Freedom of information act 1966 congressional timeline. Freedom of information act united states of 1966 freedom of information act 2000, the uk act. The freedom of information act foia is a federal law. In 1966 congress adopted the freedom of information act foia, acting on the principle that government should be transparent to the governed. Freedom of information act of 1966 the first amendment. The foia is based on the presumption that the government and its information belong to the people. Foia was enacted in 1966, after 11 years of legislative development in. Lbjs daily diary, which is the first indication the dog that didnt bark that something was amiss. All newly enacted provisions in boldface type replace the strikethrough text.
Chairman, members of this committee, i am pleased to be here during sunshine week to talk about the freedom of information act, our bedrock law for ensuring government openness and accountability. Freedom of information and sunshine laws encyclopedia articles 1 encyclopedia of civil liberties 641, 641. This law literally repealed the original freedom of information act before that act became effective and enacted a new one. One hundred fourteenth congress of the united states of america at the first session begun and held at the city of washington on tuesday, the sixth day of january, two thousand and fifteen an act to reform the authorities of the federal government to require the production. Freedom of information actus freedom of information act. Below is the full text of the freedom of information act in a form showing all amendments to the statute made by the openness promotes effectiveness in our. The 1966 freedom of information act foia was drafted in response to demands from leaders in the press and key individuals within congress for greater access to government information in order to.
Enacted in 1966, the freedom of information act, or foia, gives any person the right to access federal agency records or information. However, providing this information may assist uscis in locating the records and information needed to respond to your request. If we are a government that is of the people, by the people and for the people, the people have the right to ask who, what, where, when, how and why and to get an answer foia ensures that. The first amendment protects freedom of speech and press, but how can the citizenry hold a government or its members accountable for its actions if those actions take place behind closed doors.
Its purpose is to provide transparency and allow citizens to know what is going on in their government. The worlds first freedom of information act anders chydenius. The freedom of information act was enacted in 1966 to provide any person with access to federal agency records and information. And this time, rather than it amending the administrative procedure act, it replaced 5 usc 522.
Freedom of information act may refer to the following legislations in different jurisdictions which mandate the national government to disclose certain data to the general public upon request. This is sometimes described as a presumption or assumption in favour of disclosure. Below is the full text of the freedom of information act in a form showing all amendments to the statute made by the foia improvement act of 2016. The original text of the freedom of information act. Neither the constitution nor any comprehensive law required disclosure of government records until the administrative procedure act of 1946 apa. Johnson on july 4, 1966, that granted american citizens the right to see the contents of files maintained about them by federal executive branch agencies, including the federal bureau of investigation, the. The freedom of information act of 1966, or foia, is a federal law that requires any federal organization to disclose records, documents, or other materials to the general public upon request. The main principle behind freedom of information legislation is that people have a right to know about the activities of public authorities, unless there is a good reason for them not to. The freedom of information act foia provides public access to all federal agency records except for those records or portions of those records that are protected from disclosure by any of nine exemptions or three exclusions reasons for which an agency may withhold records from a requester. In keeping with the wondrous and mysterious ways of washington, dc, the foia was repealed the next day. Below is the full text of the freedom of information act in a form showing. Freedom of information act and amendments of 1974 p. Freedom of information act 1982, the australian act. One hundred fourteenth congress of the united states of.
On december 4, 2012, the office of information policy at the department of justice notified agencies and the public that beginning january 20 all agencies will be required to provide quarterly reporting of four key foia statistics to the department of justice that will be posted on foia. In the last 30 years, citizens, scholars, and reporters have used foia to obtain vital and. Download freedom of information act ebook free in pdf and epub format. The basic function of the freedom of information act is to ensure informed citizens, vital to the functioning of a democratic society. On july 4, 1966, the freedom of information act foia was enacted, with an effective date one year later, july 4, 1967. It applies only to federal agencies, not to records held by congress, the courts, or by state or local government agencies each state has its own public access laws that should be consulted for access to state and local records. Freedom of info around the world national democratic institute. Irs freedom of information internal revenue service. Encyclopedia articles on the freedom of information act 1966 and on freedom of information and sunshine laws.
The freedom of information act foia is a law that gives you the right to access information from the federal government. What are the principles behind the freedom of information act. The freedom of information act a users guide by the freedom of information clearinghouse a project of ralph nader revised 1105 the freedom of information act foia was enacted by congress in 1966 to give the public. A 1996 amendment to the foia, required federal agencies to make many types of records available online. What is the freedom of information act foia the freedom of information act foia is a federal law that gives any person, including u. Not to worry, a virtually identical foia was enacted on july 5, 1967, and was effective from july 4, 1967. It allows for the full or partial disclosure of previously unreleased information and documents controlled by the united states government. It is often described as the law that keeps citizens in. The government manual contains a list of federal agencies and a brief. The freedom of information act, enacted in 1966, was the first law that gave americans the right to access the records of federal agencies.
This was an act to amend section 552 of title 5, united states code, to codify the provisions of public law 89187. The 1966 freedom of information act requires most federal agencies to open their files to requests for information by citizens. The foia and president lyndon johnson on july 4, 1966, president lyndon johnson reluctantlysee his statement below identifying the tension between protection and dissemination of informationsigned into law the freedom of information act. The act defines agency records subject to disclosure, outlines mandatory disclosure procedures, and defines nine exemptions to the statute. Freedom of information act central bank of nigeria. Enacted in 1966, the freedom of information act foia was the first law to establish an effective legal right of access to government information, underscoring the crucial need in a democracy for open access to government information by citizens. Family name last name given name first name middle name. The freedom of information act foia generally provides that any person has the right to request access to federal agency records or information except to the extent the records are protected from disclosure by any of nine exemptions contained in the law or by one of three special law enforcement. Freedom of information act foia, federal act signed into law by u. The foia was enacted in 1966 and was the first law.
Background, legislation, and policy issues congressional research service r41933 version 12 updated 2 information services and the national archives and records administration. It is often described as the law that keeps citizens in the know about their government. Download sample freedom of information act appeal letter. Act of july 4, 1966, public law 89487, 80 stat 250, which amended section 3 of the administrative procedure act, chapter 324, of the act of june 11, 1946, to clarify and protect the right of the public to information, 741966. Committee on the judiciary, clarifying and protecting the right of the public to information, and for other purposes, 89 th cong. Freedom of information act 2000 overview summary the freedom of information act 2000 for example by asking for a hard copy of the information or a summary, the freedom of information act exempts some types of for example, publications documents created prior to 5 july 1978 other than. Read freedom of information act online, read in mobile or kindle. Freedom of information act 1966 the first congress charged executive departments of the federal government with housekeeping, or maintenance, of their own records. The freedom of information act department of justice. This installment of law and the publics health provides an overview of the federal freedom of information act foia. A citizens guide on using the freedom of information act. The freedom of information act foia was enacted by congress in 1966 to give the. Washington, dc, 4 july 2006 forty years ago on july 4, 1966, lyndon johnson signed the landmark freedom of information act while vacationing at his texas ranch.
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