Jay Rockefeller – National Freedom of Information Coalition

FOIA bill clears Senate after Rockefeller hold

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Legislation that press freedom groups say would provide important reforms to the federal government’s open records law passed the U.S. Senate Monday, after being briefly blocked by Sen. Jay Rockefeller, D-W.Va.

“Passage of the FOIA Improvement Act will help open the government to the more than 300 million Americans it serves,” said Sen. Patrick Leahy, D-Vermont and a sponsor of the bill.

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Standoff could scuttle FOIA bill

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Several federal regulatory agencies expressing concerns about intrusions into their internal decision-making processes have thrown a major roadblock in the path of a bill aimed at easing disclosure of records under the Freedom of Information Act.

Acting on the agencies' criticisms, Senate Commerce Committee Chairman Jay Rockefeller (D-W.Va.) placed a hold on the measure last week just as it appeared on course to swift passage in the Senate.

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