Public records often delayed, study finds

WASHINGTON – Federal agencies are still taking too long to open records to the public, a new study finds.

A report by the National Security Archive found continued backlogs and little progress more than two years after President Barack Obama ordered the government to respond more quickly to public requests for records. The findings were to be released today, the 45th anniversary of the U.S. Freedom of Information Act.

The archive, a public interest group, determined that the long-standing requests for government documents were typically victims of a lengthy referral process.

The single oldest FOIA request – one made to the National Archives 20 years ago for various State Department files about nuclear research from the 1950s – is likely being held up by a referral to the Energy Department.