| ASNE on the move - Keeping up with FOI in the Congress
Published: July 01, 1997
Last Updated: May 26, 1999
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ASNE on the move
Keeping up with FOI in the Congress
ASNE is tracking three bills in Congress that, if enacted, would affect
journalists’ access to government information.
To date, only one bill has passed a chamber of Congress. None of them
is close to becoming enacted into law. However, ASNE legal counsel Richard
M. Schmidt Jr. and his associate Kevin M. Goldberg are working with other
press groups to ensure that these bills to not adversely amend the Freedom
of Information Act.
The bills are:
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The Government Secrecy Act of 1997 seeks to ensure that the amount
of information classified is the minimum required to protect national security,
setting forth requirements for the establishment of standards and procedures
for classifying and declassifying information.
The bill would require the head of federal agencies responsible for
classifying and declassifying information to submit to Congress each year
a report describing that agency’s classification and declassification actions
during the past year.
This has been introduced in the form of two identical bills, S 712,
introduced by Sen. Daniel Patrick Moynihan (D-N.Y.) and HR 1546, introduced
by Rep. Lee Hamilton (D-Ind.). No action has been taken on either bill,
which would implement the findings of the Commission on Protecting and
Reducing Government Secrecy.
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The Accuracy in Campus Crime Reporting Act would revise campus security
policy reporting and crime statistics disclosure requirements. Any institution
participating in the Higher Education Act of 1965 that maintains a police
or security department must keep a daily crime log of specified crime information
and open it for public inspection. There are provisions for not reporting
crimes immediately when, for example, a suspect might flee. However, the
information must be released when the damage is no longer likely to occur.
The bill was introduced by Rep. John J. Duncan (R-Tenn.) as HR 715. It
has widespread support, but the only activity thus far has been a House
subcommittee hearing in July.
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The Chemical Weapons Convention Implementation Act (S 610) would
establish requirements of record-keeping and reporting by persons who produce,
process, consume, export or import chemical substances subject to the act.
It exempts certain business information from FOIA. Information may be disclosed
when disclosure is in the national interest and after notice of disclosure
is given and criminal penalties may be imposed for unlawful disclosure.
It was introduced by Sen. Richard Lugar (R-Ind.) and has passed the Senate.
ASNE supports the informational aspects of the first two bills, but
opposes those aspects of the chemical weapons act. ASNE’s legal counsel
will be happy to provide the text of these bills or more information. Call
Dick Schmidt, or Kevin Goldberg at 202/293-3860.
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