House Oversight Committee is looking for FOIA fails

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Have a FOIA fail story of your own? Let the House Oversight Committee know about it. (Image credit: House Committee on Oversight and Government Reform)

Last week, the Sunlight Foundation, along with a number of other public interest groups, received a letter from House Committee on Oversight and Government Reform Chairman Jason Chaffetz, R-Utah, asking for details about the federal government’s track record of compliance with our FOIA requests.

The committee is preparing for an upcoming hearing by collecting and analyzing specific complaints about the FOIA process, with a focus on pain points like excessive redactions, delays, denials of fee waivers and more.

Congress has been working on FOIA reform legislation over the past two years, and the Committee on Oversight and Government Reform has already approved a bill in the 114th Congress. Sunlight has been supportive of the process as it moves through the House and Senate.

They aren’t just reaching out to public interest groups, though. They have a form up on their website where any interested parties can submit stories.

If you’re interested, you should act fast! The committee’s letter requested responses by May 19, and its upcoming hearing is scheduled for June 3.