[60] in Information Retrieval
Internet Access to Federal Information
daemon@ATHENA.MIT.EDU (ganderso@Athena.MIT.EDU)
Wed Feb 5 09:30:25 1992
From: ganderso@Athena.MIT.EDU
To: libtalk@MIT.EDU
To: elibdev@MIT.EDU
Date: Wed, 05 Feb 92 09:27:20 EST
Thought folks might be interested in this legislation introduced by
Rep. Major Owens, the only librarian who is a representative.
Greg
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Date: Tue, 4 Feb 1992 14:41:10 EST
Reply-To: "Z39.50 Implementors Workshop" <Z3950IW%NERVM.BITNET@uga.cc.uga.edu>
Sender: "Z39.50 Implementors Workshop" <Z3950IW%NERVM.BITNET@uga.cc.uga.edu>
From: James P Love <LOVE%PUCC.BITNET@uga.cc.uga.edu>
Subject: Standards, Internet Access to Federal Information
To: Multiple recipients of list Z3950IW <Z3950IW%NERVM.BITNET@uga.cc.uga.edu>
The following note describes Rep. Major Owens' Improvement of Information
Access Act (IIA Act, HR 3459), and asks for endorsements of the legislation.
I am forwarding it to this group because the Owens bill places a large
emphasis on the development and adoption of standards for information records,
file formats, and query structures. Every year all federal agencies will have
to report what they are doing on these topics, and accept and repond to
public comments. There are other features of the legislation too, such as
limits on the pricing of government information products and services (no
more than the incremental cost of dissemination), and a mandate to disseminate
information through computer networks. Comments on any aspect of the
legislation would be appreciated. Supporters of the Owens bill are
particularly interested in learning about computer or software firms that
are supportive.
ONLINE ACCESS TO FEDERAL INFORMATION THROUGH THE INTERNET
The Taxpayer Assets Project is preparing a fact sheet on HR 3459,
the Improvement of Information Access Act (IIA Act). We would
like to list the names of organizations that support this bill.
Among the groups that have already indicated support for the IIA
Act are:
American Association of Law Libraries (AALL)
American Library Association (ALA)
Computer Professionals for Social Responsibility (CPSR)
Electronic Frontier Foundation (EFF)
Public Citizen
Taxpayer Assets Project
The IIA Act would amend the Freedom of Information Act, adding
several new sections which pertain to agency responsibilities to
disseminate information. The bill is designed to vastly increase
public access to agency information and information systems.
AMONG OTHER THINGS, IT GIVES ALL FEDERAL AGENCIES A MANDATE TO
PROVIDE ONLINE ACCESS TO INFORMATION RESOURCES THROUGH NATIONAL
COMPUTER NETWORKS. This would be a major change in federal
policy. The bill also:
o limits agency prices for information products and
services to the incremental costs of dissemination,
o encourages the use of standards for file and record
formats, software query command structures, and other
matters that make information easier to obtain and use,
and
o provides an annual opportunity to file public comments
on a wide range of information policy issues, and
requires agency's to detail their responses the
following year.
This legislation, which was introduced by Representative Major
Owens on Oct 1, 1991, is one of two bills which would force
federal agencies to provide expanded opportunities for online
access to federal government information. (HR 2772, the GPO
WINDO Act, is the other bill).
If your organization supports HR 3459, please let me know so it
can included in the fact sheet which were are preparing.
Send responses to:
James Love voice: 609-683-0534
Taxpayer Assets Project fax: 202-234-5176
P.O. Box 19367 internet: love@pucc.princeton
Washington, DC 20036 bitnet: love@pucc
A copy of the bill follows. Send me a note if you want further
information.
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102d Congress
1st Session
H.R. 3459
IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES
Mr. Owens of New York introduced the following bill; which was
referred to the Committee on Government Operations.
Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representatives of the United
States of America in Congress assembled,
SECTION I. SHORT TITLE.
This Act may be cited as the ``Improvement of Information Access Act
of 1991''.
SEC. 2. FINDINGS.
The Congress finds the following:
(1) A well-informed citizenry is essential for the well-being of
a democratic society.
(2) Access to Government Information is essential for citizens
who seek to make the Federal Government accountable for its actions.
(3) The public should have timely, complete, equitable, and
affordable access to Government Information.
(4) Federal agencies should use modern information technology for
the benefit of citizens of the United States.
(5) Government information is a national resource that should be
treated as a public good.
(6) Government information is a valuable economic asset that
belongs to the public.
(7) Taxpayers pay for the creation, collection, and organization
of Government information and should not be required to pay excessive
fees to receive and use that information.
(8) It is unnecessarily difficult for citizens to provide federal
agencies with comments and suggestions on Federal information
policies. As a result, many Federal agencies do not take into account
the public interest in the information resources they manage.
(9) Federal agencies have been slow in developing standards for
record and file formats, software query command structures, and other
important topics that will make Government information easier to
obtain and use.
(10) Many Federal agencies do not provide timely access to
Government information at reasonable costs.
SEC. 3. IMPROVED PUBLIC ACCESS TO GOVERNMENT INFORMATION.
Section 552 of title 5, United States Code, is amended by adding at
the end the following:
``(g) Each executive department, military department, and independent
establishment shall prepare by not later than February 1 of each year, and
make freely available to the public upon request and at no charge, a report
which describes the information dissemination policies and practices of the
department or establishment, including--
``(1) plans of the department or establishment to introduce new
information products and services or discontinue old ones;
``(2) efforts of the department or establishment to develop or
implement standards for file and record formats, software query
command structures, and other matters that make information easier to
obtain and use;
``(3) progress of the department or establishment in creating and
disseminating comprehensive indexes and bibliographies of information
products and services, including coordinated efforts conducted with
other agencies;
``(4) the methods to be used by the public for accessing
information, including the modes and outlets available to the public;
``(5) provisions for protecting access to records stored with
technologies that are superseded or obsolete;
``(6) methods used to make the public aware of information
resources, services, and products; and
``(7) a summary of the comments received from the public under
subsection (h) in the year preceding the report, and the response of
the department or establishment to those comments.
``(h)(1) Not later than February 1 of each year, each executive
department, military department, and independent establishment shall
publish in the Federal Register, and provide in such other manner as
will notify users of information of the department or establishment a
notice of--
``(A) the availability of the report prepared under subsection
(g), and
``(B) a period of not less than 90 days for submission by the
public of comments regarding the information dissemination policies
and practices of the department or establishment, including comments
regarding--
``(i) the types of information the department or
establishment collects and disseminates,
``(ii) the methods and outlets the department or
establishment uses to store and disseminate information,
``(iii) the prices charged by the department or
establishment, or such outlets, for the information, and
``(iv) the validity, reliability, timeliness, and usefulness
to the public of the information.
``(2) Comments received under this subsection by a department or
independent establishment shall be available for inspection to the public.
``(i) Before discontinuing an information product or service, an
agency shall--
``(1) publish in the Federal Register, or provide by other means
adequate to inform users of information of the agency, a notice of a
period of not less than 120 days for submission by the public of
comments regarding that discontinuation,
``(2) include in that notice an explanation of the reasons for
the discontinuation, and
``(3) consider comments received pursuant to the notice.
``(j) Each agency shall--
``(1) disseminate information in useful modes and through
appropriate outlets, with adequate documentation, software, indexes,
or other resources that will permit and broad public access to
Government information;
``(2) store and disseminate information products and services in
standardized record formats; and
``(3) use depository libraries, national computer networks, and
other distribution channels that improve public access to Government
information.
``(k)(1) Except as specially authorized by statute, an agency shall
not -
``(A) charge more than the incremental cost of disseminating an
information product or service; or
``(B) charge any royalty or other fee ofr any use or
redissemination of Government information.
``(2) For purposes of this subsection, the incremental cost of
disseminating an information product or service does not include any
portion of the cost of collecting, organizing, or processing information
disseminated through the product or service.
``(l)(1) The Archivist of the United States and the Director of the
National Institute of Standards and Technology shall jointly issue and
periodically revise model performance standards under which agencies shall
be encouraged to provide access to public records.
``(2) Standards issued under this subsection shall include, but not be
limited to, the establishment of a period within which an agency, upon
request, shall provide by mail or other means a copy of any decision, rule,
notice, docket filing, press release, or other public document of the
agency.''.
Sec. 4. STANDARDS FOR ACCESS TO PUBLIC RECORDS.
The Archivist of the United States and the Director of the National
Institute of Standards and Technology shall jointly issue model performance
standards for providing access to agency records, under section 552(1) of
title 5, United States Code (as added by Section 3), by not later than 1
year after the enactment of this act.
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James Love, Director VOICE: 609-683-0534
Taxpayer Assets Project FAX: 202-234-5176
7-Z Magie, Faculty Road bitnet: Love@pucc.bitnet
Princeton, NJ 08540 internet: Love@pucc.princeton.edu
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