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S. 849 - OPEN Government Act of 2007

Government information.
Sponsor:
Summary:
A bill to promote accessibility, accountability, and openness in Government. (by CRS) 
Status:
The bill was voted on in the Senate on August 2, 2007 
Amendments:
2 proposed amendments. 1 accepted. View amendments 
Senate Vote: On Passage

PASSED by voice vote on August 3, 2007.

Other Votes:

OPEN Government Act of 2007

S. 849 — 110th Congress (2007–2008)

Summary
A bill to promote accessibility, accountability, and openness in Government. (by CRS)
Learn More
At OpenCongress
Title
A bill to promote accessibility, accountability, and openness in Government by strengthening section 552 of title 5, United States Code (commonly referred to as the Freedom of Information Act), and for other purposes.
Other Titles
  • OPEN Government Act of 2007
  • Openness Promotes Effectiveness in our National Government Act of 2007
  • OPEN Government Act of 2007
  • Openness Promotes Effectiveness in our National Government Act of 2007
Sponsor
Patrick J. Leahy
Co-Sponsors
Subjects
  • Government information
  • Actions and defenses
  • Administrative Conference of the U.S.
  • Administrative procedure
  • Administrative remedies
  • Alternative dispute resolution
  • Budgets
  • Business
  • Business records
  • Civil liberties
  • Communications
  • Congress
  • Congressional investigations
  • Congressional reporting requirements
  • Consent decrees
  • Data banks
  • Disciplining of employees
  • Electronic government information
  • Employee training
  • Evidence (Law)
  • Executive departments
  • Executive reorganization
  • Federal employees
  • Federal officials
  • Freedom of information
  • Government contractors
  • Government employees
  • Government paperwork
  • Government publicity
  • Government statistics
  • Governmental investigations
  • Identification devices
  • Infrastructure
  • Infrastructure (Economics)
  • Internet
  • Job training
  • Journalism
  • Judicial review
  • Law
  • Legal fees
  • Legislation
  • Mass media
  • Mediation
  • National Archives and Records Administration
  • Performance measurement
  • Personnel management
  • Position classification
  • Promotions
  • Public contracts
  • Public records
  • Reporters and reporting
  • Salaries
  • Technology
  • Telecommunication
  • Telephone
  • Terrorism
  • User charges
  • Web sites
Related Bills
Major Actions
Introduced3/13/2007
Referred to Committee
Amendments (2 proposed)
Passed Senate8/03/2007
Bill History
Chamber/CommitteeMotionDateResult
currently selectedSenatePassed Senate with amendments by Unanimous Consent. (text: CR 9/4/2007 S11071-11073)8/03/2007PASSED by voice vote
select this voteSenateAmendment SA 2655 agreed to in Senate by Unanimous Consent.8/03/2007PASSED by voice vote
ActionDateDescription
Introduced3/13/2007
3/13/2007Read twice and referred to the Committee on the Judiciary.
3/13/2007Sponsor introductory remarks on measure. (CR S3066)
3/14/2007Committee on the Judiciary. Hearings held.
Put on a legislative calendar4/12/2007Committee on the Judiciary. Ordered to be reported without amendment favorably.
4/30/2007Committee on the Judiciary. Reported by Senator Leahy without amendment. With written report No. 110-59. Additional views filed.
Put on a legislative calendar4/30/2007Placed on Senate Legislative Calendar under General Orders. Calendar No. 127.
8/03/2007Measure laid before Senate by unanimous consent.
currently selectedSenate Vote on Passage8/03/2007Passed Senate with amendments by Unanimous Consent. (text: CR 9/4/2007 S11071-11073)
8/03/2007Amendment SA 2655 proposed by Senator Reid for Senator Kyl.
select this voteVote8/03/2007Amendment SA 2655 agreed to in Senate by Unanimous Consent.
8/06/2007Message on Senate action sent to the House.
9/04/2007Received in the House.
9/04/2007Held at the desk.
NumberSponsorDate OfferedStatus
S. Amdt. 1147Leahy, Patrick [D-VT]May 21, 2007Offered on May 20, 2007.

Amendment information not available.

Show amendment details
select this voteS. Amdt. 2655Kyl, Jon [R-AZ]August 3, 2007Passed by voice vote on August 2, 2007.

To improve the bill.

Show amendment details
8 Organizations Supported and 0 Opposed; See Which Ones
8 Organizations Supported and 0 Opposed; See Which Ones

Organizations that took a position on
OPEN Government Act of 2007: Passed Senate with amendments by Unanimous Consent. (text: CR 9/4/2007 S11071-11073)

8 organizations supported this bill

American Association of Law Libraries
(n.d.). Joint Letter Commending Commitment to the OPEN Government. Retrieved n.d., from .
American Civil Liberties Union
(n.d.). Joint Letter Commending Commitment to the OPEN Government. Retrieved n.d., from .
American Library Association
(n.d.). ALA urges Senate Leadership to schedule vote on OPEN Government Act of 2007 (S.849). Retrieved n.d., from .
American Society Of Newspaper Editors
(n.d.). Senate passes Open Government Act of 2007. Retrieved n.d., from .
Association of American Physicians and Surgeons
(n.d.). Joint Letter Commending Commitment to the OPEN Government. Retrieved n.d., from .
Electronic Frontier Foundation
(n.d.). Joint Letter Commending Commitment to the OPEN Government. Retrieved n.d., from .
National Association of Broadcasters
Dennis Wharton (2007, August 7). NAB Applauds Senate Passage of FOIA Reform. Retrieved September 17, 2014, from NAB.
Newspaper Association of America
(n.d.). Senate Passage of FOIA Reform Bill Sets the Stage for President’s Signature. Retrieved n.d., from .

0 organizations opposed this bill

Need proof?

View citations of support and opposition

Includes reported contributions to congressional campaigns of Senators in office on day of vote, from interest groups invested in the vote according to MapLight, January 1, 2003 – December 31, 2008.
Contributions data source: OpenSecrets.org

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Contributions by Legislator

Namesort iconPartyState$ From Interest Groups
That Supported		$ From Interest Groups
That Opposed		Vote
Daniel K. AkakaDHI$30,800$0Yes
Andrew Lamar AlexanderRTN$146,499$0Yes
Alan Wayne AllardRCO$0$0Yes
John BarrassoRWY$126,450$0Yes
Max BaucusDMT$172,090$0Yes
Birch "Evan" BayhDIN$208,092$0Yes
Bob BennettRUT$36,750$0Yes
Joe BidenDDE$119,984$0Yes
Jesse "Jeff" BingamanDNM$94,296$0Yes
Christopher "Kit" BondRMO$165,170$0Yes
Barbara BoxerDCA$275,595$0Yes
Sherrod BrownDOH$368,217$0Yes
Sam BrownbackRKS$115,975$0Yes
Jim BunningRKY$89,400$0Yes
Richard BurrRNC$299,257$0Yes
Robert ByrdDWV$79,825$0Yes
Maria CantwellDWA$331,998$0Yes
Ben CardinDMD$217,462$0Yes
Tom CarperDDE$52,523$0Yes
Bob CaseyDPA$288,789$0Yes
Clarence Saxby ChamblissRGA$249,395$0Yes
Hillary ClintonDNY$1,326,782$0Yes
Tom CoburnROK$267,632$0Yes
William Thad CochranRMS$32,500$0Yes
Norm ColemanRMN$351,625$0Yes
Susan M. CollinsRME$169,736$0Yes
Gaylord Kent ConradDND$76,633$0Yes
Bob CorkerRTN$467,616$0Yes
John CornynRTX$496,148$0Yes
Larry CraigRID$2,000$0Yes
Mike CrapoRID$27,577$0Yes
Jim DeMintRSC$330,081$0Yes
Chris DoddDCT$134,400$0Yes
Mary Elizabeth DoleRNC$218,167$0Yes
Pete DomeniciRNM$25,100$0Yes
Byron DorganDND$67,970$0Yes
Dick DurbinDIL$205,350$0Yes
John EnsignRNV$194,099$0Yes
Mike EnziRWY$39,850$0Yes
Russ FeingoldDWI$262,977$0Yes
Dianne FeinsteinDCA$184,657$0Yes
Lindsey GrahamRSC$129,475$0Yes
Chuck GrassleyRIA$206,051$0Yes
Judd GreggRNH$46,200$0Yes
Chuck HagelRNE$24,050$0Yes
Tom HarkinDIA$234,550$0Yes
Orrin G. HatchRUT$108,700$0Yes
Kay Bailey HutchisonRTX$239,498$0Yes
Jim InhofeROK$95,538$0Yes
Dan InouyeDHI$57,300$0Yes
Johnny IsaksonRGA$160,950$0Yes
Tim JohnsonDSD$98,329$0Yes
Ted KennedyDMA$192,400$0Yes
John F. KerryDMA$109,490$0Yes
Amy KlobucharDMN$177,971$0Yes
Herb KohlDWI$-500$0Yes
Jon KylRAZ$431,722$0Yes
Mary L. LandrieuDLA$264,259$0Yes
Frank R. LautenbergDNJ$180,762$0Yes
Patrick J. LeahyDVT$96,600$0Yes
Carl LevinDMI$128,423$0Yes
Joe LiebermanICT$363,350$0Yes
Blanche LincolnDAR$105,950$0Yes
Chester Trent LottRMS$67,550$0Yes
Dick LugarRIN$70,250$0Yes
Mel MartinezRFL$344,184$0Yes
John McCainRAZ$88,700$0Yes
Claire McCaskillDMO$283,924$0Yes
Addison "Mitch" McConnellRKY$402,625$0Yes
Bob MenéndezDNJ$287,975$0Yes
Barbara A. MikulskiDMD$86,100$0Yes
Lisa MurkowskiRAK$114,950$0Yes
Patty MurrayDWA$141,600$0Yes
Earl "Ben" NelsonDNE$99,775$0Yes
Clarence "Bill" NelsonDFL$335,924$0Yes
Barack ObamaDIL$443,553$0Yes
Mark L. PryorDAR$118,078$0Yes
John "Jack" ReedDRI$60,200$0Yes
Harry ReidDNV$245,600$0Yes
Charles "Pat" RobertsRKS$136,652$0Yes
John "Jay" RockefellerDWV$158,050$0Yes
Ken SalazarDCO$452,273$0Yes
Bernie SandersIVT$99,066$0Yes
Chuck SchumerDNY$269,170$0Yes
Jeff SessionsRAL$81,950$0Yes
Richard C. ShelbyRAL$43,300$0Yes
Gordon SmithROR$178,118$0Yes
Olympia J. SnoweRME$57,075$0Yes
Arlen SpecterDPA$557,750$0Yes
Debbie StabenowDMI$261,816$0Yes
Ted StevensRAK$87,250$0Yes
John SununuRNH$144,875$0Yes
Jon TesterDMT$123,339$0Yes
John ThuneRSD$345,941$0Yes
David VitterRLA$334,428$0Yes
George VoinovichROH$275,756$0Yes
John WarnerRVA$0$0Yes
Jim WebbDVA$193,325$0Yes
Sheldon WhitehouseDRI$172,364$0Yes
Ron WydenDOR$122,200$0Yes

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NamePartyState$ From Interest Groups
That Supported		$ From Interest Groups
That Opposed		Vote
Daniel K. AkakaDHI$30,800$0Yes
Andrew Lamar AlexanderRTN$146,499$0Yes
Alan Wayne AllardRCO$0$0Yes
John BarrassoRWY$126,450$0Yes
Max BaucusDMT$172,090$0Yes
Birch "Evan" BayhDIN$208,092$0Yes
Bob BennettRUT$36,750$0Yes
Joe BidenDDE$119,984$0Yes
Jesse "Jeff" BingamanDNM$94,296$0Yes
Christopher "Kit" BondRMO$165,170$0Yes
Barbara BoxerDCA$275,595$0Yes
Sherrod BrownDOH$368,217$0Yes
Sam BrownbackRKS$115,975$0Yes
Jim BunningRKY$89,400$0Yes
Richard BurrRNC$299,257$0Yes
Robert ByrdDWV$79,825$0Yes
Maria CantwellDWA$331,998$0Yes
Ben CardinDMD$217,462$0Yes
Tom CarperDDE$52,523$0Yes
Bob CaseyDPA$288,789$0Yes
Clarence Saxby ChamblissRGA$249,395$0Yes
Hillary ClintonDNY$1,326,782$0Yes
Tom CoburnROK$267,632$0Yes
William Thad CochranRMS$32,500$0Yes
Norm ColemanRMN$351,625$0Yes
Susan M. CollinsRME$169,736$0Yes
Gaylord Kent ConradDND$76,633$0Yes
Bob CorkerRTN$467,616$0Yes
John CornynRTX$496,148$0Yes
Larry CraigRID$2,000$0Yes
Mike CrapoRID$27,577$0Yes
Jim DeMintRSC$330,081$0Yes
Chris DoddDCT$134,400$0Yes
Mary Elizabeth DoleRNC$218,167$0Yes
Pete DomeniciRNM$25,100$0Yes
Byron DorganDND$67,970$0Yes
Dick DurbinDIL$205,350$0Yes
John EnsignRNV$194,099$0Yes
Mike EnziRWY$39,850$0Yes
Russ FeingoldDWI$262,977$0Yes
Dianne FeinsteinDCA$184,657$0Yes
Lindsey GrahamRSC$129,475$0Yes
Chuck GrassleyRIA$206,051$0Yes
Judd GreggRNH$46,200$0Yes
Chuck HagelRNE$24,050$0Yes
Tom HarkinDIA$234,550$0Yes
Orrin G. HatchRUT$108,700$0Yes
Kay Bailey HutchisonRTX$239,498$0Yes
Jim InhofeROK$95,538$0Yes
Dan InouyeDHI$57,300$0Yes
Johnny IsaksonRGA$160,950$0Yes
Tim JohnsonDSD$98,329$0Yes
Ted KennedyDMA$192,400$0Yes
John F. KerryDMA$109,490$0Yes
Amy KlobucharDMN$177,971$0Yes
Herb KohlDWI$-500$0Yes
Jon KylRAZ$431,722$0Yes
Mary L. LandrieuDLA$264,259$0Yes
Frank R. LautenbergDNJ$180,762$0Yes
Patrick J. LeahyDVT$96,600$0Yes
Carl LevinDMI$128,423$0Yes
Joe LiebermanICT$363,350$0Yes
Blanche LincolnDAR$105,950$0Yes
Chester Trent LottRMS$67,550$0Yes
Dick LugarRIN$70,250$0Yes
Mel MartinezRFL$344,184$0Yes
John McCainRAZ$88,700$0Yes
Claire McCaskillDMO$283,924$0Yes
Addison "Mitch" McConnellRKY$402,625$0Yes
Bob MenéndezDNJ$287,975$0Yes
Barbara A. MikulskiDMD$86,100$0Yes
Lisa MurkowskiRAK$114,950$0Yes
Patty MurrayDWA$141,600$0Yes
Earl "Ben" NelsonDNE$99,775$0Yes
Clarence "Bill" NelsonDFL$335,924$0Yes
Barack ObamaDIL$443,553$0Yes
Mark L. PryorDAR$118,078$0Yes
John "Jack" ReedDRI$60,200$0Yes
Harry ReidDNV$245,600$0Yes
Charles "Pat" RobertsRKS$136,652$0Yes
John "Jay" RockefellerDWV$158,050$0Yes
Ken SalazarDCO$452,273$0Yes
Bernie SandersIVT$99,066$0Yes
Chuck SchumerDNY$269,170$0Yes
Jeff SessionsRAL$81,950$0Yes
Richard C. ShelbyRAL$43,300$0Yes
Gordon SmithROR$178,118$0Yes
Olympia J. SnoweRME$57,075$0Yes
Arlen SpecterDPA$557,750$0Yes
Debbie StabenowDMI$261,816$0Yes
Ted StevensRAK$87,250$0Yes
John SununuRNH$144,875$0Yes
Jon TesterDMT$123,339$0Yes
John ThuneRSD$345,941$0Yes
David VitterRLA$334,428$0Yes
George VoinovichROH$275,756$0Yes
John WarnerRVA$0$0Yes
Jim WebbDVA$193,325$0Yes
Sheldon WhitehouseDRI$172,364$0Yes
Ron WydenDOR$122,200$0Yes

Interest Groups that supported this bill

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$ Donated
Physicians$9,565,460
Book, newspaper & periodical publishing$4,353,238
Commercial TV & radio stations$2,536,657
Non-profit foundations$1,906,817
Museums, art galleries, libraries, etc.$560,199
Christian Conservative$163,850

Interest Groups that opposed this bill

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