SECRECY NEWS
from the FAS Project on Government Secrecy
Volume 2015, Issue No. 17
March 5, 2015

Secrecy News Blog: http://fas.org/blogs/secrecy/

FOIA REFORM LEGISLATION, AND MORE FROM CRS

Two companion bills pending in the House and Senate would amend the Freedom of Information Act "for the purpose of increasing public access," a new analysis of the legislation from the Congressional Research Service explains.

Among other things, "both the House and Senate legislation would establish a statutory 'presumption of openness,' whereby information may only be withheld if it harms an interest protected by a statutory exemption or if disclosure is prohibited by law."

While both bills "address a number similar topics, often in similar ways, there are substantive differences between them." The similarities and the differences in the pending bills are summarized in the new CRS report. See Freedom of Information Act Legislation in the 114th Congress: Issue Summary and Side-by-Side Analysis, February 26, 2015:

Other new or updated CRS publications that Congress has withheld from online public disclosure include the following.

Email Privacy: District Court Rules that ECPA Warrants Apply to Electronic Communications Stored Overseas, CRS Legal Sidebar, March 4, 2015:

U.S. Periods of War and Dates of Current Conflicts, February 27, 2015:

Military Service Records and Unit Histories: A Guide to Locating Sources, February 27, 2015:

The Nunn-McCurdy Act: Background, Analysis, and Issues for Congress, March 3, 2015:

Growth in Health Spending Remained Relatively Low in 2013, CRS Insights, February 27, 2015:

Legislative Actions to Repeal, Defund, or Delay the Affordable Care Act, March 2, 2015:

Implementing the Affordable Care Act: Delays, Extensions, and Other Actions Taken by the Administration, March 3, 2015:

Foreign Heads of State Addressing Congress, CRS Insights, February 27, 2015:

Israel: Background and U.S. Relations, February 27, 2015:

Egypt: Background and U.S. Relations, March 3, 2015:

Cuba: Issues for the 114th Congress, February 27, 2015:

Locate an Agency or Program Within Appropriations Bills, February 27, 2015:

The EMV Chip Card Transition: Background, Status, and Issues for Congress, February 26, 2015:

Teenage Pregnancy Prevention: Statistics and Programs, February 26, 2015:

Genetic Testing: Background and Policy Issues, March 2, 2015:

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Secrecy News is written by Steven Aftergood and published by the Federation of American Scientists.

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