The Freedom of Information Act is widely viewed as a successful piece of legislation that helps increase government transparency. But if Missouri State Rep. Jay Houghton (R) has his way, residents of his state will soon have significantly less access to the financial and health records of Missouri’s meat and agriculture businesses.
Houghton is the author of Missouri House Bill 2094. Under Houghton’s bill, Freedom of Information Act (FOIA) requests seeking information about animal and environmental health records from food providers in the state would legally be denied.
Specifically, HB 2094 would block access to data collected under the Animal Traceability Program (ATP). The ATP was enacted for the specific purpose of tracking down the spread and origins of diseases in livestock and agriculture crops. Continue>>>
======