HR 867 · 109th Congress · Government Operations and Politics

OPEN Government Act of 2005

Introduced 2005-02-16· Sponsored by Rep. Smith, Lamar [R-TX-21]· House

Bill Progress

Introduced
2
Committee
3
House Vote
4
Senate
5
Enacted
Latest: Forwarded by Subcommittee to Full Committee (Amended) by Voice Vote .(2006-09-27)

Plain Language Summary

[AI summary unavailable — showing source text] Openess Promotes Effectiveness in our National Government Act of 2005 or OPEN Government Act of 2005 - Amends the Freedom of Information Act (FOIA) to prohibit a Federal agency from denying the present fee status for a news media representative solely on the absence of institutional associations of the requester and requires consideration of the requester's prior publication history. Requires an agency, if a requester has no prior publication history or current affiliation, to consider the requester's stated intent at the time the request is made to distribute information to a reasonably broad audience. Provides that, for purposes of recovery of attorney fees and other litigation costs, a complainant has substantially prevailed if : (1) the complainant has obtained a substantial part of its requested relief through a judicial or administrative order or an enforceable written agreement; or (2) the complainant's pursuit of a nonfrivolous claim or defense has been a catalyst for a voluntary or unilateral change in position by the opposing party that provides a substantial part of the requested relief. Directs the Attorney General to: (1) notify the Special Counsel of civil actions tak…

Summarized by Claude AI · Non-partisan · For informational purposes only

Cosponsors (20)

16 Democrats4 Republicans