Ed Boards Call on Senate to Pass FOIL Bills

June 11, 2025
Editorial Boards to NY Senate: Pass the Transparency Bills! Fix the Ailing Freedom of Information Law
 
Assembly passed three FOIL bills – the Senate ZERO
 

Editorial boards across the state are calling for the State Senate to pass three bills to help fix the state’s ailing Freedom of Information Law. 

FOIL is deteriorating, agency responses to record requests often take months and are incomplete or denied for nonsensical reasons. Fortunately, this session, the Assembly passed three important FOIL bills. Unfortunately, the Senate has passed ZERO – and seems not to be hearing the energetic urgings of a broad, statewide coalition of watchdogs, transparency, and media groups. 

Let’s go, Senate! Pass the three FOIL bills passed by the Assembly and show you want a Freedom of Information Law that actually works. 

Public access to public records: Albany must reform the Freedom of Information Law 
NY Daily News Editorial Board
June 11, 2025

The public’s ability to see what their government is doing falls under the state Freedom of Information Law, known as FOIL. There are five FOIL reform bills being considered as the state Senate wraps up for the year tomorrow (the Assembly’s last day is next Tuesday). Three of the bills, mandating that every agency report on its FOIL compliance, limiting the commercial exemptions under FOIL and clarifying the rules on redactions, have already passed the Assembly this session. Stewart-Cousins must put them on the Senate floor before departing for the summer.

New Yorkers’ right to know has been undermined for too long
Buffalo News Editorial Board
June 5, 2025

One of the main problems with FOIL is that it needs better oversight to ensure that there will be accountability when agencies fail to respond or mishandle requests. State legislation has been repeatedly brought forward to improve FOIL. These bills wouldn’t solve all the problems, but they would help … Residents of New York are lucky that there are media outlets routinely submitting FOIL requests to make information public – often it’s information that could directly impact their lives. Lawmakers should recognize this vital process and pass legislation that will help make sure it works.

Lawmakers should keep pushing for transparency
Daily Gazette Editorial Board
June 6, 2025

In the few days they have left in this year’s legislative session, lawmakers still have an opportunity to make a difference in improving the state’s transparency laws … Other pending bills, some of which we’ve supported in past editorials and which we continue to support, would require governments to report their FOIL activity (A2321/S0452), limit the commercial FOIL exemption (A1410/S5000), strengthen the laws regarding attorneys fees in FOIL cases (A950A/S1418A), and require agencies to acknowledge FOIL requests and produce an approximate date, within a reasonable time frame, for the request to be approved or denied by (A3425/S2520A). Public transparency isn’t a back-burner issue and lawmakers shouldn’t treat it like one. There’s still time for them to make a difference.

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We urge the Senate to pass the following bills before they go home on Thursday. All have passed the Assembly:

We urge both the Senate and Assembly to pass the following bill: