H.R. 1309 — 110th Congress
Freedom of Information Act Amendments of 2007
Sponsor
Latest action
Mar 15, 2007Received in the Senate and Read twice and referred to the Committee on Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs.
CRS summary
As of Mar 14, 2007Passed House amended
Freedom of Information Act Amendments of 2007 - Amends the Freedom of Information Act (FOIA) to revise requirements for federal agency disclosures of information requested under that Act.
(Sec. 3) Prohibits a federal agency, in setting document duplication fees, from denying news media status to a news media representative solely on the absence of institutional associations of the requester and requires consideration of the requester's prior publication history. Requires such agency, if a requester has no prior publication history or current affiliation, to consider the requester's stated intent at the time the request is made to distribute information to a reasonably broad audience.
(Sec. 4) Provides that, for purposes of awarding attorney fees and litigation costs, a FOIA complainant has substantially prevailed in a legal proceeding to compel disclosure if such complainant obtained relief through either: (1) a judicial order, administrative action, or an enforceable written agreement or consent decree; or (2) a voluntary or unilateral change in position by the opposing party in a case in which the complainant's claim or defense was not frivolous.
(Sec. 5) Directs the Attorney General to: (1) notify the Special Counsel of civil actions taken for arbitrary and capricious rejections of requests for agency records; and (2) submit annual reports to Congress on the number of such civil actions in the preceding year. Directs the Special Counsel to submit an annual report to Congress on investigations of agency rejections of FOIA requests.
(Sec. 6) Requires the 20-day period during which an agency must determine whether to comply with a FOIA request to begin on the date on which the request is first received by such agency. Prohibits the tolling of the 20-day period without the consent of the FOIA requester.
Requires an agency to refund fees for a FOIA request if the agency fails to comply with the 20-day period (applies to requests made one year after the enactment of this Act).
(Sec. 7) Requires agencies to establish: (1) a system to assign an individualized tracking number for FOIA requests and provide requesters with such tracking number within 10 days after receiving a request; and (2) a telephone line or Internet service that provides information on the status of a request. Makes this requirement effective one year after the enactment of this Act.
(Sec. 8) Requires any statutory exemption from disclosure under FOIA enacted after the date of enactment of this Act to cite directly to FOIA disclosure exemption provisions.
(Sec. 9) Revises annual agency reporting requirements on compliance with FOIA to require information on: (1) compliance of each principal component of an agency and for the agency overall; (2) FOIA denials based upon particular statutes; and (3) agency response times.
Requires agencies to make the raw statistical data used in reports electronically available to the public upon request.
(Sec. 10) Redefines "record" under FOIA to include any information maintained by a contractor for a federal agency.
(Sec. 11) Establishes in the National Archives an Office of Government Information Services under the supervision and direction of a National Information Advocate. Requires such Office to: (1) provide guidance to FOIA requesters; and (2) review agency FOIA policies and procedures and recommend policy changes to Congress.
(Sec. 12) Requires the Comptroller General to report to Congress, not later than January 1 of each of the three years after the enactment of this Act, on the implementation and use of provisions for the protection of voluntarily shared critical infrastructure information under the Homeland Security Act of 2002. Requires such reports to be submitted in unclassified form, allowing a classified annex.
(Sec. 13) Requires the Office of Personnel Management (OPM) to report to Congress on personnel policies related to FOIA.
(Sec. 14) Declares it to be the policy of the federal government to release information to the public in response to a FOIA request if the release is required by law or the release is allowed by law and the agency concerned does not reasonably foresee that disclosure would be harmful to an interest protected by an applicable exemption.
(Sec. 15) Requires agencies making partial FOIA disclosures to note the exemption or exemptions used to withhold information and to indicate the exemption used to delete information at the place in the record where the deletion is made.
Congressional Research Service, via api.congress.gov (public domain)
Roll-call votes
1 on recordMar 14, 2007 · On Motion to Suspend the Rules and Pass, as Amended
Full roll call199 of 433 recorded votes are not yet matched to a member profile.
Yea — 308: 126 D · 42 R
| Member | State |
|---|---|
| PORTER, Jon C. | NV |
| RAMSTAD, James | MN |
| DICKS, Norman DeValois | WA |
| CASTLE, Michael Newbold | DE |
| WELLER, Gerald C. | IL |
| BARTLETT, Roscoe Gardner | MD |
| BOREN, Daniel David | OK |
| CHANDLER, A. B. | KY |
| CARDOZA, Dennis A. | CA |
| MOLLOHAN, Alan Bowlby | WV |
| ALLEN, Thomas H. | ME |
| PETERSON, John | PA |
| WATT, Melvin L. | NC |
| LEWIS, Charles Jeremy | CA |
| LaTOURETTE, Steven C. | OH |
| SESTAK, Joe | PA |
| GILLMOR, Paul Eugene | OH |
| ALEXANDER, Rodney | LA |
| BERMAN, Howard Lawrence | CA |
| EHLERS, Vernon James | MI |
| STARK, Fortney Hillman (Pete), Jr. | CA |
| GORDON, Barton Jennings | TN |
| KLEIN, Ron | FL |
| JACKSON, Jesse L., Jr. | IL |
| MOORE, Dennis | KS |
| ROTHMAN, Steven | NJ |
| KILPATRICK, Carolyn Cheeks | MI |
| SHULER, Heath | NC |
| HARE, Phil | IL |
| WEXLER, Robert | FL |
| REYES, Silvestre | TX |
| BILBRAY, Brian P. | CA |
| JOHNSON, Timothy V. | IL |
| FRANK, Barney | MA |
| BROWN-WAITE, Virginia | FL |
| HOBSON, David Lee | OH |
| MAHONEY, Tim | FL |
| OBEY, David Ross | WI |
| HALL, John | NY |
| WATSON, Diane Edith | CA |
| WILSON, Charlie | OH |
| LAMPSON, Nicholas V. | TX |
| KAGEN, Steven | WI |
| TAUSCHER, Ellen O'Kane | CA |
| ELLSWORTH, Brad | IN |
| TANNER, John S. | TN |
| SHAYS, Christopher H. | CT |
| DAVIS, Thomas M., III | VA |
| KUCINICH, Dennis | OH |
| HOOLEY, Darlene | OR |
| McCOTTER, Thaddeus George | MI |
| MILLER, Brad | NC |
| FERGUSON, Michael | NJ |
| TAYLOR, Gary Eugene | MS |
| ORTIZ, Solomon P. | TX |
| SOLIS, Hilda L. | CA |
| BOUCHER, Frederick C. | VA |
| RODRIGUEZ, Ciro D. | TX |
| OBERSTAR, James Louis | MN |
| BEAN, Melissa L. | IL |
| BOYD, F. Allen, Jr. | FL |
| LANTOS, Thomas Peter | CA |
| MILLENDER-MCDONALD, Juanita | CA |
| TOWNS, Edolphus | NY |
| SALAZAR, John | CO |
| MURTHA, John Patrick, Jr. | PA |
| DELAHUNT, Bill | MA |
| McHUGH, John Michael | NY |
| HINCHEY, Maurice Dunlea | NY |
| BERKLEY, Shelley | NV |
| HARMAN, Jane L. | CA |
| WOOLSEY, Lynn C. | CA |
| HERSETH SANDLIN, Stephanie | SD |
| GILCHREST, Wayne Thomas | MD |
| MARSHALL, Jim | GA |
| YOUNG, Charles William | FL |
| DAVIS, Artur | AL |
| REHBERG, Denny | MT |
| PAUL, Ronald Ernest | TX |
| SPACE, Zack | OH |
| BACA, Joe | CA |
| MURPHY, Patrick | PA |
| BOSWELL, Leonard L. | IA |
| INSLEE, Jay Robert | WA |
| PLATTS, Todd | PA |
| SKELTON, Isaac Newton, IV | MO |
| WU, David | OR |
| ABERCROMBIE, Neil | HI |
| BOYDA, Nancy | KS |
| HULSHOF, Kenny | MO |
| REGULA, Ralph Straus | OH |
| PICKERING, Charles W. (Chip), Jr. | MS |
| DAVIS, Lincoln | TN |
| GOODE, Virgil H., Jr. | VA |
| KILDEE, Dale Edward | MI |
| COSTELLO, Jerry Francis | IL |
| ACKERMAN, Gary Leonard | NY |
| SUTTON, Betty | OH |
| CRAMER, Robert E. (Bud), Jr. | AL |
| HOLDEN, Thomas Timothy | PA |
| ROSS, Michael Avery | AR |
| CARNAHAN, Russ | MO |
| MEEK, Kendrick B. | FL |
| POMEROY, Earl Ralph, III | ND |
| ALTMIRE, Jason | PA |
| ETHERIDGE, Bobby R. | NC |
| STUPAK, Bart T. | MI |
| KENNEDY, Patrick Joseph | RI |
| EMERSON, Jo Ann | MO |
| SNYDER, Victor F. | AR |
| JEFFERSON, William Jennings | LA |
| JINDAL, Bobby | LA |
| MITCHELL, Harry E. | AZ |
| BURTON, Danny Lee | IN |
| ARCURI, Michael | NY |
| WEINER, Anthony D. | NY |
| HODES, Paul | NH |
| ENGLISH, Philip Sheridan | PA |
| JONES, Stephanie Tubbs | OH |
| FILNER, Bob | CA |
| EDWARDS, Thomas Chester | TX |
| BERRY, Robert Marion | AR |
| ANDREWS, Robert Ernest | NJ |
| WALSH, James T. | NY |
| GIFFORDS, Gabrielle | AZ |
| EMANUEL, Rahm | IL |
| HERGER, Walter William | CA |
| McNULTY, Michael Robert | NY |
| GALLEGLY, Elton W. | CA |
| MELANCON, Charles J. | LA |
| HILL, Baron P. | IN |
| PAYNE, Donald Milford | NJ |
| WYNN, Albert Russell | MD |
| OLVER, John Walter | MA |
| GONZALEZ, Charles A. | TX |
| BONNER, Jr., Josiah Robins | AL |
| CARSON, Julia May | IN |
| BAIRD, Brian | WA |
| TIAHRT, Todd | KS |
| CARNEY, Chris | PA |
| Ed Pastor | AZ |
| Raúl M. Grijalva | AZ |
| Adam B. Schiff | CA |
| Anna G. Eshoo | CA |
| Barbara Lee | CA |
| Brad Sherman | CA |
| Doris O. Matsui | CA |
| Grace F. Napolitano | CA |
| Henry A. Waxman | CA |
| Jerry McNerney | CA |
| Jim Costa | CA |
| Linda T. Sánchez | CA |
| Lois Capps | CA |
| Loretta Sanchez | CA |
| Lucille Roybal-Allard | CA |
| Maxine Waters | CA |
| Michael M. Honda | CA |
| Mike Thompson | CA |
| Sam Farr | CA |
| Susan A. Davis | CA |
| Xavier Becerra | CA |
| Zoe Lofgren | CA |
| Diana DeGette | CO |
| Ed Perlmutter | CO |
| Mark Udall | CO |
| Christopher Murphy | CT |
| Joe Courtney | CT |
| John B. Larson | CT |
| Rosa L. DeLauro | CT |
| Alcee L. Hastings | FL |
| Corrine Brown | FL |
| Debbie Wasserman Schultz | FL |
| Kathy Castor | FL |
| David Scott | GA |
| Henry C. "Hank" Johnson, Jr. | GA |
| John Barrow | GA |
| John Lewis | GA |
| Sanford D. Bishop, Jr. | GA |
| Mazie K. Hirono | HI |
| Bruce L. Braley | IA |
| David Loebsack | IA |
| Bobby L. Rush | IL |
| Daniel Lipinski | IL |
| Danny K. Davis | IL |
| Janice D. Schakowsky | IL |
| Luis V. Gutiérrez | IL |
| Joe Donnelly | IN |
| Peter J. Visclosky | IN |
| John A. Yarmuth | KY |
| Edward J. Markey | MA |
| James P. McGovern | MA |
| John F. Tierney | MA |
| Michael E. Capuano | MA |
| Richard E. Neal | MA |
| Stephen F. Lynch | MA |
| C. A. Dutch Ruppersberger | MD |
| Chris Van Hollen | MD |
| Elijah E. Cummings | MD |
| John P. Sarbanes | MD |
| Steny H. Hoyer | MD |
| Michael H. Michaud | ME |
| John Conyers, Jr. | MI |
| John D. Dingell | MI |
| Sander M. Levin | MI |
| Betty McCollum | MN |
| Collin C. Peterson | MN |
| Keith Ellison | MN |
| Timothy J. Walz | MN |
| Emanuel Cleaver | MO |
| Wm. Lacy Clay | MO |
| Bennie G. Thompson | MS |
| David E. Price | NC |
| G. K. Butterfield | NC |
| Mike McIntyre | NC |
| Carol Shea-Porter | NH |
| Albio Sires | NJ |
| Bill Pascrell, Jr. | NJ |
| Frank Pallone, Jr. | NJ |
| Rush Holt | NJ |
| Tom Udall | NM |
| Brian Higgins | NY |
| Carolyn B. Maloney | NY |
| Carolyn McCarthy | NY |
| Charles B. Rangel | NY |
| Eliot L. Engel | NY |
| Gregory W. Meeks | NY |
| Jerrold Nadler | NY |
| José E. Serrano | NY |
| Joseph Crowley | NY |
| Kirsten E. Gillibrand | NY |
| Louise McIntosh Slaughter | NY |
| Nita M. Lowey | NY |
| Nydia M. Velázquez | NY |
| Steve Israel | NY |
| Timothy H. Bishop | NY |
| Yvette D. Clarke | NY |
| Marcy Kaptur | OH |
| Tim Ryan | OH |
| Earl Blumenauer | OR |
| Peter A. DeFazio | OR |
| Allyson Y. Schwartz | PA |
| Chaka Fattah | PA |
| Michael F. Doyle | PA |
| Robert A. Brady | PA |
| James R. Langevin | RI |
| James E. Clyburn | SC |
| Jim Cooper | TN |
| Steve Cohen | TN |
| Al Green | TX |
| Eddie Bernice Johnson | TX |
| Gene Green | TX |
| Henry Cuellar | TX |
| Lloyd Doggett | TX |
| Rubén Hinojosa | TX |
| Sheila Jackson Lee | TX |
| Jim Matheson | UT |
| James P. Moran | VA |
| Robert C. "Bobby" Scott | VA |
| Peter Welch | VT |
| Adam Smith | WA |
| Jim McDermott | WA |
| Rick Larsen | WA |
| Gwen Moore | WI |
| Ron Kind | WI |
| Tammy Baldwin | WI |
| Nick J. Rahall II | WV |
| John Boozman | AR |
| Dana Rohrabacher | CA |
| Howard P. "Buck" McKeon | CA |
| Ken Calvert | CA |
| Ander Crenshaw | FL |
| Ileana Ros-Lehtinen | FL |
| Tom Latham | IA |
| Michael K. Simpson | ID |
| Mark Kirk | IL |
| Peter J. Roskam | IL |
| Jerry Moran | KS |
| Charles W. Boustany Jr. | LA |
| Candice S. Miller | MI |
| Dave Camp | MI |
| Mike Rogers | MI |
| Roy Blunt | MO |
| Sam Graves | MO |
| Walter B. Jones | NC |
| Adrian Smith | NE |
| Jeff Fortenberry | NE |
| Christopher H. Smith | NJ |
| Frank A. LoBiondo | NJ |
| Rodney P. Frelinghuysen | NJ |
| Michael R. Turner | OH |
| Patrick J. Tiberi | OH |
| Steve Chabot | OH |
| Greg Walden | OR |
| Charles W. Dent | PA |
| Jim Gerlach | PA |
| Tim Murphy | PA |
| John J. Duncan, Jr. | TN |
| John Abney Culberson | TX |
| Kevin Brady | TX |
| Louie Gohmert | TX |
| Michael C. Burgess | TX |
| Michael T. McCaul | TX |
| Ted Poe | TX |
| Rob Bishop | UT |
| Frank R. Wolf | VA |
| Cathy McMorris Rodgers | WA |
| David G. Reichert | WA |
| Shelley Moore Capito | WV |
Nay — 117: 64 R
| Member | State |
|---|---|
| DAVIS, David | TN |
| SHADEGG, John B. | AZ |
| DRAKE, Thelma D. | VA |
| PUTNAM, Adam | FL |
| FOSSELLA, Vito John | NY |
| MCCRERY, James O., III | LA |
| LAHOOD, Ray H. | IL |
| FALLIN, Mary | OK |
| AKIN, W. Todd | MO |
| LINDER, John Elmer | GA |
| RENZI, Rick | AZ |
| BUYER, Stephen Earle | IN |
| DOOLITTLE, John Taylor | CA |
| KUHL, John R. (Randy), Jr. | NY |
| SALI, William | ID |
| TANCREDO, Thomas G. | CO |
| SOUDER, Mark Edward | IN |
| KELLER, Richard | FL |
| MANZULLO, Donald A. | IL |
| REYNOLDS, Thomas M. | NY |
| INGLIS, Robert Durden | SC |
| BIGGERT, Judy Borg | IL |
| RADANOVICH, George P. | CA |
| MUSGRAVE, Marilyn N | CO |
| SULLIVAN, John | OK |
| WILSON, Heather | NM |
| KNOLLENBERG, Joseph | MI |
| SCHMIDT, Jean | OH |
| DREIER, David Timothy | CA |
| CANTOR, Eric | VA |
| BARRETT, James Gresham | SC |
| STEARNS, Clifford Bundy | FL |
| CANNON, Christopher B. | UT |
| CUBIN, Barbara L. | WY |
| MACK, Connie, IV | FL |
| EVERETT, Robert Terry | AL |
| LEWIS, Ron | KY |
| WAMP, Zachary Paul | TN |
| HOEKSTRA, Peter | MI |
| FEENEY, Tom | FL |
| MYRICK, Sue | NC |
| LUNGREN, Daniel Edward | CA |
| DEAL, John Nathan | GA |
| HASTERT, John Dennis | IL |
| DIAZ-BALART, Lincoln | FL |
| BONO, Mary | CA |
| WELDON, David Joseph | FL |
| DAVIS, Geoffrey C. | KY |
| HUNTER, Duncan Lee | CA |
| BAKER, Richard Hugh | LA |
| PENCE, Mike | IN |
| PRYCE, Deborah D. | OH |
| HAYES, Robert Cannon | NC |
| Don Young | AK |
| Mike Rogers | AL |
| Robert B. Aderholt | AL |
| Spencer Bachus | AL |
| Jeff Flake | AZ |
| Trent Franks | AZ |
| Darrell Issa | CA |
| Devin Nunes | CA |
| Edward R. Royce | CA |
| Gary G. Miller | CA |
| John Campbell | CA |
| Kevin McCarthy | CA |
| Doug Lamborn | CO |
| Gus M. Bilirakis | FL |
| Jeff Miller | FL |
| John L. Mica | FL |
| Mario Diaz-Balart | FL |
| Vern Buchanan | FL |
| Jack Kingston | GA |
| Lynn A. Westmoreland | GA |
| Phil Gingrey | GA |
| Tom Price | GA |
| Steve King | IA |
| John Shimkus | IL |
| Ed Whitfield | KY |
| Harold Rogers | KY |
| Fred Upton | MI |
| Tim Walberg | MI |
| John Kline | MN |
| Michele Bachmann | MN |
| Roger F. Wicker | MS |
| Howard Coble | NC |
| Patrick T. McHenry | NC |
| Virginia Foxx | NC |
| Lee Terry | NE |
| Scott Garrett | NJ |
| Stevan Pearce | NM |
| Dean Heller | NV |
| Peter T. King | NY |
| Jim Jordan | OH |
| John A. Boehner | OH |
| Frank D. Lucas | OK |
| Tom Cole | OK |
| Bill Shuster | PA |
| Joseph R. Pitts | PA |
| Joe Wilson | SC |
| Marsha Blackburn | TN |
| Jeb Hensarling | TX |
| Joe Barton | TX |
| John R. Carter | TX |
| K. Michael Conaway | TX |
| Kenny Marchant | TX |
| Lamar Smith | TX |
| Mac Thornberry | TX |
| Pete Sessions | TX |
| Ralph M. Hall | TX |
| Randy Neugebauer | TX |
| Sam Johnson | TX |
| Bob Goodlatte | VA |
| J. Randy Forbes | VA |
| Doc Hastings | WA |
| F. James Sensenbrenner, Jr. | WI |
| Paul D. Ryan | WI |
| Thomas E. Petri | WI |
Not Voting — 8: 1 D · 1 R
| Member | State |
|---|---|
| BROWN, Henry Edward, Jr. | SC |
| MEEHAN, Martin Thomas | MA |
| SPRATT, John McKee, Jr. | SC |
| KANJORSKI, Paul E. | PA |
| DAVIS, Jo Ann | VA |
| SAXTON, Hugh James | NJ |
| George Miller | CA |
| Kay Granger | TX |
Member pages currently show roll-call votes from the 119th Congress only. The “Member pages” column marks votes from that congress.