[Congressional Record Volume 162, Number 14 (Monday, January 25, 2016)]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Pages E53-E54]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




             FOIA OVERSIGHT AND IMPLEMENTATION ACT OF 2015

                                 ______
                                 

                               speech of

                           HON. JODY B. HICE

                               of georgia

                    in the house of representatives

                        Monday, January 11, 2016

  Mr. JODY B. HICE of Georgia. Mr. Speaker, I thank the gentleman for 
yielding and I rise in support of the FOIA Oversight and Implementation 
Act.
  The Freedom of Information Act enables individual citizens to request 
records and information from federal agencies, and is therefore one of 
the greatest tools available to the public to ensure accountability and 
transparency.
  President Obama promised the American people that his administration 
would have an unprecedented level of openness. Unfortunately, the 
President has failed to deliver on his promise.
  Mr. Speaker, the House Oversight and Government Reform Committee 
released a report today that found a dysfunctional and ambiguous FOIA 
system. To quote from the report, ``The FOIA process is broken. 
Unnecessary complications, misapplication of the law, and extensive 
delays are common occurrences.''
  H.R. 653 will make great strides in correcting, protecting, and 
ultimately strengthening FOIA by providing greater disclosure of 
records and encouraging greater federal agency compliance.
  Mr. Speaker, I urge all my colleagues to support H.R. 653.

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