The Public Has a Right to Know

On December 31, 2007, President Bush signed into law the OPEN Government Act of 2007. The legislation reforms the Freedom of Information Act (FOIA) and expands the definition of who is a "representative of the news media" under FOIA. This change would significantly benefit bloggers and non-traditional journalists by making them eligible for reduced processing and duplication fees that are available to "representatives of the news media." The OPEN Government Act of 2007, if enacted properly, should help curb some of the most frustrating aspects of the FOIA process, such as the indefinite waiting period for agency responses and fee charges for released documents. Specifically, the legislation requires an online tracking system for requesters, creates a government-wide office to arbitrate disputes, establishes penalties for FOIA offices that take longer than the allotted response times, clarifies the definition of "news media" status, limits agency "search" and "duplication" fees, and allows for reimbursement of attorney fees in some situations where requesters must go to court. To read about this legislation in its entirety, go to: http://www.citmedialaw.org/sites/citmedialaw.org/files/OPEN%20Government%20Act%20of%202007%20%28s.2488%29.pdf