A bill to amend title 5, United States Code, to provide that persons be given access to records concerning them which are maintained by Government agencies.

Summary

Provides that each Government agency that maintains records, including computer records, concerning any person which may be retrieved by reference to or are indexed under, a person's name, or some other similar identifying number or symbol, and which contains any information obtained from any source shall, with respect to such records: (1) refrain from disclosing the record or any information contained therein to any other agency or to any person not employed by the agency maintaining such record, except (a) with notification of the person concerned or of an immediate family member if the person connot be located (b) that if disclosure of the record is required under law, the person concerned shall be notified by mail at his last known address of any such required disclosure; (2) refrain from disclosing the record or any information contained therein to individuals within that agency other than those individuals who need to examine such record or information for the execution of their jobs; (3) maintain an accurate record of the names and addresses of all persons to whom any information contained in such records is divulged and the purposes for which such divulgence was made; (4) permit any person to inspect his own record and have copies thereof made at his expense, which in no event shall be greater than the cost to the agency of making such copies; (5) permit any person to supplement the information contained in his record by the addition of any document or writing of reasonable length containing information such person deems pertinent to his records; and (6) remove erroneous information of any kind, and notify all agencies and persons to whom the erroneous material has been previously transferred of its removal. Provides that this Act shall not apply to records that are: (1) specifically required by Executive order to be kept secret in the interest of the national defense and foreign policy; and (2) investigatory files compiled for law enforcement purposes. Requires the President to report to Congress before January 30 of each year on an agency-by-agency basis the number of records and the number of investigatory files which were exempted from the application of this Act. Directs each agency maintaining such records to publish rules and procedures to be followed with respect to making records promptly available to an individual. Provides that any employee of the United States who under the color of agency authority knowingly and willfully violates a provision of this Act, or permits such a violation, shall be fined $1,000. (Adds 5 U.S.C. 552 (a))

This text is taken from the official record. PoliticalRepo does not editorialize.

Timeline

1. 6 March 1974

   Introduced

   Referred to House Committee on Government Operations.

   Source: IntroReferral

2. 6 March 1974

   Introduced

   Introduced in House

   Source: IntroReferral

3. 6 March 1974

   Introduced

   Introduced in House

   Source: IntroReferral

Votes

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Versions

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Documents

1 official file

• Introduced in House

  summary · EN · 6 March 1974

  Open at official source

Sponsors

• Rep. Koch, Edward I. [D-NY-18] · D · Sponsor
• · hsgo00 · Standing

Related records

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