Posts Tagged ‘rti amendments’
-
4 December 2014
Senate Action on FOI Bill Delayed by Rockefeller
The US Senate Dec. 4 came close to passing reform amendments to the Freedom of Information Act, but the day was suspenseful and inconclusive. With Congress about the leave for a holiday break, only a limited window is available for getting the bill (S 2520) through. Objections from even a single senator, known as “holds,” […]
-
2 December 2014
Australian Government Pulls Bill to Abolish Commissioner
By Peter Timmins The author writes the Australian website Open and Shut, from which this article is reprinted. It’s Over! The Freedom of Information Amendment (New Arrangements) Bill isn’t listed in Senate Order of Business(pdf) for 3 December. Despite the fact it continues to appear (at No 9) in the Notice Paper I have it on good authority that the government […]
-
20 November 2014
Senate Panel Approves Reforms for US FOI Act
The US Senate Judiciary Committee Nov. 20 unanimously approved reform amendments to the Freedom of Information Act. The bipartisan support for a somewhat modified version of the bill (S. 2520) is expected to improve the chances of passage in the Senate this year. Committee Chairman Patrick Leahy (D-Vt.) said in an opening statement, “We have […]
-
18 November 2014
Senate FOI Bill Stripped Of Deliberative Process Reform
Sponsors of a Senate Freedom of Information Act reform bill have dropped a provision dear to the heart of supporters. Gone is a so-called “public interest balancing test” to evaluate agency claims that disclosures would interfere with the deliberative process, according to a revised text to be considered Nov. 20 by the Senate Judiciary Committee. […]
-
13 November 2014
US Senate Panel Delays Markup, Chairman Optimistic
The US Senate Judiciary Committee Nov. 13 delayed approval of a freedom of information amendments package, but the chairman predicted passage next week. Committee Chairman Patrick Leahy (D-Vt.) said in a statement issued to reporters: “I have worked with Senator Cornyn for months on the FOIA Improvement Act. It has broad bipartisan support, including the […]
-
10 November 2014
Senate Panel Schedules Meeting on FOI Legislation
The Senate Judiciary Committee has scheduled a meeting for 10 a.m. Nov. 13 to consider S.2520, the FOIA Improvement Act of 2014. With limited time left in this session of Congress and new current swirled by the recent election, the hope is for “unanimous consent” passage in the Judiciary Committee and expeditious passage on the […]
-
4 November 2014
China’s Leaders Endorse Disclosure as the `Norm’
By Jamie P. Horsley The author is Executive Director, The China Law Center and Senior Research Scholar, Yale Law School In an important policy decision adopted at the conclusion of a four-day plenary meeting of the Chinese Communist Party’s Central Committee from October 20-23, the Party endorsed disclosure as the norm, with non-disclosure as the […]
-
30 October 2014
Albania Rewrites Access Law; Changes Considered Positive
A new Albania right to information law has been enacted that supporters called “groundbreaking.” “At last, this reform brings the law on the right to information to the level of advanced legislation in the region and beyond,” said Darian Pavli, senior attorney at the Open Society Justice Initiative in a statement that also credited lobbying […]
-
28 October 2014
Croatia Pledges to Amend Access to Information Act
Croatia has pledged to amend its freedom of information act to improve its usefulness, according to one point in its latest action plan submitted as part of the Open Government Partnership process The government committed to make changes that would help ensure that its data is high quality and accessible for reuse. “Amendments to the […]
-
23 October 2014
50 US Groups Press Obama to Back FOI Legislation
Concerned that the Obama administration has been largely mute on a pending bipartisan bill to reform the Freedom of Information Act, 50 groups Oct. 23 urged him to voice his support. The bill has support from both Republican and Democratic legislators, has already passed the House and would appear to have a god chance of passage, […]
-
15 October 2014
Ireland Amendments Extend Reach of FOI Law
Revisions to the freedom of information law signed Oct. 14 by the Irish president will bring more public bodies under the Irish FOI umbrella. The new legislation, known as the Freedom of Information Act, 2014, will apply to: An Garda Síochána, the Irish police force. Public financial bodies, including NAMA, the National Asset Management Agency […]
-
9 October 2014
The Pre-Election State of FOI in the UK
By Paul Gibbons The author writes the FOIMan website where this article was published Oct. 8. It seems like only yesterday that I coined the hashtag #saveFOI when, provoked by the launch of the government’s post-legislative scrutiny, it seemed that everybody and their uncle wanted to pile in with their FOI horror stories. And a […]
-
16 September 2014
Senate Judiciary Schedules Meeting on FOIA Legislation
The Senate Judiciary Committee has scheduled a Sept. 18 meeting at which one agenda item is S.2520, the FOIA Improvement Act of 2014. Under Senate rules, a matter may be “held over” to the next meeting at the request of any committee member, so there is a possibility that approval of the bill will be […]
-
11 September 2014
Praise for New Access Law in Mexican State of Coahuila de Zaragoza
The following report on the new law in the Mexican state of Coahuila was prepared by the state information commission. Along our history and mainly in the last decade, the Mexican society is fighting to demonstrate its indeclinable will of progressing in our country’s democratic life, developing and strengthening the fundamental principles of plurality, freedom of expression […]
-
24 July 2014
Efforts to Amend US FOIA Law Moving Steadily Along
Legislation to solve what many openness advocates say is a major problem with the way government officials interpret the US Freedom of Information Act seems to be progressing well, with three recent positive bits of information emerging. First, the Senate Judiciary Committee is likely to vote on proposed FOIA amendments in September, FreedomInfo.org has learned. […]
-
18 July 2014
Bermuda Takes Steps to Implement 2010 Law
Bermuda’s Premier Michael Dunkley on July 4 tabled the Public Access to Information Regulations 2014 and the Public Access to Information Amendment Bill 2014, according to an article in The Royal Gazette. The implementation regulations and the proposed amendments comes four years since the July 2010 passage of the law. He said the Act will come […]
-
7 July 2014
Irish FOI Proposals Still`Timid’
By Richard Dowling The following commentary is from RTÉ News. Rowling is the RTÉ North East Correspondent. The decision of the Government to do a U-turn on the issue of upfront fees for FOI requests has been widely welcomed. It is a small but important step forward in making FOI more accessible to the citizens of Ireland. […]
-
7 July 2014
Freeing the US Freedom of Information Act
By Nate Jones This article first appeared in the Detroit News July 3. Jones is the FOIA Coordinator for the National Security Archive. Earlier this year, the Veterans Affairs Administration denied the Tampa Tribune’s Freedom of Information Act request for the names of VA hospitals where veterans died because of delays in medical screenings. To […]
-
2 July 2014
Irish Government Concedes; Drops Request Fee Plan
The Irish government has dropped its proposal to charge an upfront fee for requests under its freedom of information law. The reversal was announced by Minister for Public Expenditure and Reform Brendan Howlin, as reported in the Journal and the Irish Times. As part of a larger proposal amend the law, the government had sought to […]
-
27 June 2014
Study Evaluates FOI in Italy, Seven Other Countries
A comparative analysis on freedom of information laws in eight countries is designed to lay the groundwork for a campaign to improve the Italian access regime. The report was written by Alexandre Salha, the former Project Manager at Transparency International Lebanon, who is now working with the Italian group Diritto Di Sapere. The countries examined […]