President Barack Obama signed a law giving the public greater access to government documents and records under the nearly half-century-old Freedom of Information Act.
The new law will require federal agencies to consider releasing records under a "presumption of openness" standard, instead of presuming that the information is secret. The law also cuts the numbers of exemptions agencies may use to block the release of request information.
A website will be created to simplify and centralize information requests to any agency.
The law also places a 25-year sunset on the government's ability to withhold documents that shed light on how the government makes decisions.
It also requires agencies to proactively disclose documents that are likely to be of interest to the public to make more government documents available outside the POIA request process.
Obama said it would make permanent some of the changes the administration already has made to make government more open and responsive. He said this before he signed Senate Bill. 337 during a brief Oval Office ceremony.
The legislation was sponsored by Sen. John Cornyn, R-Texas, and Sen. Patrick Leahy, D-Vt.
The Freedom of Information Act became law on July 4, 1966.
Source: The Washington Post
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