Would the new open government act really open anything?

Get your news from a source that’s not owned and controlled by oligarchs. Sign up for the free _Mother Jones Daily_. After the House on Tuesday passed the OPEN Government Act to bolster the

Freedom of Information Act and sent the bill to George W. Bush, House Speaker Nancy Pelosi proclaimed, > The Freedom of Information Act (FOIA) has a vital purpose: to inform > American

 citizens about the conduct of their government. However, > the Bush Administration has greatly expanded the veil of secrecy and > undermined the Freedom of Information Act. The 

Administration’s > actions run counter to the values of our democracy, the public’s > right to know, and the ability of American citizens to hold their > government accountable. The

 passage of the OPEN Government Act takes > a first step toward strengthening FOIA and restoring transparency > and accountability to our government. FOIA has long been broken–even

before Bush. It sometimes takes years–even a decade–to get a FOIA request fulfilled. And, of course, much information is often withheld. I’ve had the State Department respond to requests

nine years after I’ve submitted them–and long after I had any need for the documents. And recently I asked the Department of Interior for records related to a contract covering computer

services provided to Vice President Dick Cheney’s office by a company run by a fellow who paid more than $1 million in bribes to Republican Representative Duke Cunningham. (Don’t ask why the

Interior Department was involved.) I was told the material would be withheld under one of FOIA’s many elastic exemptions. So will the new legislation make any real difference? For an

answer, I turned to Steven Aftergood, who produces _Secrecy News_. He says: > The new legislation makes several valuable procedural changes. It > will increase pressure on agencies to 

answer FOIA requests in weeks > rather than years. It will make it easier for requesters to track > FOIA requests and to win fee waivers. It will strengthen the > position of those 

requesters who litigate denials of their requests. > On the other hand, it does not alter agencies’ ability to withhold > information, which is of course the heart of the process. 

Whatever > was withheld from requesters previously can still be withheld. So > even if the law is faithfully implemented, it could just mean > speedier denials. Well, at least I

won’t have to wait so long to be turned down.