Senate committee approves measure that tweaks FOIA

In a first step toward an overhaul of the Freedom of Information Act, the Senate Judiciary Committee approved a measure Thursday that states any future legislation establishing exemptions to law be stated clearly within the text of the bill.

The measure, sponsored by Sen. John Cornyn, R-Texas, and Judiciary ranking member Patrick Leahy, D-Vt., was approved on a voice vote in a brief markup session held off the floor. In an interview after the markup, Cornyn noted that the measure does not substantially change FOIA; it simply requires lawmakers to state clearly what information is exempt from it.

The measure is a companion bill to broader legislation to overhaul FOIA, one that is also sponsored by Cornyn and Leahy. That bill has not yet been considered by the committee. It would make major changes to FOIA for the first time in more than a decade by calling for speedier responses for requests and for providing incentives for federal agencies to answer them, a Cornyn spokesman said.

Cornyn said the larger overhaul bill was "bogged down in debate and discussion" and that the measure would "hopefully" just be the first step in revamping FOIA. "It's a way to get something passed that's noncontroversial," he said.