I 
114TH CONGRESS 
1ST SESSION 
H. R. 653 
To amend section 552 of title 5, United States Code (commonly known 
as the Freedom of Information Act), to provide for greater public access 
to information, and for other purposes. 
IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES 
FEBRUARY 2, 2015 
Mr. ISSA (for himself, Mr. CUMMINGS, and Mr. QUIGLEY) introduced the fol-
lowing bill; which was referred to the Committee on Oversight and Gov-
ernment Reform 
A BILL 
To amend section 552 of title 5, United States Code (com-
monly known as the Freedom of Information Act), to 
provide for greater public access to information, and 
for other purposes. 
Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representa-
tives of the United States of America in Congress assembled, 
SECTION 1. SHORT TITLE. 
This Act may be cited as the ‘‘FOIA Oversight and 
Implementation Act of 2015’’ or the ‘‘FOIA Act’’. 
SEC. 2. FREEDOM OF INFORMATION ACT AMENDMENTS. 
(a) ELECTRONIC ACCESSIBILITY.—Section 552 of 
title 5, United States Code, is amended— 
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(1) in subsection (a)— 
(A) in paragraph (2)— 
(i) by striking ‘‘for public inspection 
and copying’’ and inserting ‘‘in an elec-
tronic, publicly accessible format’’ each 
place it appears; 
(ii) by striking ‘‘; and’’ and inserting 
a semicolon; 
(iii) by striking subparagraph (E) and 
inserting the following new subparagraphs: 
‘‘(E) copies of all releasable records, regardless 
of form or format, that have been requested three or 
more times under paragraph (3); and 
‘‘(F) a general index of the records referred to 
under subparagraphs (D) and (E);’’; and 
(iv) in the matter following subpara-
graph (F) (as added by clause (ii) of this 
subparagraph)— 
(I) by striking ‘‘subparagraph 
(D)’’ and inserting ‘‘subparagraphs 
(D) and (E)’’; and 
(II) by striking ‘‘subparagraph 
(E)’’ and inserting ‘‘subparagraph 
(F)’’; and 
(B) in paragraph (7)— 
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(i) in subparagraph (A), by striking 
‘‘that will take longer than ten days to 
process’’; and 
(ii) in subparagraph (B), by inserting 
‘‘automated’’ after ‘‘provides’’; 
(2) in subsection (g), by striking ‘‘make publicly 
available upon request’’ and inserting ‘‘make avail-
able in an electronic, publicly accessible format’’; 
and 
(3) by adding at the end the following new sub-
section: 
‘‘(m) CONSOLIDATED ONLINE REQUEST PORTAL.— 
‘‘(1) REQUEST PORTAL REQUIRED.—The Direc-
tor of the Office of Management and Budget, in con-
sultation with the Attorney General, shall ensure the 
operation of a consolidated online request portal that 
allows a member of the public to submit a request 
for records under subsection (a) to any agency from 
a single website. The portal may include any addi-
tional tools the Director of the Office of Manage-
ment and Budget finds will improve the implementa-
tion of this section. 
‘‘(2) RULE
OF
CONSTRUCTION.—This sub-
section shall not be construed to alter the power of 
any other agency to create or maintain an inde-
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pendent online portal for the submission of a request 
for records under this section. The Director of the 
Office of Management and Budget shall establish 
standards for interoperability between the portal re-
quired under paragraph (1) and other request proc-
essing software used by agencies subject to this sec-
tion.’’. 
(b) PRESUMPTION OF OPENNESS.—Section 552(b) of 
title 5, United States Code, is amended— 
(1) in paragraph (5), by inserting after ‘‘with 
the agency’’ the following: ‘‘, excluding— 
‘‘(A) records that embody the working law, 
effective policy, or the final decision of the 
agency; or 
‘‘(B) records or information created 25 
years or more before the date on which a re-
quest is made under subsection (a)(3);’’; and 
(2) in the matter following paragraph (9), by 
inserting before ‘‘Any reasonably segregable portion’’ 
the following: ‘‘An agency may not withhold infor-
mation under this subsection unless such agency 
reasonably foresees that disclosure would cause spe-
cific identifiable harm to an interest protected by an 
exemption, or if disclosure is prohibited by law.’’. 
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(c) THE OFFICE
OF GOVERNMENT INFORMATION 
SERVICES.—Section 552 of title 5, United States Code, 
is amended— 
(1) in subsection (a)(4)(A)(i), by striking ‘‘the 
Director of the Office of Management and Budget’’ 
and inserting ‘‘the Director of the Office of Manage-
ment and Budget, in consultation with the Director 
of the Office of Government Information Services,’’; 
and 
(2) by amending subsection (h) to read as fol-
lows: 
‘‘(h) THE OFFICE OF GOVERNMENT INFORMATION 
SERVICES.— 
‘‘(1) ESTABLISHMENT.—There is established 
the Office of Government Information Services with-
in the National Archives and Records Administra-
tion. The head of the Office is the Director of the 
Office of Government Information Services. 
‘‘(2) REVIEW
OF
FOIA
POLICY, PROCEDURE, 
AND COMPLIANCE.—The Office of Government In-
formation Services shall— 
‘‘(A) review policies and procedures of 
agencies under this section; 
‘‘(B) review compliance with this section 
by agencies; 
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‘‘(C) identify methods that improve compli-
ance under this section that may include— 
‘‘(i) the timely processing of requests 
submitted to agencies under this section; 
‘‘(ii) the system for assessing fees and 
fee waivers under this section; and 
‘‘(iii) the use of any exemption under 
subsection (b); and 
‘‘(D) review and provide guidance to agen-
cies on the use of fees and fee waivers. 
‘‘(3) MEDIATION
SERVICES.—The Office of 
Government Information Services shall offer medi-
ation services to resolve disputes between persons 
making requests under this section and agencies as 
a non-exclusive alternative to litigation and, at the 
discretion of the Office, may issue advisory opinions 
if mediation has not resolved the dispute. 
‘‘(4) SUBMISSION OF REPORT.— 
‘‘(A) IN GENERAL.—The Office of Govern-
ment Information Services shall not less than 
annually submit to the committees described in 
subparagraph (C) and the President a report on 
the findings from the information reviewed and 
identified under paragraph (2), a summary of 
the Office’s activities under paragraph (3) (in-
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cluding any advisory opinions issued), and legis-
lative and regulatory recommendations to im-
prove the administration of this section. 
‘‘(B) ELECTRONIC
AVAILABILITY
OF
RE-
PORTS.—The Office shall make available any 
report submitted under paragraph (A) in a pub-
licly accessible format. 
‘‘(C) CONGRESSIONAL SUBMISSION OF RE-
PORT.—The committees described in this sub-
paragraph are the following: 
‘‘(i) The Committee on Oversight and 
Government Reform of the House of Rep-
resentatives. 
‘‘(ii) The Committees on Homeland 
Security and Governmental Affairs and the 
Judiciary of the Senate. 
‘‘(D) DIRECT
SUBMISSION
OF
REPORTS 
AND TESTIMONY.—Any report submitted under 
paragraph (A), any testimony, or any other 
communication to Congress shall be submitted 
directly to the committees and the President, 
without any requirement that any officer or em-
ployee outside of the Office of Government In-
formation Services, including the Archivist of 
the United States and the Director of the Of-
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fice of Management and Budget, review such 
report, testimony, or other communication. 
‘‘(5) SUBMISSION
OF
ADDITIONAL
INFORMA-
TION.—The Director of the Office of Government 
Information Services may submit additional informa-
tion to Congress and the President that the Director 
determines to be appropriate. 
‘‘(6) ANNUAL MEETING REQUIRED.—Not less 
than once a year, the Office of Government Informa-
tion Services shall hold a meeting that is open to the 
public on the review and reports by the Office and 
permit interested persons to appear and present oral 
or written statements at such meeting.’’. 
(d) PUBLIC RESOURCES.—Section 552(a)(6)(A) of 
title 5, United States Code, is amended— 
(1) in clause (i), by striking ‘‘of such deter-
mination and the reasons therefor, and of the right 
of such person to appeal to the head of the agency 
any adverse determination; and’’ and inserting the 
following: ‘‘of— 
‘‘(I) such determination and the reasons 
therefor; 
‘‘(II) the right of such person to seek as-
sistance from the agency FOIA Public Liaison; 
and 
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‘‘(III) the right of such person to appeal to 
the head of the agency any adverse determina-
tion, within a period determined by the agency 
that is not less than 90 days after the receipt 
of such adverse determination; and’’; and 
(2) in clause (ii), by striking the period and in-
serting the following: ‘‘and the right of such person 
to seek dispute resolution services from the agency 
FOIA Public Liaison or the Office of Government 
Information Services.’’ 
(e) ADDITIONAL DISCLOSURE OF INFORMATION RE-
QUIREMENTS.—Section 552(a) of title 5, United States 
Code, is amended by adding at the end the following new 
paragraphs: 
‘‘(8) DISCLOSURE
OF
INFORMATION
FOR
IN-
CREASED PUBLIC UNDERSTANDING OF THE GOVERN-
MENT.—Each agency shall— 
‘‘(A) review the records of such agency to 
determine whether the release of the records 
would be in the public interest because it is 
likely to contribute significantly to public un-
derstanding of the operations or activities of the 
Government; 
‘‘(B) for records determined to be in the 
public interest under subparagraph (A), reason-
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ably segregate and redact any information ex-
empted from disclosure under subsection (b); 
and 
‘‘(C) make available in an electronic, pub-
licly accessible format, any records identified in 
subparagraph (A), as modified pursuant to sub-
paragraph (B). 
‘‘(9) INCREASED
DISCLOSURE
OF
INFORMA-
TION.—Each agency shall— 
‘‘(A) make information public to the great-
est extent possible through modern technology 
to— 
‘‘(i) inform the public of the oper-
ations and activities of the Government; 
and 
‘‘(ii) ensure timely disclosure of infor-
mation; and 
‘‘(B) establish procedures for identifying 
categories of records that may be disclosed reg-
ularly and additional records of interest to the 
public that are appropriate for public disclo-
sure, and for posting such records in an elec-
tronic, publicly accessible format.’’. 
(f) REPORT ON CATEGORIES OF INFORMATION FOR 
DISCLOSURE.—Not later than one year after the date of 
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the enactment of this Act, and every two years thereafter, 
the Director of the Office of Information Policy of the De-
partment of Justice, after consultation with agencies se-
lected by the Director, shall submit to the Committee on 
Oversight and Government Reform of the House of Rep-
resentatives and the Committees on Homeland Security 
and Governmental Affairs and the Judiciary of the Senate 
a report that identifies categories of records that would 
be appropriate for proactive disclosure, and shall make 
such report available in an electronic, publicly accessible 
format. 
(g) AGENCY FOIA REPORT.—Section 552(e) of title 
5, United States Code, is amended— 
(1) in paragraph (1)— 
(A) by inserting ‘‘and to the Director of 
the Office of Government Information Services’’ 
after ‘‘the Attorney General of the United 
States’’; 
(B) in subparagraph (N), by striking ‘‘; 
and’’ and inserting a semicolon; 
(C) in subparagraph (O), by striking the 
period and inserting a semicolon; and 
(D) by adding at the end the following new 
subparagraphs: 
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