United States 114th Congress Status: Enacted 1 R cosponsors

S 337 — FOIA Improvement Act of 2016

Last action — Became Public Law No: 114-185. (TXT | PDF)

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  1. ✓
    Introduced
  2. ✓
    In Committee
  3. ✓
    Passed Senate
  4. ✓
    Passed House
  5. ✓
    To Executive
  6. 6
    Enacted

This bill has been enacted into law. Introduced February 02, 2015. Enacted.

Summary

FOIA Improvement Act of 2016 (Sec. 2) This bill amends the Freedom of Information Act (FOIA) to: require federal agencies to make their disclosable records and documents available for public inspection in an electronic format; require agencies to make available for inspection in an electronic format records that have been requested three or more times (frequently requested records); prohibit an agency from charging a fee for providing records if the agency misses a deadline for complying with an FOIA request unless unusual circumstances apply and more than 5,000 pages are necessary to respond to the request; prohibit an agency from withholding information requested under FOIA unless the agency reasonably foresees that disclosure would harm an interest protected by a FOIA exemption or disclosure is prohibited by law (presumption of openness); limit the FOIA exemption for agency communications to allow the disclosure of agency records created 25 years or more before the date of a FOIA request; require the Office of Government Information Services (OGIS) to offer mediation services to resolve disputes between agencies and FOIA requesters; expand the authority and duties of the Chief FOIA Officer of each agency to require officers to serve as the primary agency liaison with OGIS and the Office of Information Policy; establish a Chief FOIA Officers Council to develop recommendations for increasing compliance and efficiency in responding to FOIA requests, disseminating information about agency experiences, identifying, developing, and coordinating initiatives to increase transparency and compliance, and promoting performance measures to ensure agency compliance with FOIA requirements; and require the Director of the Office of Management and Budget to ensure the operation of a consolidated online request portal that allows a member of the public to submit a request for records to any agency from a single website. (Sec. 3) The head of each agency (i.e., each authority of the U.S. government, excluding the Congress, U.S. courts, governments of U.S. territories and possessions, and the government of the District of Columbia) is required to: (1) review agency regulations and issue regulations on procedures for disclosure of records in accordance with the amendments made by this bill, and (2) include in such regulations procedures for engaging in dispute resolution through the FOIA Public Liaison and OGIS. (Sec. 4) The program for the efficient management of federal agency records is expanded to require agency heads to establish procedures for: (1) identifying records of general interest or use to the public that are appropriate for public disclosure, and (2) posting such records in a publicly-accessible electronic format. (Sec. 5) No additional funds are authorized to carry out the requirements of this bill. (Sec. 6) This bill shall take effect on its enactment date and shall apply to all FOIA requests for records made after its enactment date.

Bill Text

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Read S 337 on the official United States source →

Action History

  1. Became Public Law No: 114-185. (TXT | PDF)

  2. Signed by President.

  3. Presented to President.

  4. Motion to reconsider laid on the table Agreed to without objection.

  5. On motion to suspend the rules and pass the bill Agreed to by voice vote. (text: CR H3714-3716)

  6. DEBATE - The House proceeded with forty minutes of debate on S. 337.

  7. Considered under suspension of the rules. (consideration: CR H3714-3719)

  8. Mr. Meadows moved to suspend the rules and pass the bill.

  9. Held at the desk.

  10. Received in the House.

  11. Message on Senate action sent to the House.

  12. Passed Senate with an amendment by Unanimous Consent.

  13. S.Amdt.3452 Amendment SA 3452 agreed to in Senate by Unanimous Consent.

  14. S.Amdt.3452 Amendment SA 3452 proposed by Senator Cornyn. (consideration: CR S1496)

  15. Measure laid before Senate by unanimous consent. (consideration: CR S1494-1496)

  16. By Senator Grassley from Committee on the Judiciary filed written report. Report No. 114-4. Additional views filed.

  17. Placed on Senate Legislative Calendar under General Orders. Calendar No. 17.

  18. Committee on the Judiciary. Reported by Senator Grassley without amendment. Without written report.

  19. Committee on the Judiciary. Ordered to be reported without amendment favorably.

  20. Read twice and referred to the Committee on the Judiciary. (text of measure as introduced: CR S699-701)

Sponsors

Sponsorship breakdown

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1 sponsors · 0 co-sponsors · 546 not signed on

Sponsors (1)

Co-sponsors (0)

None.

Not signed on (546)

546 members have not signed on to this bill.

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"Not signed on" means a member has not sponsored or co-sponsored this bill — it does not imply opposition. Members flagged Voted No have a recorded No vote on this bill.

Whip count is in markup. Polling the chamber and every recorded vote this session. Only the first open is slow. It’s instant for you after this. Calling the roll · Tallying · Engrossing

Subjects

Administrative law and regulatory procedures Administrative remedies Alternative dispute resolution, mediation, arbitration Congressional oversight Executive agency funding and structure Federal officials Freedom of information Government information and archives Government studies and investigations Government operations and politics
Cross-referencing the record. Reading this bill against every other bill in the corpus by meaning, not keywords. Only the first open is slow. It’s instant for you after this. Matching · Ranking · Engrossing

Frequently asked questions

What does S 337 do?
FOIA Improvement Act of 2016 (Sec. 2) This bill amends the Freedom of Information Act (FOIA) to: require federal agencies to make their disclosable records and documents available for public inspection in an electronic format; require agencies to make available for inspection in an electronic format records that have been requested three or more times (frequently requested records); prohibit an agency from charging a fee for providing records if the agency misses a deadline for complying with an FOIA request unless unusual circumstances apply and more than 5,000 pages are necessary to respond to the request; prohibit an agency from withholding information requested under FOIA unless the agency reasonably foresees that disclosure would harm an interest protected by a FOIA exemption or disclosure is prohibited by law (presumption of openness); limit the FOIA exemption for agency communications to allow the disclosure of agency records created 25 years or more before the date of a FOIA request; require the Office of Government Information Services (OGIS) to offer mediation services to resolve disputes between agencies and FOIA requesters; expand the authority and duties of the Chief FOIA Officer of each agency to require officers to serve as the primary agency liaison with OGIS and the Office of Information Policy; establish a Chief FOIA Officers Council to develop recommendations for increasing compliance and efficiency in responding to FOIA requests, disseminating information about agency experiences, identifying, developing, and coordinating initiatives to increase transparency and compliance, and promoting performance measures to ensure agency compliance with FOIA requirements; and require the Director of the Office of Management and Budget to ensure the operation of a consolidated online request portal that allows a member of the public to submit a request for records to any agency from a single website. (Sec. 3) The head of each agency (i.e., each authority of the U.S. government, excluding the Congress, U.S. courts, governments of U.S. territories and possessions, and the government of the District of Columbia) is required to: (1) review agency regulations and issue regulations on procedures for disclosure of records in accordance with the amendments made by this bill, and (2) include in such regulations procedures for engaging in dispute resolution through the FOIA Public Liaison and OGIS. (Sec. 4) The program for the efficient management of federal agency records is expanded to require agency heads to establish procedures for: (1) identifying records of general interest or use to the public that are appropriate for public disclosure, and (2) posting such records in a publicly-accessible electronic format. (Sec. 5) No additional funds are authorized to carry out the requirements of this bill. (Sec. 6) This bill shall take effect on its enactment date and shall apply to all FOIA requests for records made after its enactment date.
Who sponsors S 337?
S 337 is sponsored by John Cornyn (R).
What is the current status of S 337?
This bill has been enacted into law. Introduced February 02, 2015. Enacted.
Where can I track S 337?
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