SECTION 1. SHORT TITLE. 
This Act may be cited as the ‘‘FOIA Oversight and 
Implementation Act of 2014’’ or the ‘‘FOIA Act’’. 
SEC. 2. FREEDOM OF INFORMATION ACT AMENDMENTS. 
(a) ELECTRONIC ACCESSIBILITY.—Section 552 of 
title 5, United States Code, is amended— 
(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)— 
(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) FOIA WEB SITE REQUIRED.—Not later than 
one year after the date of enactment of this subsection, 
the Office of Management and Budget shall ensure the 
existence and operation of a single website, accessible by 
the public at no cost to access, that allows the public to— 
‘‘(1) submit requests for records under sub-
section (a)(3);
‘‘(2) receive automated information about the 
status of a request under subsection (a)(7); and 
‘‘(3) file appeals.’’. 
(b) PRESUMPTION OF OPENNESS.—Section 552(b) of 
title 5, United States Code, is amended in the matter fol-
lowing paragraph (9), by inserting before ‘‘Any reasonably 
segregable portion’’ the following: ‘‘An agency may not 
withhold information under this subsection unless such 
agency reasonably foresees that disclosure would cause 
specific identifiable harm to an interest protected by an 
exemption, or if disclosure is prohibited by law.’’. 
(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; 
‘‘(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-
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-
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 
‘‘(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-
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 
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: 
‘‘(P) the number of times the agency invoked a 
law enforcement exclusion under subsection (c); 
‘‘(Q) the number of times the agency engaged 
in dispute resolution with the assistance of the Of-
fice of Government Information Services or the 
FOIA Public Liaison; 
‘‘(R) the number of records that were made 
available in an electronic, publicly accessible format 
under subsection (a)(2); and 
‘‘(S) the number of times the agency assessed 
a search or duplication fee under subsection
(a)(4)(A) and did not comply with a time limit 
under subsection (a)(6).’’; 
(2) by amending paragraph (3) to read as fol-
lows: 
‘‘(3) 
ELECTRONIC
ACCESSIBILITY
OF
RE-
PORTS.—Each agency shall make each such report 
available in an electronic, publicly accessible format. 
In addition, each agency shall make the raw statis-
tical data used in its reports available in a timely 
manner in an electronic, publicly accessible format. 
Such data shall be— 
‘‘(A) made available without charge, li-
cense, or registration requirement; 
‘‘(B) capable of being searched and aggre-
gated; and 
‘‘(C) permitted to be downloaded and 
downloaded in bulk.’’; 
(3) in paragraph (4)— 
(A) by striking ‘‘Committee on Govern-
ment Reform and Oversight’’ and inserting 
‘‘Committee on Oversight and Government Re-
form’’; 
(B) by striking ‘‘Governmental Affairs’’ 
and inserting ‘‘Homeland Security and Govern-
mental Affairs’’; and
(C) by striking ‘‘April 1’’ and inserting 
‘‘March 1’’; 
(4) in paragraph (5)— 
(A) by inserting ‘‘and the Director of the 
Office of Government Information Services’’ 
after ‘‘the Director of the Office of Manage-
ment and Budget’’; and 
(B) by striking ‘‘by October 1, 1997’’; and 
(5) by amending paragraph (6) to read as fol-
lows: 
‘‘(6) ATTORNEY GENERAL FOIA REPORT.— 
‘‘(A) IN GENERAL.—The Attorney General 
of the United States shall submit to Congress 
and the President an annual report on or before 
March 1 of each calendar year which shall in-
clude for the prior calendar year— 
‘‘(i) a listing of the number of cases 
arising under this section; 
‘‘(ii) each subsection under this sec-
tion, each paragraph of the subsection, and 
any exemption, if applicable, involved in 
each case, the disposition of such case, and 
the cost, fees, and penalties assessed under 
subparagraphs (E), (F), and (G) of sub-
section (a)(4); and
‘‘(iii) a description of the efforts un-
dertaken by the Department of Justice to 
encourage agency compliance with this sec-
tion. 
‘‘(B) 
ELECTRONIC
AVAILABILITY.—The 
Attorney General of the United States— 
‘‘(i) shall make each report described 
under subparagraph (A) available in an 
electronic, publicly accessible format; and 
‘‘(ii) shall make the raw statistical 
data used in each report available in an 
electronic, publicly accessible format, which 
shall be— 
‘‘(I) 
made 
available 
without 
charge, license, or registration re-
quirement; 
‘‘(II) capable of being searched 
and aggregated; and 
‘‘(III) 
permitted 
to 
be 
downloaded, including downloaded in 
bulk.’’. 
(h) SEARCH
OR
DUPLICATION
FEES.—Section 
552(a)(4)(A)(viii) of title 5, United States Code, is amend-
ed by adding at the end the following new sentence: ‘‘Any 
agency that does assess search or duplication fees after
failing to comply with a time limit under paragraph (6) 
shall provide written notice to the requester of the cir-
cumstance that justifies the fees. If an agency fails to pro-
vide such notice, the agency may not assess search or du-
plication fees.’’. 
(i) GOVERNMENT ACCOUNTABILITY OFFICE.—Sub-
section (i) of section 552 of title 5, United States Code, 
is amended to read as follows: 
‘‘(i) GOVERNMENT ACCOUNTABILITY OFFICE.—The 
Government Accountability Office shall— 
‘‘(1) conduct audits of administrative agencies 
on compliance with and implementation of the re-
quirements of this section and issue reports detailing 
the results of such audits; 
‘‘(2) catalog the number of exemptions under 
subsection (b)(3) and agency use of such exemp-
tions; and 
‘‘(3) review and prepare a report on the proc-
essing of requests by agencies for information per-
taining to an entity that has received assistance 
under title I of the Emergency Economic Stabiliza-
tion Act of 2008 (12 U.S.C. 5211 et seq.) during 
any period in which the Government owns or owned 
more than 50 percent of the stock of such entity.’’.
(j) CHIEF FOIA OFFICER RESPONSIBILITIES; COUN-
CIL; REVIEW.—Section 552 of title 5, United States Code, 
is amended— 
(1) by striking subsections (j) and (k); and 
(2) by inserting after subsection (i), the fol-
lowing new subsections: 
‘‘(j) CHIEF FOIA OFFICER.— 
‘‘(1) DESIGNATION.—Each agency shall des-
ignate a Chief FOIA Officer who shall be a senior 
official of such agency (at the Assistant Secretary or 
equivalent level). 
‘‘(2) DUTIES.—The Chief FOIA Officer of each 
agency shall, subject to the authority of the head of 
the agency— 
‘‘(A) have agency-wide responsibility for ef-
ficient and appropriate compliance with this 
section; 
‘‘(B) monitor implementation of this sec-
tion throughout the agency and keep the head 
of the agency, the chief legal officer of the 
agency, and the Attorney General appropriately 
informed of the agency’s performance in imple-
menting this section; 
‘‘(C) recommend to the head of the agency 
such adjustments to agency practices, policies,
personnel, and funding as may be necessary to 
improve its implementation of this section; 
‘‘(D) review and report to the Attorney 
General, through the head of the agency, at 
such times and in such formats as the Attorney 
General may direct, on the agency’s perform-
ance in implementing this section; 
‘‘(E) facilitate public understanding of the 
purposes of the statutory exemptions of this 
section by including concise descriptions of the 
exemptions in both the agency’s handbook 
issued under subsection (g), and the agency’s 
annual report on this section, and by providing 
an overview, where appropriate, of certain gen-
eral categories of agency records to which those 
exemptions apply; 
‘‘(F) serve as the primary agency liaison 
with the Office of Government Information 
Services and the Office of Information Policy; 
and 
‘‘(G) designate one or more FOIA Public 
Liaisons. 
‘‘(3) COMPLIANCE
REVIEW
REQUIRED.—The 
Chief FOIA Officer of each agency shall—
‘‘(A) review, not less than annually, all as-
pects of the agency’s administration of this sec-
tion to ensure compliance with the requirements 
of this section, including— 
‘‘(i) agency regulations; 
‘‘(ii) disclosure of records required 
under paragraphs (2), (8), and (9) of sub-
section (a); 
‘‘(iii) assessment of fees and deter-
mination of eligibility for fee waivers; 
‘‘(iv) the timely processing of requests 
for information under this section; 
‘‘(v) the use of exemptions under sub-
section (b); and 
‘‘(vi) dispute resolution services with 
the assistance of the Office of Government 
Information Services or the FOIA Public 
Liaison; and 
‘‘(B) make recommendations as necessary 
to improve agency practices and compliance 
with this section. 
‘‘(k) CHIEF FOIA OFFICERS COUNCIL.— 
‘‘(1) ESTABLISHMENT.—There is established in 
the executive branch the Chief FOIA Officers Coun-
cil (in this subsection, referred to as the ‘Council’).
‘‘(2) MEMBERS.—The Council shall consist of 
the following members: 
‘‘(A) The Deputy Director for Manage-
ment of the Office of Management and Budget. 
‘‘(B) The Director of the Office of Infor-
mation Policy at the Department of Justice. 
‘‘(C) The Director of the Office of Govern-
ment Information Services at the National Ar-
chives and Records Administration. 
‘‘(D) The Chief FOIA Officer of each 
agency. 
‘‘(E) Any other officer or employee of the 
United States as designated by the Co-Chairs. 
‘‘(3) CO-CHAIRS.—The Director of the Office of 
Information Policy at the Department of Justice and 
the Director of the Office of Government Informa-
tion Services at the National Archives and Records 
Administration shall be the Co-Chairs of the Coun-
cil. 
‘‘(4) SUPPORT SERVICES.—The Administrator 
of General Services shall provide administrative and 
other support for the Council. 
‘‘(5) CONSULTATION.—In performing its duties, 
the Council shall consult regularly with members of 
the public who make requests under this section.
‘‘(6) DUTIES.—The duties of the Council in-
clude the following: 
‘‘(A) Develop recommendations for increas-
ing compliance and efficiency under this sec-
tion. 
‘‘(B) Disseminate information about agen-
cy experiences, ideas, best practices, and inno-
vative approaches related to this section. 
‘‘(C) Identify, develop, and coordinate ini-
tiatives to increase transparency and compli-
ance with this section. 
‘‘(D) Promote the development and use of 
common performance measures for agency com-
pliance with this section. 
‘‘(7) MEETINGS.— 
‘‘(A) REGULAR
MEETINGS.—The Council 
shall meet regularly and such meetings shall be 
open to the public unless the Council deter-
mines to close the meeting for reasons of na-
tional security or to discuss information exempt 
under subsection (b). 
‘‘(B) ANNUAL MEETINGS.—Not less than 
once a year, the Council shall hold a meeting 
that shall be open to the public and permit in-
terested persons to appear and present oral and 
written statements to the Council. 
‘‘(C) NOTICE.—Not later than 10 business 
days before a meeting of the Council, notice of 
such meeting shall be published in the Federal 
Register. 
‘‘(D) PUBLIC
AVAILABILITY
OF
COUNCIL 
RECORDS.—Except as provided in subsection 
(b), the records, reports, transcripts, minutes, 
appendixes, working papers, drafts, studies, 
agenda, or other documents that were made 
available to or prepared for or by the Council 
shall be made publicly available. 
‘‘(E) MINUTES.—Detailed minutes of each 
meeting of the Council shall be kept and shall 
contain a record of the persons present, a com-
plete and accurate description of matters dis-
cussed and conclusions reached, and copies of 
all reports received, issued, or approved by the 
Council.’’. 
(k) REGULATIONS.— 
(1) REVISION
OF
REGULATIONS.—Not later 
than 180 days after the date of the enactment of 
this Act, the head of each agency shall review the 
regulations of such agency and shall issue regula-
tions on procedures for the disclosure of records 
under section 552 of title 5, United States Code, in 
accordance with the amendments made by this sec-
tion. The regulations of each agency shall include— 
(A) procedures for engaging in dispute res-
olution; and 
(B) procedures for engaging with the Of-
fice of Government Information Services. 
(2) OFFICE
OF
GOVERNMENT
INFORMATION 
SERVICES REPORT.—Not later than 270 days after 
the date of the enactment of this Act, the Office of 
Government Information Services shall submit to 
Congress a report on agency compliance with the re-
quirements of this subsection. 
(3) REPORT ON NONCOMPLIANCE.—The head 
of any agency that does not meet the requirements 
of paragraph (1) shall submit to Congress a report 
on the reason for noncompliance not later than 270 
days after the date of the enactment of this Act. 
(4) INSPECTOR
GENERAL
REVIEW
FOR
NON-
COMPLIANCE.—Any agency that fails to comply with 
the requirements of this subsection shall be reviewed 
by the Office of Inspector General of such agency 
for compliance with section 552 of title 5, United 
States Code.
(5) AGENCY
DEFINED.—In this section, the 
term ‘‘agency’’ has the meaning given such term in 
section 552(f) of title 5, United States Code. 
SEC. 3. PILOT PROGRAM. 
(a) ESTABLISHMENT.—The Director of the Office of 
Management and Budget shall establish a pilot program 
for 3 years to review the benefits of a centralized portal 
to process requests and release information under section 
552 of title 5, United States Code (commonly known as 
the Freedom of Information Act). 
(b) PLAN REQUIRED.—Not later than 90 days after 
the date of the enactment of this Act, the Director of the 
Office of Management and Budget shall establish a plan 
to evaluate the functionality and benefits of a centralized 
portal to receive and track requests made under section 
552 of title 5, United States Code, by selecting no less 
than 3 agencies that have not previously participated in 
a centralized portal, including at least one of the following: 
(1) An agency that receives more than 30,000 
requests annually for information under section 552 
of title 5, United States Code. 
(2) An agency that receives between 15,000 and 
30,000 requests annually for information under such 
section.
(3) An agency that receives 15,000 or fewer re-
quests annually for information under such section. 
(c) AGENCY USE OF WEB SITE.—Each agency se-
lected under subsection (b) shall use the centralized portal 
to— 
(1) receive requests under section 552 of title 5, 
United States Code; 
(2) consult with and refer requests to partici-
pating agencies; 
(3) if practicable, process requests received 
under such section; 
(4) track the status of requests submitted 
under such section; and 
(5) make records released available publicly 
through the centralized portal. 
(d) REVIEW REQUIRED.—The Director of the Office 
of Management and Budget shall, in consultation with the 
Attorney General, the Office of Government Information 
Services, and the head of each agency participating in the 
pilot program, review the benefits of a centralized portal, 
including— 
(1) any cost saving, resource saving, or effi-
ciency gained;
(2) any change in the amount of requests re-
ceived under section 552 of title 5, United States 
Code; 
(3) any increase in transparency and accessi-
bility to Government information; and 
(4) any changes in the ability to access and 
compile information needed for agency annual re-
ports required under section 552 of title 5, United 
States Code. 
(e) REPORT REQUIRED.—Not later than 3 months 
after the completion of the pilot program, the head of each 
agency participating in the program— 
(1) shall submit to Congress a report on the 
impact of the pilot program on agency processes 
under section 552 of title 5, United States Code, 
whether the agency will continue to participate in 
the centralized portal, and any recommendations the 
head of the agency considers appropriate; and 
(2) shall make such report available in an elec-
tronic, publicly accessible format. 
(f) DEFINITIONS.—In this section: 
(1) AGENCY.—The term ‘‘agency’’ has the 
meaning given such term in section 552(f) of title 5, 
United States Code.
(2) CENTRALIZED
PORTAL.—The term ‘‘cen-
tralized portal’’ means an electronic online portal 
that allows a requester to submit a request under 
section 552 of title 5, United States Code, to any 
participating agency, to track the status of a re-
quest, and to obtain a response to a request made 
through the portal. 
SEC. 4. INSPECTOR GENERAL REVIEW; ADVERSE ACTIONS. 
(a) INSPECTOR GENERAL REVIEW.— 
(1) IN
GENERAL.—The Inspector General of 
each agency shall— 
(A) periodically review compliance with the 
requirements of section 552 of title 5, United 
States Code, including the timely processing of 
requests, assessment of fees and fee waivers, 
and the use of exemptions under subsection (b) 
of such section; and 
(B) make recommendations the Inspector 
General determines to be necessary to the head 
of the agency, including recommendations for 
disciplinary action. 
(2) AGENCY DEFINED.—In this subsection, the 
term ‘‘agency’’ has the meaning given that term 
under section 552(f) of title 5, United States Code.
(b) ADVERSE ACTIONS.—The withholding of infor-
mation in a manner inconsistent with the requirements of 
section 552 of title 5, United States Code (including any 
rules, regulations, or other implementing guidelines), as 
determined by the appropriate supervisor, shall be a basis 
for disciplinary action in accordance with subchapter I, II, 
or V of chapter 75 of such title, as the case may be. 
SEC. 5. OPEN GOVERNMENT ADVISORY COMMITTEE. 
(a) ESTABLISHMENT.—The Archivist of the United 
States shall establish an Open Government Advisory Com-
mittee (in this section, referred to as the ‘‘Committee’’), 
an independent advisory committee to make recommenda-
tions for improving Government transparency. 
(b) MEMBERSHIP; CHAIR; MEETINGS; QUALIFICA-
TIONS OF MEMBERS.—The Committee shall be composed 
of at least nine members appointed by the Archivist, one 
of whom shall be designated the Chair by the members, 
and shall meet at such times and places as may be des-
ignated by the Chair. Each member of the Committee 
shall be qualified by education, training, or experience to 
make recommendations on improving Government trans-
parency. The membership of the Committee shall in-
clude—
(1) representatives of the Department of Jus-
tice and the Office of Government Information Serv-
ices; 
(2) at least two members with experience re-
questing information under section 552 of title 5, 
United States Code (including one member of the 
news media); and 
(3) at least one member with expertise in infor-
mation technology. 
(c) COMPENSATION.—While serving on the business 
of the Committee, and while so serving away from home 
and the member’s regular place of business, a member 
may be allowed travel expenses, as authorized by the Ar-
chivist. 
(d) CONFLICT
OF INTEREST DISCLOSURE.—The 
members of the Committee shall be considered to be spe-
cial Government employees (as such term is defined in sec-
tion 202 of title 18, United States Code). 
(e) STAFF.—The Archivist may appoint and fix the 
compensation of such personnel as may be necessary to 
enable the Committee to carry out its functions. Any per-
sonnel of the Committee who are employees shall be em-
ployees under section 2105 of title 5, United States Code. 
Any Federal Government employee may be detailed to the 
Committee without reimbursement from the Committee,
and such detailee shall retain the rights, status, and privi-
leges of regular employment of such employee without 
interruption. 
(f) APPLICABILITY
OF
THE FEDERAL ADVISORY 
COMMITTEE ACT.—The Federal Advisory Committee Act 
(5 U.S.C. App.) shall apply to the Committee and any sub-
committee or subgroup thereof. 
(g) DISCLOSURE OF INFORMATION.—The Archivist 
shall make publicly available the following information: 
(1) The charter of the Committee. 
(2) A description of the process used to estab-
lish and appoint the members of the Committee, in-
cluding the following: 
(A) The process for identifying prospective 
members. 
(B) The process of selecting members for 
balance of viewpoints or expertise. 
(C) The reason each member was ap-
pointed to the Committee. 
(3) A list of all current members, including, for 
each member, the name of any person or entity that 
nominated the member. 
(4) A summary of the process used by the Com-
mittee for making decisions.
(5) A transcript or audio or visual recording of 
each meeting of the Committee. 
(6) Any written determination by the President 
or the Archivist, pursuant to section 10(d) of the 
Federal Advisory Committee Act (5 U.S.C. App.), to 
close a meeting or any portion of a meeting and the 
reasons for such determination. 
(7) Notices of future meetings of the Com-
mittee. 
(h) MANNER OF DISCLOSURE.— 
(1) WEBSITE
PUBLICATION.—Except as pro-
vided in paragraph (2), the Archivist shall make the 
information required to be disclosed under this sec-
tion available electronically on the official public 
website of the National Archives and Records Ad-
ministration at least 15 calendar days before each 
meeting of the Committee. If the Archivist deter-
mines that such timing is not practicable for any re-
quired information, the Archivist shall make the in-
formation available as soon as practicable but no 
later than 48 hours before the next meeting of the 
Committee. 
(2) AVAILABILITY OF COMMITTEE MEETING.— 
The Archivist shall make available electronically, on 
the official public website of the National Archives
and Records Administration, a transcript or audio or 
video recording of each Committee meeting not later 
than 30 calendar days after such meeting. 
SEC. 6. NO ADDITIONAL FUNDS AUTHORIZED. 
No additional funds are authorized to carry out the 
requirements of this Act and the amendments made by 
this Act. Such requirements shall be carried out using 
amounts otherwise authorized or appropriated. 
Passed the House of Representatives February 25, 
2014. 
Attest: 
Clerk.
113TH CONGRESS 
2D SESSION 
H. R. 1211 
AN ACT 
To amend section 552 of title 5, United States 
Code (commonly known as the Freedom of Infor-
mation Act), to provide for greater public access 
to information, and for other purposes.