Breathing life into freedom of information laws the center for. Nigerias freedom of information bill and national development jonathan chima ogugua federal university of technology, owerri, nigeria email. Preliminary clause 1 provides for the short title and commencement of the legislation. It allows for the full or partial disclosure of previously unreleased information and documents controlled by the united states government. The bill will give effect to section 62 of the constitution which enshrines in the declaration of rights the right of access to information.
Both bills below follow the proposed foi bill approved by president benigno s. Of 2004 a bill for an act to give members of the public rights of access to official documents of the government and its agencies, in accordance with section 174 of the constitution, to promote maximum disclosure of information in the public interest, to. Federal register dod freedom of information act foia program. Rearrange individual pages or entire files in the desired order. The purpose of this bill is to give the public a general right of access to official documents and to. The worlds first freedom of information act anders chydenius. Freedom of information bill 1982 notes on clauses part i. The focus of this paper is to xray the nigerian freedom of information bill, its relevance and challenges in the scheme of national development. Freedom of information amendment bill 201719 uk parliament. Dec 02, 2015 this document provides background information on how the freedom of information bill was developed.
Information released d no additional agency records subject to the request have been located. Freedom of information is a necessity in order to salvage the nation nigeria and move it towards the part of economic and social transformation. The parliament of the commonwealth of australia, house of representatives keywords circulated by authority of the attorneygeneral, the hon. Merge pdf files combine pdfs in the order you want with the easiest pdf merger available.
Freedom of information act and amendments of 1974 library of. This act may be cited as the freedom of information act, 2007 2. And yet, history shows that empowering the citizenry as a check on the government has worried many members of the. Under the freedom of information act 5 usc 552 i hereby request access to u. The freedom of information bill foi bill is a proposed law that seeks to give every nigerian citizen a legally enforceable right of access to records, documents and information held by the government or. Table of contents pdf section 1, glossary pdf section 2, tax returns and forms pdf section 3, tax return information pdf. Cia annual foia reports updated april 22, 2019 the cia foia annual report is now available in pdf, and in machinereadable xml formats.
A freedom of information bill may get debated in coming weeks in the philippines house of representatives. How can i generate 1 pdf file from 2 byte arrays duplicate. Redacting sensitive information for freedom of information act requests by deedee kato, senior director since 1967, the freedom of information act foia has provided the public the right to request access to records from any federal agency. This act may be cited as the freedom of information act. Pdf whereas in 1990 only a dozen freedom of information foi laws existed, today there are.
Ii an outline of the scheme the bill creates a statutory right to information which will supersede the nonstatutory. All newly enacted provisions in boldface type replace the strikethrough text. The arkansas freedom of information act foia is one of the most comprehensive and strongest openrecords and openmeetings laws in the country. To ensure the permanency of transparency policies, he has urged congress to pass the freedom of information act. The freedom of information act foia generally provides that any person has the right to request access to federal agency records or information except to the extent the records are protected from disclosure by any of nine exemptions contained in the law or by one of three special law enforcement record exclusions.
They may supply the information if you ask without needing you to lodge a foi request. Be it enacted by the senate and house of representatives of the united states of america in congress assembled, 2011 3 the information required under subsection 1 shall be published in such manner and be updated with such frequency as may be prescribed. Introduction, table of contents and appendixes pdf section 1 glossary pdf section 2 tax returns and forms pdf section 3 tax return information pdf section 4 document locator number pdf section 5 debtor master file pdf section 6 initiating and monitoring refund check tracing action pdf section 7 automated nonmaster file pdf. Freedom of information is a separate concept which sometimes comes into conflict with the right to privacy in the content of the internet and information technology. Two committees that considered the bill have filed their reports. The freedom of information bill, 2012 6 establishment of commission 4. Covid19 update due to the covid19 pandemic and pursuant to guidance received from the office of management and budget, the department of veterans affairs, freedom of information act offices have implemented maximum telework flexibilities to protect its employees and their communities. For our guide on the federal freedom of information act foia, visit the foia wiki. This part revises the department of defense dod freedom of information act foia regulation to implement the foia and incorporate the provisions of the open government act of 2007 and the foia improvement act of 2016. Due to the covid19 pandemic and pursuant to guidance received from the office of management and budget, the office of information programs and services has implemented maximum telework flexibilities to protect its employees and their communities. How to file a freedom of information act foia request.
In this regard, it is important to discuss the merits and demerits of freedom of information act in general. Nuclear regulatory commission foiapa response number 20040243 2 0 s responseto freedom of a information p act foia privacy response d final partial act pa request type requester date theresa sutter jul 0 8 2004 part i. Research paper 0718 the freedom of information amendment bill 20. With this submission, misatanzania and article 19 seek to assess tanzanias compliance with its international human rights obligations in respect of media freedom and freedom of expression, in particular.
Nov 15, 2018 this means that requests for these records must be submitted under the freedom of information act foia. One hundred fourteenth congress of the united states of america. However, providing this information may assist uscis in locating the records and information needed to respond to your request. Freedom of information laws and the news media an foi law is a.
Or, if you want to access to your personal information, try contacting the agency you think holds it first. Freedom of information bill official gazette of the. Incorporates the provisions of the open government act of 2007 and the foia improvement act of 2016. It aims to reinforce and give further effect to certain fundamental principles underlying the system of constitutional democracy, namely. Federal register of legislation australian government. Freedom of information act foia the freedom of information act, or foia 5 u. Limits on media freedom and freedom of expression through legislation. Bills and legislation freedom of information amendment bill. Enacted by the parliament of the bahamas part i preliminary 1. Freedom of information act an act to give members of the public a general right with exceptions of access to official documents of public authorities and for matters related thereto. Freedom of information amendment bill 1991 explanatory memorandum.
Freedom of information bill introduced by lord lucas second reading february 10 1999 these notes describe the main features of lord lucas freedom of information bill and explain how they relate to comparable provisions in other countries laws and the proposals published by the government in december 1997 in the white paper, your right to know. The freedom of information amendment bill, 2000 explanatory note these notes form no part of the bill but are intended only to indicate its general purport this bill purports to amend the freedom of information act, 1999 the act to ensure that it can be effectively monitored and to clarify the accountability of the. Jun 07, 2018 the congress and government have been working on the bill for a long time but have not come to a conclusive format and it may take longer to draft the ideal bill. Freedom of information act foia, federal act signed into law by u. Freedom of information act in the philippines soapboxie. Duterte signs order on freedom of information 4th update president rodrigo duterte signs an executive order mandating full public disclosure of all offices under the executive branch. One hundred fourteenth congress of the united states of america at the first session begun and held at the city of washington on tuesday, the sixth day of january, two thousand and fifteen an act to reform the authorities of the federal government to require the production. Section 552 provides public access to records of the federal government. You can find information about all of these topics and more in the central intelligence agency cia freedom of information act foia electronic reading room. Be it enacted by the senate and house of representatives of the united states of america in congress assembled, act training office of the.
The foia wiki has information on submitting requests, exemptions, administrative appeals, and. The attorney general partners with the arkansas press association and other entities to publish a freedom of information act handbook after every regular session of the general assembly. Summary of the freedom of information amendment bill 201719 a bill to make provision for the disclosure of information held by public authorities or by persons contracted to provide services for them or on their behalf. Freedom of info around the world national democratic institute. Document 6209 2012 edition internal revenue service.
Redacting sensitive information for freedom of information. Freedom of information act 2000 chapter 36 arrangement of sections part i access to information held by public authorities right to information section 1. The object of the bill is to extend the right of members of the public to access information in the possession of public authorities by, inter alia a making available to the public, information about the operations of public. Over 100 countries around the world have implemented some form of freedom of information legislation. Select multiple pdf files and merge them in seconds. The law defines agency records subject to disclosure. House and senate debate on 1974 freedom of information act. Complete guide to federal freedom of information act rcfp. Jan 31, 2018 this means the bill will make no further progress. The freedom of information amendment bill was a private members bill introduced to the house of commons of the united kingdom in 2007 which failed to become law after a sponsor for the bill could not be found in the house of lords. It is often described as the law that keeps citizens in. The freedom of information act foia is a federal law that gives any person, including u. Under clause 32, where access to information which involves information of a third party which is protected under part v is requested, an information officer is required to take all necessary steps to notify the third party of the details of the request, the protection which might apply in terms of part v of the bill, the reasons why clause 37 with respect to a possible overriding public. The freedom of information bill2 was published on 19 november 1999.
Family name last name given name first name middle name. The freedom of information act amendments of 1974 p. Promotes uniformity in the dod foia program by taking precedence over all dod component issuances that supplement and implement the dod foia program. Freedom of information act arkansas attorney general.
Oct 07, 2014 the freedom of information bill was drafted to do away with secrecy in the public arena. Displayed here are links to compilations of the principal, the most current at the top of the list. This part promotes uniformity in the department of defense dod foia. How can i merge them together and produce one pdf file.
Aquino iii, which was transmitted to the previous congress by the secretary of budget and management, florencio abad. Freedom of information act 2011 laws of the federation of nigeria an act to make public records and information more freely available, provide for public access to public records and information, protect public records and information to the extent consistent with the public interest and the protection of. This act may be cited as the freedom of information amendment act 2007. Freedom of information act electronic reading room cia. Merge state entities narrative pdf merge state entities amendment sheet pdf top. Freedom of information bill, 2011 3 the information required under subsection 1 shall be published in such manner and be updated with such frequency as may be prescribed. What is the freedom of information act foia the freedom of information act foia is a federal law that gives any person, including u. Rev narrative pdf rev amendment sheet pdf rev new part q pdf merge state entities bill. Public records act pra how to reconcile these conflicting laws. As with the right to freedom of expression, the right to privacy is a recognized human right and freedom of information acts as an extension to this right. Below is the full text of the freedom of information act in a form showing all amendments to the statute made by the foia improvement act of 2016. Any individual or organisation can make a request under the freedom of information act 1982 foi act. Feb 16, 2012 freedom of information bill, 2012 c freedom of information bill, 2012 a bill for an act to give to the public a general right of access to records held by public authorities and to make provision for incidential and connected purposes.
Government publishing office page 537 foia improvement act of 2016 page stat. The full pdf version of this book as well as additional background material and laws on. It is often described as the law that keeps citizens in the know about their government. Freedom of information act central bank of nigeria. Annual tax expenditure report pdf to verify information presented here or request additional.
Statement of purpose the freedom of information extension bill will seek to make housing associations, local safeguarding children boards, electoral registration officers, returning officers and the housing ombudsman public authorities for the purpose of the freedom of information act 2000, whilst. The freedom of information act, or foia, was signed into law by president lyndon johnson in 1966, giving the public the right to access records from any. Failure to do so will delay the processing of your request. Commissioner an exist ing position that is to be merged into the new office. This is an ongoing survey of the state of freedom of information in countries. It sets out the revised government proposals, but also contains new provisions applying freedom of information and data protection to parliament. Swedens freedom of the press act of 1766 is the oldest in the world most freedom of information laws exclude the private sector from their jurisdiction thus information held by the private sector cannot be accessed as a legal right. Handbook as353, guide to privacy, the freedom of information act, and records management february 2019. The congress and government have been working on the bill for a long time but have not come to a conclusive format and it may take longer to draft the ideal bill. Freedom of information foi day is an annual event on or near march 16, the birthday of james madison, who is widely regarded as the father of the constitution and the foremost advocate for openness in government.
This list will provide the scope and limitations of the types of information. Oct 14, 2014 bill entitled an act to enable members of the public to obtain access, to the greatest extent possible consistent with the public interest and the right to privacy, to information in the possession of public bodies, other bodies in receipt of funding from the state and certain other bodies and to enable persons to have personal information relating to them in the possession of such bodies. General right of access to information held by public authorities. The freedom of information foi act signed into law on may 28, 2011 is an act that gives every nigerian a legal right of access to information, records, and documents held by government bodies and private bodies carrying out public functions. Freedom of information amendment bill 1991 explanatory memorandum author. Johnson on july 4, 1966, that granted american citizens the right to see the contents of files maintained about them by federal executive branch agencies, including the federal bureau of investigation, the. Clause 3 subclause 1 establishes the object of the act as the extension of the. Freedom of information bill part 2 halsbury chambers.
Freedom of information act organization of american states. Jan 18, 2007 freedom of information amendment bill. This document provides background information on how the freedom of information bill was developed. The freedom of information act foia is a law that gives you the right to access information from the federal government.
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