Senate Judiciary chairman wants to limit agencies’ exemptions from Freedom of Information Act

Leahy: Congress should make agencies be more open

WASHINGTON — The chairman of the Senate Judiciary Committee wants new measures to clamp down on special exemptions that federal agencies are using to avoid disclosing information to the public under the Freedom of Information Act.

Democratic Sen. Patrick Leahy of Vermont complains that the exemptions are being slipped into legislation without public debate or scrutiny. Leahy is holding a hearing Wednesday on possible changes in the law to address the issue.

He and Republican Sen. John Cornyn of Texas have introduced a bill to require lawmakers to explicitly say when and why they are writing the exemptions into law.

President Barack Obama earlier this year directed agencies to lean toward transparency, a departure from the Bush administration.