It's not just Judge Friedman who has found our performance wanting. For example, during passage of E-FOIA, Senator Leahy chastized us for "foot-dragging" for 5 years and spawning contempt among the American people by not being more responsive. Rep. Maloney said E-FOIA "... forces agencies to exercise foresight when installing computer systems which must help expedite agency FOIA requests and operations, rather than impeding them ..." Leahy also asserted: "The American taxpayer has paid for the collection and maintenance of ... records and should get prompt access ... upon request. That is what the law requires and that is the standard of service Government agencies should meet. Long delays in access can mean no access at all." Finally, Leahy commented approvingly on GILS, calling it a "helpful tool." He noted its relationship to the Internet and encouraged agencies to establish a FOIA request capabilities on their Web sites.

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