EDF Praises Bipartisan Bill That Would Reinforce Access to Public Records

(Washington, D.C. – July 23, 2019) EDF is praising a new bipartisan Senate bill that would preserve the public’s right to access federal records under the Freedom of Information Act (FOIA).

The Open and Responsive Government Act of 2019 (S. 2220) was introduced today by Senators Chuck Grassley (R-IA), John Cornyn (R-TX), Patrick Leahy (D-VT), and Dianne Feinstein (D-CA).

“For nearly half a century, FOIA has been one of the public’s most powerful tools for understanding the actions of its federal government,” said EDF Attorney Ben Levitan. “This bill would help FOIA continue to make federal agencies more transparent and accountable to the people they serve.”

The bill would clarify the limited circumstances under which federal agencies can withhold public records in response to a FOIA request. By making these commonsense clarifications to the act, the bill would resolve confusion that has arisen following recent judicial and regulatory decisions.

EDF regularly uses FOIA to keep the public informed about government activities that affect human health and the environment. A selection of the records that EDF has received under FOIA is available on our Promoting Government Transparency webpage.