Freedom of Information Act Legislative History
The Freedom of Information Act (FOIA) requires federal agencies to disclose information requested by the public, unless it falls into an exemption.
Freedom of Information Act and Amendments of 1974 (P.L. 93-502).
Ninety-Fourth Congress, 1st Session, March 1975
H.R. 12471, commonly referred to as the Freedom of Information Act (FOIA) Amendments of 1974 (Pub.L.No.93-502, 88 Stat. 1561), was enacted into law on November 21, 1974. These amendments effected the first substantive changes to the FOIA since its initial enactment in 1966 (Pub.L.No.89-487). The committee print linked below contains the text of documents comprising the legislative history of this law, including House and Senate committee reports and House and Senate Floor debate. It also contains U.S. Department of Justice memoranda regarding implementation of the Act by executive departments and agencies, as well as analyses prepared by the Library of Congress Congressional Research Service and committee staff. The U.S. Senate Judiciary Subcommittee on Administrative Practice and Procedure, chaired by Senator Edward M. Kennedy (Massachusetts), prepared this document jointly with the U.S. House Government Operations Subcommittee on Government Information and Individual Rights, chaired by Representative Bella Abzug (New York). Senator James O. Eastland (Mississippi) chaired the full Senate committee and Representative Jack Brooks (Texas) chaired the full House committee.
Source Book: Legislative History, Texts, and Other Documents (Joint Committee Print)
Also see FOIA.gov and CRS report Access to Government Information: An Overview