Msg. to All from Sen. Pat Leahy on the Faster Freedom of Information Act:

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I'm proud to let you know that the U.S. Senate has voted unanimously to approve the Faster FOIA Act of 2011, legislation I introduced earlier this year to improve the Freedom of Information Act (or FOIA).

While Democrats and Republicans may have fundamentally different ideas about the role of the federal government, we should all agree that the government works best when citizens know what is going on.

The Faster FOIA Act of 2011 will reduce FOIA request backlogs, create a commission to streamline the FOIA process, and investigate whether or not federal agencies have been too quick to deny reasonable information inquiries from the public.

The LeahyForVermont.com community — including you — played a key role in advancing similar reform legislation I introduced last year, but the House of Representatives still hasn't voted.

Send your representative a quick note today, imploring him or her to promote good government by improving the Freedom of Information Act and passing my Faster FOIA Act of 2011.

The Obama administration has made great strides to open up government and bring federal agencies out from the shadows. But public requests for documents and information about government activity still go unanswered, often for months — or even years.

The only way to remove this impediment to public access of government information is by examining and reforming the FOIA process. That's exactly what the Faster FOIA Act of 2011 will do, when the House finally agrees to approve it.

We've waited long enough. The Senate's unanimous vote means it's time for the House of Representatives to act.

Please forward a pre-filled message to your representative today — and forward this email to everyone you know who believes in the importance of shining light on government activities.

I'm proud that we could pass the Faster FOIA Act of 2011 with unanimous, bipartisan support — and equally proud to have your support on this commonsense, good government legislation.

Thanks for taking action and spreading the word.

Sincerely,