CRS Report on FOIA Issues for the 111th Congress

From the summary of Freedom of Information Act (FOIA): Issues for the 111th Congress (Aug. 12, 2009):

In his first full day in office, President Obama issued a memorandum to federal departments and agencies encouraging more collaboration, participation, and transparency in the federal government. As a follow-up to the January 21, 2009, memorandum, the Attorney General drafted new guidelines for agency and department heads on use and implementation of FOIA. The Obama Administration also conducted a three-phase online information-gathering effort linked to its OPEN Government Directive. The directive sought public input on ways to make FOIA and other policies and operations of federal government more effective and efficient. In the 111th Congress, several bills that directly address FOIA have been introduced, including legislation that would exempt photographs of the treatment of detainees held by the Armed Forces from public disclosure pursuant to FOIA, and a bill that would require the archivist to issue more detailed regulations on the classification of government records. This report will offer a history of FOIA, discuss current implementation of FOIA statutes, and outline pending FOIA legislation.

[JH]