[Congressional Bills 113th Congress]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office]
[H.R. 1211 Introduced in House (IH)]

113th CONGRESS
  1st Session
                                H. R. 1211

To amend section 552 of title 5, United States Code (commonly known as 
 the Freedom of Information Act), to provide for greater public access 
                to information, and for other purposes.


_______________________________________________________________________


                    IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES

                             March 15, 2013

Mr. Issa (for himself and Mr. Cummings) introduced the following bill; 
 which was referred to the Committee on Oversight and Government Reform

_______________________________________________________________________

                                 A BILL


 
To amend section 552 of title 5, United States Code (commonly known as 
 the Freedom of Information Act), to provide for greater public access 
                to information, and for other purposes.

    Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representatives of the 
United States of America in Congress assembled,

SECTION 1. SHORT TITLE.

    This Act may be cited as the ``FOIA Oversight and Implementation 
Act of 2013'' or the ``FOIA Act''.

SEC. 2. FREEDOM OF INFORMATION ACT AMENDMENTS.

    (a) Electronic Accessibility.--Section 552 of title 5, United 
States Code is amended--
            (1) in subsection (a)--
                    (A) in paragraph (2)--
                            (i) by striking ``for public inspection and 
                        copying'' and inserting ``in an electronic, 
                        publicly accessible format'';
                            (ii) by striking subparagraph (E) and 
                        inserting the following new subparagraphs:
            ``(E) copies of all records, regardless of form or format, 
        that have been released three or more times under paragraph 
        (3); and
            ``(F) a general index of the records referred to under 
        subparagraphs (D) and (E);''; and
                            (iii) in the matter proceeding subparagraph 
                        (F) (as added by clause (ii) of this 
                        subparagraph)--
                                    (I) by striking ``subparagraph 
                                (D)'' and inserting ``subparagraphs (D) 
                                and (E)''; and
                                    (II) by striking ``subparagraph 
                                (E)'' and inserting ``subparagraph 
                                (F)''; and
                    (B) in paragraph (7)--
                            (i) in subparagraph (A), by striking ``that 
                        will take longer than ten days to process''; 
                        and
                            (ii) in subparagraph (B), by inserting 
                        ``automated'' after ``provides'';
            (2) in subsection (g), by striking ``make publicly 
        available upon request'' and inserting ``make available in an 
        electronic, publicly accessible format'';
            (3) in subsection (i), by striking ``the implementation'' 
        and inserting ``compliance with and implementation of the 
        requirements''; and
            (4) by adding at the end the following new subsection:
    ``(m) FOIA Web Site Required.--Not later than one year after the 
date of enactment of this subsection, the Office of Management and 
Budget shall ensure the existence and operation of a single Web site, 
accessible by the public at no cost to access, that allows the public 
to--
            ``(1) submit requests for records under subsection (a)(3); 
        and
            ``(2) receive automated information about the status of a 
        request under subsection (a)(7).''.
    (b) Presumption of Openness.--Section 552(b) of title 5, United 
States Code, is amended in the matter preceding paragraph (1), by 
inserting ``that would cause foreseeable harm and'' after ``matters''.
    (c) The Office of Government Information Services.--Section 552 of 
title 5, United States Code is amended--
            (1) in subsection (a)(4)(A)(i), by striking ``the Director 
        of the Office of Management and Budget'' and inserting ``the 
        Director of the Office of Management and Budget, in 
        consultation with the Director of the Office of Government 
        Information Services,''; and
            (2) subsection (h) is amended to read as follows:
    ``(h) The Office of Government Information Services.--
            ``(1) Establishment.--There is established the Office of 
        Government Information Services within the National Archives 
        and Records Administration. The head of the Office is the 
        Director of the Office of Government Information Services.
            ``(2) Review of foia policy, procedure, and compliance.--
        The Office of Government Information Services shall--
                    ``(A) review policies and procedures of agencies 
                under this section;
                    ``(B) review compliance with this section by 
                agencies; and
                    ``(C) identify methods that improve compliance 
                under this section that may include--
                            ``(i) the timely processing of requests 
                        submitted to agencies under this section;
                            ``(ii) the system for assessing fees and 
                        fee waivers under this section; and
                            ``(iii) the use of any exemption under 
                        subsection (b); and
                    ``(D) review and provide guidance to agencies on 
                the use of fees and fee waivers.
            ``(3) Mediation services.--The Office of Government 
        Information Services shall offer mediation services to resolve 
        disputes between persons making requests under this section and 
        agencies as a non-exclusive alternative to litigation and, at 
        the discretion of the Office, may issue advisory opinions if 
        mediation has not resolved the dispute.
            ``(4) Submission of report.--
                    ``(A) In general.--The Office of Government 
                Information Services shall not less than annually 
                submit to the committees described in subparagraph (C) 
                and the President a report on the findings from the 
                information reviewed and identified under paragraph (2) 
                and legislative and regulatory recommendations to 
                improve the administration of this section.
                    ``(B) Electronic availability of reports.--The 
                Office shall make available any report submitted under 
                paragraph (A) in a publicly accessible format.
                    ``(C) Congressional submission of report.--The 
                committees described in this subparagraph are the 
                following:
                            ``(i) The Committee on Oversight and 
                        Government Reform of the House of 
                        Representatives.
                            ``(ii) The Committees on Homeland Security 
                        and Governmental Affairs and the Judiciary of 
                        the Senate.
                    ``(D) Direct submission of report.--Any report 
                submitted under paragraph (A) shall be submitted 
                directly to the committees and the President, without 
                any requirement that any officer or employee outside of 
                the Office of Government Information Services, 
                including the Archivist of the United States and the 
                Director of the Office of Management and Budget, review 
                such report.
            ``(5) Submission of additional information.--The Director 
        of the Office of Government Information Services may submit 
        additional information to Congress and the President that the 
        Director determines to be appropriate.
            ``(6) Annual meeting required.--Not less than once a year, 
        the Office of Government Information Services shall hold a 
        meeting that is open to the public on the review and reports by 
        the Office and permit interested persons to appear and present 
        oral or written statements at such meeting.''.
    (d) Public Resources.--Section 552(a)(6)(A) of title 5, United 
States Code, is amended--
            (1) in clause (i), by striking ``such determination and the 
        reasons therefor, and of the right of such person to appeal to 
        the head of the agency any adverse determination; and'' and 
        inserting the following new subclauses:
                    ``(I) such determination and the reasons therefor;
                    ``(II) the right of such person to seek assistance 
                from the agency FOIA Public Liaison; and
                    ``(III) the right of such person to appeal to the 
                head of the agency any adverse determination, not later 
                than 90 days after the receipt of such adverse 
                determination; and''; and
            (2) in clause (ii), by striking the period and inserting 
        the following: ``and the right of such person to seek dispute 
        resolution services from the agency FOIA Public Liaison or the 
        Office of Government Information Services.''
    (e) Additional Disclosure of Information Requirements.--Section 
552(a) of title 5, United States Code, is amended by adding at the end 
the following new paragraphs:
            ``(8) Disclosure of information for increased public 
        understanding of the government.--Each agency shall--
                    ``(A) review the records of such agency to 
                determine whether the release of the records would be 
                in the public interest because it is likely to 
                contribute significantly to public understanding of the 
                operations or activities of the Government;
                    ``(B) for records determined to be in the public 
                interest under subparagraph (A), reasonably segregate 
                and redact any information exempted from disclosure 
                under subsection (b); and
                    ``(C) make available in an electronic, publicly 
                accessible format, any records identified in 
                subparagraph (A), as modified pursuant to subparagraph 
                (B).
            ``(9) Increased disclosure of information.--Each agency 
        shall--
                    ``(A) make information public to the greatest 
                extent possible through modern technology to--
                            ``(i) inform the public of the operations 
                        and activities of the Government; and
                            ``(ii) ensure timely disclosure of 
                        information; and
                    ``(B) establish procedures for identifying 
                categories of records that may be disclosed regularly 
                and additional records of interest to the public that 
                are appropriate for public disclosure, and for posting 
                such records in an electronic, publicly accessible 
                format.''.
    (f) Agency FOIA Report.--Section 552(e) of title 5, United States 
Code, is amended--
            (1) in paragraph (1)--
                    (A) by inserting ``and to the Director of the 
                Office of Government Information Services'' after ``the 
                Attorney General of the United States'';
                    (B) in subparagraph (N), by striking ``; and'' and 
                inserting a semicolon;
                    (C) in subparagraph (O), by striking the period and 
                inserting a semicolon; and
                    (D) by adding at the end the following new 
                subparagraphs:
            ``(P) the number of times the agency invoked a law 
        enforcement exclusion under subsection (c);
            ``(Q) the number of times the agency engaged in dispute 
        resolution with the assistance of the Office of Government 
        Information Services or the FOIA Public Liaison; and
            ``(R) the number of records that were made available in an 
        electronic, publicly accessible format under subsection 
        (a)(2).'';
            (2) by amending paragraph (3) to read as follows:
            ``(3) Electronic accessibility of reports.--Each agency 
        shall make each such report available in an electronic, 
        publicly accessible format. In addition, each agency shall make 
        the raw statistical data used in its reports available in a 
        timely manner in an electronic, publicly accessible format. 
        Such data shall be--
                    ``(A) made available without charge, license, or 
                registration requirement;
                    ``(B) capable of being searched and aggregated; and
                    ``(C) permitted to be downloaded and downloaded in 
                bulk.'';
            (3) in paragraph (4)--
                    (A) by striking ``Committee on Government Reform 
                and Oversight'' and inserting ``Committee on Oversight 
                and Government Reform'';
                    (B) by striking ``Governmental Affairs'' and 
                inserting ``Homeland Security and Governmental 
                Affairs''; and
                    (C) by striking ``April 1'' and inserting ``March 
                1'';
            (4) in paragraph (5)--
                    (A) by inserting ``and the Director of the Office 
                of Government Information Services'' after ``the 
                Director of the Office of Management and Budget''; and
                    (B) by striking ``by October 1, 1997''; and
            (5) by amending paragraph (6) to read as follows:
            ``(6) Attorney general foia report.--
                    ``(A) In general.--The Attorney General of the 
                United States shall submit to Congress and the 
                President an annual report on or before March 1 of each 
                calendar year which shall include for the prior 
                calendar year--
                            ``(i) a listing of the number of cases 
                        arising under this section;
                            ``(ii) each subsection under this section, 
                        each paragraph of the subsection, and any 
                        exemption, if applicable, involved in each 
                        case, the disposition of such case, and the 
                        cost, fees, and penalties assessed under 
                        subparagraphs (E), (F), and (G) of subsection 
                        (a)(4); and
                            ``(iii) a description of the efforts 
                        undertaken by the Department of Justice to 
                        encourage agency compliance with this section.
                    ``(B) Electronic availability.--The Attorney 
                General of the United States--
                            ``(i) shall make each report described 
                        under subparagraph (A) available in an 
                        electronic, publicly accessible format; and
                            ``(ii) shall make the raw statistical data 
                        used in each report available in an electronic, 
                        publicly accessible format, which shall be--
                                    ``(I) made available without 
                                charge, license, or registration 
                                requirement;
                                    ``(II) capable of being searched 
                                and aggregated; and
                                    ``(III) permitted to be downloaded, 
                                including downloaded in bulk.''.
    (g) Government Accountability Office.--Subsection (i) of section 
552 of title 5, United States Code, is amended to read as follows:
    ``(i) Government Accountability Office.--The Government 
Accountability Office shall--
            ``(1) conduct audits of administrative agencies on the 
        implementation of this section and issue reports detailing the 
        results of such audits; and
            ``(2) catalog the number of exemptions under subsection 
        (b)(3) and agency use of such exemptions.''.
    (h) Chief FOIA Officer Responsibilities; Council; Review.--Section 
552 of title 5, United States Code is amended--
            (1) by striking subsections (j) and (k); and
            (2) by inserting after subsection (i), the following new 
        subsections:
    ``(j) Chief FOIA Officer.--
            ``(1) Designation.--Each agency shall designate a Chief 
        FOIA Officer who shall be a senior official of such agency (at 
        the Assistant Secretary or equivalent level).
            ``(2) Duties.--The Chief FOIA Officer of each agency shall, 
        subject to the authority of the head of the agency--
                    ``(A) have agency-wide responsibility for efficient 
                and appropriate compliance with this section;
                    ``(B) monitor implementation of this section 
                throughout the agency and keep the head of the agency, 
                the chief legal officer of the agency, and the Attorney 
                General appropriately informed of the agency's 
                performance in implementing this section;
                    ``(C) recommend to the head of the agency such 
                adjustments to agency practices, policies, personnel, 
                and funding as may be necessary to improve its 
                implementation of this section;
                    ``(D) review and report to the Attorney General, 
                through the head of the agency, at such times and in 
                such formats as the Attorney General may direct, on the 
                agency's performance in implementing this section;
                    ``(E) facilitate public understanding of the 
                purposes of the statutory exemptions of this section by 
                including concise descriptions of the exemptions in 
                both the agency's handbook issued under subsection (g), 
                and the agency's annual report on this section, and by 
                providing an overview, where appropriate, of certain 
                general categories of agency records to which those 
                exemptions apply; and
                    ``(F) designate one or more FOIA Public Liaisons.
            ``(3) Compliance review required.--The Chief FOIA Officer 
        of each agency shall--
                    ``(A) review, not less than annually, all aspects 
                of the agency's administration of this section to 
                ensure compliance with the requirements of this 
                section, including--
                            ``(i) agency regulations;
                            ``(ii) disclosure of records required under 
                        paragraphs (2), (8), and (9) of subsection (a);
                            ``(iii) assessment of fees and 
                        determination of eligibility for fee waivers;
                            ``(iv) the timely processing of requests 
                        for information under this section;
                            ``(v) the use of exemptions under 
                        subsection (b); and
                            ``(vi) dispute resolution services with the 
                        assistance of the Office of Government 
                        Information Services or the FOIA Public 
                        Liaison; and
                    ``(B) make recommendations as necessary to improve 
                agency practices and compliance with this section.
    ``(k) Chief FOIA Officers Council.--
            ``(1) Establishment.--There is established in the executive 
        branch the Chief FOIA Officers Council (in this subsection, 
        referred to as the `Council').
            ``(2) Members.--The Council shall consist of the following 
        members:
                    ``(A) The Deputy Director for Management of the 
                Office of Management and Budget.
                    ``(B) The Director of the Office of Information 
                Policy at the Department of Justice.
                    ``(C) The Director of the Office of Government 
                Information Services at the National Archives and 
                Records Administration.
                    ``(D) The Chief FOIA Officer of each agency.
                    ``(E) Any other officer or employee of the United 
                States as designated by the Co-Chairs.
            ``(3) Co-chairs.--The Director of the Office of Information 
        Policy at the Department of Justice and the Director of the 
        Office of Government Information Services at the National 
        Archives and Records Administration shall be the Co-Chairs of 
        the Council.
            ``(4) Support services.--The Administrator of General 
        Services shall provide administrative and other support for the 
        Council.
            ``(5) Consultation.--In performing its duties, the Council 
        shall consult regularly with members of the public who make 
        requests under this section.
            ``(6) Duties.--The duties of the Council include the 
        following:
                    ``(A) Develop recommendations for increasing 
                compliance and efficiency under this section.
                    ``(B) Disseminate information about agency 
                experiences, ideas, best practices, and innovative 
                approaches related to this section.
                    ``(C) Identify, develop, and coordinate initiatives 
                to increase transparency and compliance with this 
                section.
                    ``(D) Promote the development and use of common 
                performance measures for agency compliance with this 
                section.
            ``(7) Meetings.--
                    ``(A) Regular meetings.--The Council shall meet 
                regularly and such meetings shall be open to the public 
                unless the Council determines to close the meeting for 
                reasons of national security or to discuss information 
                exempt under subsection (b).
                    ``(B) Annual meetings.--Not less than once a year, 
                the Council shall hold a meeting that shall be open to 
                the public and permit interested persons to appear and 
                present oral and written statements to the Council.
                    ``(C) Notice.--Not later than 10 business days 
                before a meeting of the Council, notice of such meeting 
                shall be published in the Federal Register.
                    ``(D) Public availability of council records.--
                Except as provided in subsection (b), the records, 
                reports, transcripts, minutes, appendixes, working 
                papers, drafts, studies, agenda, or other documents 
                that were made available to or prepared for or by the 
                Council shall be made publicly available.
                    ``(E) Minutes.--Detailed minutes of each meeting of 
                the Council shall be kept and shall contain a record of 
                the persons present, a complete and accurate 
                description of matters discussed and conclusions 
                reached, and copies of all reports received, issued, or 
                approved by the Council.''.
    (i) Regulations.--
            (1) Revision of regulations.--Not later than 180 days after 
        the date of the enactment of this Act, the head of each agency 
        shall review the regulations of such agency and shall issue 
        regulations on procedures for the disclosure of records under 
        section 552 of title 5, United States Code, in accordance with 
        the amendments made by this section. The regulations of each 
        agency shall include--
                    (A) procedures for engaging in dispute resolution; 
                and
                    (B) procedures for engaging with the Office of 
                Government Information Services.
            (2) Office of government information services report.--Not 
        later than 270 days after the date of the enactment of this 
        Act, the Office of Government Information Services shall submit 
        to Congress a report on agency compliance with the requirements 
        of this subsection.
            (3) Report on noncompliance.--The head of any agency that 
        does not meet the requirements of paragraph (1) shall submit to 
        Congress a report on the reason for noncompliance not later 
        than 270 days after the date of the enactment of this Act.
            (4) Inspector general review for noncompliance.--Any agency 
        that fails to comply with the requirements of this subsection 
        shall be reviewed by the Office of Inspector General of such 
        agency for compliance with section 552 of title 5, United 
        States Code.
            (5) Agency defined.--In this section, the term ``agency'' 
        has the meaning given such term in section 552(f) of title 5, 
        United States Code.

SEC. 3. PILOT PROGRAM.

    (a) Establishment.--The Director of the Office of Management and 
Budget shall establish a pilot program for 3 years to review the 
benefits of FOIAonline to process requests and release information 
under section 552 of title 5, United States Code (commonly known as the 
Freedom of Information Act).
    (b) Plan Required.--Not later than 90 days after the date of the 
enactment of this Act, the Director of the Office of Management and 
Budget shall establish a plan to evaluate FOIAonline at no less than 3 
agencies that have not previously participated in FOIAonline, including 
at least one of the following:
            (1) An agency that receives more than 50,000 requests 
        annually for information under section 552 of title 5, United 
        States Code.
            (2) An agency that receives between 25,000 and 50,000 
        requests annually for information under such section.
            (3) An agency that receives 25,000 or fewer requests 
        annually for information under such section.
    (c) Agency Use of Web Site.--Each agency selected under subsection 
(b) shall use FOIAonline to--
            (1) receive requests under section 552 of title 5, United 
        States Code;
            (2) process requests received under such section;
            (3) track the status of requests submitted under such 
        section; and
            (4) make records released available publicly on FOIAonline.
    (d) Review Required.--The Director of the Office of Management and 
Budget shall, in consultation with the Attorney General, the Office of 
Government Information Services, and the head of each agency 
participating in the pilot program, review the benefits of FOIAonline, 
including--
            (1) any cost saving, resource saving, or efficiency gained 
        through the use of FOIAonline;
            (2) any change in the amount of requests received under 
        section 552 of title 5, United States Code;
            (3) any increase in transparency and accessibility to 
        Government information; and
            (4) any changes in the ability to access and compile 
        information needed for agency annual reports required under 
        section 552 of title 5, United States Code.
    (e) Report Required.--Not later than 3 months after the completion 
of the pilot program, the head of each agency participating in the 
program shall submit to Congress a report on the impact of the pilot 
program on agency processes under section 552 of title 5, United States 
Code, whether the agency will continue to participate in FOIAonline, 
and any recommendations the head of the agency considers appropriate to 
continue the use of FOIAonline.
    (f) Definitions.--In this section:
            (1) Agency.--The term ``agency'' has the meaning given such 
        term in section 552(f) of title 5, United States Code.
            (2) Foiaonline.--The term ``FOIAonline'' means the 
        electronic online portal FOIAonline.regulations.gov.
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