Skip to main content
HR 7163 116th Congress House Armed Forces and National Security Computers and information technology Congressional oversight Department of Veterans Affairs Freedom of information Government ethics and transparency, public corruption Government information and archives Government studies and investigations National Archives and Records Administration

VA FOIA Reform Act of 2020

Introduced: June 11, 2020 Introduced by: Cisneros, Gilbert Ray Democratic · California See on congress.gov
Sign in to write a letter Sign in to watch
This bill died when the 116th Congress ended
It never became law before the 116th Congress (2019–2020) adjourned, and bills don't carry over to the next Congress. It would have to be reintroduced. You can still save it for reference, but it won't receive updates.
 Everywhere this bill has been 6 steps
Introduced
In committee
Reported out
Passed House
Passed Senate
To President
Became law
Sep 17, 2020
Ordered to be Reported (Amended) by Voice Vote.
Sep 17, 2020
Committee Consideration and Mark-up Session Held.
Jul 23, 2020
Committee Hearings Held.
Jul 1, 2020
Referred to the Subcommittee on Oversight and Investigations.
Jun 11, 2020
Introduced in House
Jun 11, 2020
Referred to the House Committee on Veterans' Affairs.
 Ask about this bill AI · grounded in the bill text

Have a question about what this bill does? Ask in plain English; the answer is drawn from the bill's actual text and official record, and it'll tell you when something isn't in the text rather than guess.

AI answers can be imperfect; always confirm against the full bill text.

 Plain-English summary Congressional Research Service

VA FOIA Reform Act of 2020

This bill requires the Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) to reduce the backlog of Freedom of Information Act (FOIA) requests by 75% within three years of enactment of the bill. Additionally, the VA must reduce the backlog of Office of Special Counsel requests made to the VA by 75% within three years of the enactment of this bill.

The VA must determine the types of documents, records, and information that are frequently requested under FOIA and must regularly make such documents, records, and information publicly available.

Finally, the VA must request that the Office of Government Information Services within the National Archives and Records Administration conduct an assessment of the VA's compliance with FOIA.

What's happening now September 17, 2020

Ordered to be Reported (Amended) by Voice Vote.

 Bill text 1 version

Source documents hosted by congress.gov.

 Committees of jurisdiction 2
Cite this page click to expand
APA
U.S. Congress. (2026). H.R. 7163: VA FOIA Reform Act of 2020. 116th Congress. Open America. https://openamerica.io/bill/116-HR-7163/
MLA
"H.R. 7163: VA FOIA Reform Act of 2020." 116th Congress, 2026, Open America, https://openamerica.io/bill/116-HR-7163/.
Bluebook (legal)
H.R. 7163, 116th Cong. (2026), https://openamerica.io/bill/116-HR-7163/.
Markdown link
[H.R. 7163: VA FOIA Reform Act of 2020](https://openamerica.io/bill/116-HR-7163/)
Report a problem