ACLU Cheers Leahy FOIA Bill
Civil libertarians cheered the introduction of a bill by Senate Judiciary Committee Chairman Patrick Leahy on Tuesday aimed at improving transparency and accountability in the federal government. Technology Daily's PM edition has the full story on the measure.
The legislation, which coincides with Washington's annual Sunshine Week, builds on legislative efforts that the Vermont Democrat and Texas Republican John Cornyn began two years ago. The bill would update the four-decade-old Freedom of Information Act for the first time since the 1990s.
Caroline Fredrickson, the American Civil Liberties Union's top lobbyist, criticized the Bush administration as being "the most secretive administration" since Nixon's. "A vibrant democracy depends upon concerned and active people who use tools like FOIA," she said. "We need FOIA to shine light into the darkened corners of government agencies."
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