54A6548EFE"><enum>(1)</enum><text>by inserting <quote>, or in any case seeking information from a Federal agency or official under any other Federal law,</quote> after <quote>case under this section</quote>; and</text></paragraph>
<paragraph id="HA3AAA1E36FDE4EED9644EEC0CEBF25D3"><enum>(2)</enum><text>by adding at the end the following: <quote>For purposes of this section, a complainant has <quote>substantially prevailed</quote> if the complainant has obtained some of its requested relief through a judicial or administrative order or an enforceable written agreement, or if the complainant’s pursuit of a nonfrivolous claim or defense has been a catalyst for a voluntary or unilateral change in position by the opposing party that provides any significant part of the relief sought.</quote>.</text></paragraph></section>