Senate Bills - 110th Congress

S. 849—The Openness Promotes Effectiveness in our National (OPEN) Government Act of 2007

On March 13, Senator Patrick Leahy (D-VT)) introduced S. 849, the Openness Promotes Effectiveness in our National (OPEN) Government Act of 2007. This bill is similar to provisions in H.R. 1309, the House companion measure. Provisions of interest to NIH would shorten the time limits on which to act on requests, require agencies to establish a system to assign an individualized tracking number for each request for information, establish a telephone line or Internet service regarding the status of a request, institute additional reporting requirements regarding FOIA requests and processing times, and broaden “media status” to those who have “internet publications.” S. 849 was referred to the Senate Committee on the Judiciary.

COMMITTEE/SUBCOMMITTE ACTION

On April 30, the House Committee on the Judiciary reported (S. Rept. 110-59), without amendment, S. 849, the Openness Promotes Effectiveness in our National (OPEN) Government Act of 2007. This bill is similar to provisions in H.R. 1309, the Freedom of Information Act of 2007. Provisions in S. 849 of interest to NIH would shorten the time limits on which to act on requests, require agencies to establish a system to assign an individualized tracking number for each request for information, establish a telephone line or Internet service regarding the status of a request, institute additional reporting requirements regarding FOIA requests and processing times, and broaden “media status” to those who have “internet publications.” S. 849 was placed on the Senate Legislative Calendar under General Orders.

FLOOR ACTIONS

On August 3, the Senate passed, by unanimous consent, S. 849, the Openness Promotes Effectiveness in our National (OPEN) Government Act of 2007. This bill contains provisions similar to those in H.R. 1309, which passed the House on March 14 by a vote of 308-117. Provisions of interest to NIH would shorten the time limits on which to act on requests, require agencies to establish a system to assign an individualized tracking number for each request for information, establish a telephone line or Internet service regarding the status of a request, and institute additional reporting requirements regarding FOIA requests and processing times.