The US got its new improved version of FOI legislation

Taken from Freedom of Information Organization

Washington, DC, January 18, 2008 - Two weeks after President Bush signed landmark legislation to reform the Freedom of Information Act (FOIA) the first public discussion between officials and openness advocates was held this week, according to a new Web posting on freedominfo.org. The meeting focused on key provisions of the new law, including the creation of the Office of Government Information Services (OGIS) to function as a FOIA ombudsman, the availability of attorneys fees for FOIA requesters, penalties for agency delay, and changes to the definition of "news media." The law, which passed both houses of Congress in December with bipartisan support after several years of negotiation, aims to fix some of the most persistent problems in the FOIA system, including excessive delay, lack of responsiveness, and litigation gamesmanship by federal agencies.