[Congressional Record Volume 153, Number 195 (Wednesday, December 19, 2007)]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Page E2637]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




                      OPEN GOVERNMENT ACT OF 2007

                                 ______
                                 

                               speech of

                        HON. CAROLYN B. MALONEY

                              of new york

                    in the house of representatives

                       Tuesday, December 18, 2007

  Ms. MALONEY of New York. Mr. Speaker, I rise today in strong support 
of the ``OPEN Government Act.''
  Since coming to Congress, I have been working for an improved Freedom 
of Information Act process, a critical component to ensuring an open 
and transparent government. In 1996 Congress passed important 
legislation that reflected the changing technological times, the 
``Electronic Freedom of Information Act of 1996.'' This important law 
helped to make FOIA more efficient by providing public access to 
information including in an electronic format.
  The Oversight and Government Reform Committee, of which I am a 
member, has held several hearings during the past few years about the 
FOIA process where we learned that it has not progressed as well as we 
had hoped. Some agencies and departments are doing a better job of 
fulfilling freedom of information requests while some continue to lag 
behind.
  Requesters often wait months or years to find out the status of their 
requests or to obtain the information. As a result, the backlogs at 
agencies and departments continue to grow. Frequently, the only 
recourse for the denial of requested information is to file lawsuits. 
However, many requesters cannot afford the high costs associated with 
court cases.
  The ``OPEN Government Act'' includes many important provisions that I 
hope will improve the process and eliminate many of the problems that 
exist in today's system including an amendment that I offered in 
committee that would provide for greater disclosure to the FOIA 
requester about the exemption under which a deletion has been made from 
requested material.
  I have heard from constituents who say that when they receive a 
response from the agency, they are unable to determine why certain 
information was redacted. While I recognize that in some cases linking 
a redaction to an exemption may reveal sensitive information, where 
possible I believe that agencies should specify which exemption applies 
to which redaction.
  Passage of today's legislation is long overdue, and I commend 
Chairman Waxman and Ranking Member Davis and their staffs for bringing 
this bill to the Floor today.

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