from Whats New 3. FREEDOM OF INFORMATION ACT: PLUGGING THE ELECTRONIC LOOPHOLE.

[David Farber <farber@central.cis.upenn.edu>]

3. FREEDOM OF INFORMATION ACT: PLUGGING THE ELECTRONIC LOOPHOLE.
In the hours before recess, the Senate passed a bill offered by
Patrick Leahy (D-VT) to extend the 1966 Freedom of Information
Act to include computer records.  You may find it hard to believe
that legislation is needed, but information has been withheld on
the grounds that it's not a "document" unless it's printed on
paper (WN 24 Jun 89).  In other cases, agencies supplied CD-ROM
data, but refused to provide access instructions (WN 8 Sep 89)!
The Leahy bill requires computer records to be user-friendly.