Rep. Sherman proposes committee to explore endless FOIA delays

The remaining four would be chosen by the U.S. Attorney General, the Office of Management and Budget, the Archivist of the U.S. and the Comptroller General of the U.S.

The commission would be charged broadly with studying how to reduce FOIA delays, which many times can stretch for months or even years, at the end of which only heavily redacted documents are provided. The bill also asks the commission to examine the system of fees that can be charged by the government as a hindrance to providing information.

In addition, it would explore “whether any disparities in processing, processing times and completeness of responses to FOIA requestors have occurred based upon political considerations, ideological viewpoints, the identity of the requestors, affiliation with the media, or affiliation with advocacy groups.”