JK Supports Strengthened FOIA for Bloggers
In a speech delivered to the New England Newspaper Association this afternoon, JK spoke out about a strengthened FOIA which includes support for bloggers.
WASHINGTON, DC – Senator John Kerry today announced his support for a legislative initiative designed to assist the freedom of the press. The bill would make the federal Freedom of Information Act more powerful, primarily by making it harder for the Administration to deny or delay the release of information. It does that by requiring that an agency respond to FOIA requests within 20 business days and establishes a publicly available tracking system for requests.
In addition, the legislation would help bloggers, because it would prevent agencies from denying them a waiver on fees just because they are independent or not affiliated with any institutional news organization. In the past, the need to pay fees for FOIA requests discouraged many bloggers or independent journalists from pursuing FOIA requests.
“There is no greater or more important watchdog today than our free press and we should all do everything we can to strengthen the ability of dedicated reporters to do their job,” Kerry said today. “Recent news reports on Walter Reed, the Big Dig, or even the US Attorney firings have reminded us just how important the press’s oversight is to our system of governance. In cases like those, exposure meant the difference between life and death. I am proud to sponsor this bill and look forward to voting on it when it comes before the full Senate.”
Thanks, JK!
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Awesome! Thank you Senator Kerry.
terrific! Thank you
That is so cool! Thank you, Senator!!
Thank you, Senator.
If there had been bloggers ‘back in the day’, I think Jefferson would have approved.
And I think he’d be pretty pleased with this piece of legislation.
Just in time. I need to speak to you. Your work in making things better has only just begun. Its time for us all to pitch in and do our part, and you can find me at the center of it if you look. If not, i will get back in touch and people in your life will set up a meeting. I know the language of computers. I speak in their tongue, as it were. I do not feel special because of this, i just wish to share my understanding with others and make a difference. I learned that in part from your service Mr. Kerry. I hope you mean what you are, and i will work alongside you. Its time for the outcasts and downtrodden to be brought out of the shadows and only leave the snakes behind.
Those that fear change must be see their immediate family explaining it to them, and those that seek change must learn to speak plainly. We can do this if we are willing to put our backs into it.
Thank you Senator Kerry.
Our leaders in Congress and our Citizens shall need to work hard to help restore faith in government and the Constitutional relationship and freedoms that have been so badly abused by the current Administration.
Whether it be the expansion of the “unitary Executive” through Signing Statements that ignores the doctrine of Separation of Powers, the assault on Habeas Corpus, the abuse of Freedom of the Press with phoney white House Reporters, the violation of rights of privacy through unwarranted wiretaps and FBI abuse, the blurring of the division of separation of Church and State through faith-based initiatives, the assault on the 14th Amendment through scorning of Federal Debt, the list is long.
Thank you for being a Senator working to address this and start our nation on the road to recovery.
Bob
Thank you, Senator Kerry.
If this bill becomes law, it will help not only journalists but also professional historians like me, and other scholars and writers who need accurate information about the actions of the federal government. We will have better tools for doing our jobs—for recording America’s history and keeping the people informed about issues of public concern.
Thank you Senator for signing onto this bill. The FOIA is one of the landmark pieces of legislation that keep government accountable to the people. The Bush Administration has tried a number of way to cripple or diminish FOIA and I am glad to see you and others standing up to expand FOIA and keep it relevent in the age of blogs and internet reporting.
Another bill that is pending in the Senate is also co-sponsored by Sen. Kerry and this bill seeks to get FEC reports filed electronically and in a timely manner. This is another terrific piece of legislation and goes to the heart of making government more transparent and more accessible to the voters.
Anyone who has ever tried to read a campaign FEC report noticed that these are just photocpies of hand-written reports from the campaign committees. Bills like the one above would make the filings electronic and that would make it much easier to drop this info into a spreadsheet or database and cut down on the amount of research time required to find out who is contributing to federal campaigns. It’s a real step forward in letting more sunlight into the area of campaign financing.
Thanks Senator. The co-sponsorship of these two bills shows that you are squarely on-board with efforts to ‘let the sun shine in’ on government practices and political fundraising. I hope both of these bills pass.
I wonder what would be the rationale for opposing this bill?
Great bill, Senator Kerry. Thank you.
Jane Huey
Austin, Texas