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HR 3412 97th Congress House Government Operations and Politics Civil actions and liability Courts and Civil Procedure Freedom of information Government records, documents, and information

A bill to amend the Freedom of Information Act to restrict the defense of agencies by the Department of Justice in litigation challenging the withholding of information, and for other purposes.

Introduced: May 4, 1981 See on congress.gov
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This bill died when the 97th Congress ended
It never became law before the 97th Congress (1981–1982) 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 7 steps
Introduced
In committee
Reported out
Passed House
Passed Senate
To President
Became law
May 19, 1981
Referred to Subcommittee on Government Information and Individual Rights.
May 19, 1981
Executive Comment Requested from GAO, Justice, OMB.
May 11, 1981
Executive Comment Requested from Justice.
May 7, 1981
Referred to Subcommittee on Administrative Law and Governmental Relations.
May 4, 1981
Referred to House Committee on The Judiciary.
May 4, 1981
Referred to House Committee on Government Operations.
May 4, 1981
Introduced in House
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 Plain-English summary Congressional Research Service

Amends the Freedom of Information Act to prohibit the Attorney General from defending any Federal agency against a Freedom of Information action unless the Attorney General determines that: (1) there is an important public interest in the withholding of the information; and (2) disclosure of the information is demonstrably harmful.

What's happening now May 19, 1981

Referred to Subcommittee on Government Information and Individual Rights.

 Committees of jurisdiction 4
 Cosponsors 1
All 1 Democratic 1
D
Wyden, Ron
Oregon · Jun 8, 1981
Cite this page click to expand
APA
U.S. Congress. (2026). H.R. 3412: A bill to amend the Freedom of Information Act to restrict the defense of agencies by the Department of Justice in litigation challenging the withholding of information, and for other purposes.. 97th Congress. Open America. https://openamerica.io/bill/97-HR-3412/
MLA
"H.R. 3412: A bill to amend the Freedom of Information Act to restrict the defense of agencies by the Department of Justice in litigation challenging the withholding of information, and for other purposes.." 97th Congress, 2026, Open America, https://openamerica.io/bill/97-HR-3412/.
Bluebook (legal)
H.R. 3412, 97th Cong. (2026), https://openamerica.io/bill/97-HR-3412/.
Markdown link
[H.R. 3412: A bill to amend the Freedom of Information Act to restrict the defense of agencies by the Department of Justice in litigation challenging the withholding of information, and for other purposes.](https://openamerica.io/bill/97-HR-3412/)
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