PSI Sci
New here? Follow the money and the votes · Not sure of your district? Find your U.S. House member · Find your state legislators

H.R. 1615: DHS FOIA Efficiency Act of 2015

Before you vote › Federal bills

H.R. 1615: DHS FOIA Efficiency Act of 2015

114th Congress · introduced 2015-03-25 · Government Operations and Politics · Latest: Received in the Senate and Read twice and referred to the Committee on the Judiciary.

federal

Follow this bill, step by step

  1. Where it came from: introduced 2015-03-25 · official record
  2. Who proposed it: Rep. Carter, Earl L. "Buddy" [R-GA-1] · what a sponsor is
  3. What happened next: 1 recorded vote in our records. Latest: House roll call 387 (2015): On Motion to Suspend the Rules and Pass, as Amended, HR1615 (2015-06-25), Passed. See all
  4. Where it stands now: Received in the Senate and Read twice and referred to the Committee on the Judiciary. Not final yet: this can still change. We check for updates every day.
  5. If it becomes law and spends money: follow the money to money laws, then agencies and contracts and grants.

What does this mean?

Official title

DHS FOIA Efficiency Act of 2015

Plain summary

(This measure has not been amended since it was reported to the House of Representatives on June 11, 2015. The summary of that version is repeated here.) DHS FOIA Efficiency Act of 2015 (Sec. 2) Directs the Chief FOIA Officer of the Department of Homeland Security (DHS): within 90 days after enactment of this Act, to issue an updated regulation implementing the Freedom of Information Act (FOIA) and to identify the total annual implementation costs; to develop guidance on reporting standards related to costs of processing FOIA requests; within 120 days after enactment of this Act, to identify unnecessary and duplicative actions taken by DHS in processing such requests; to eliminate such actions within 12 months after identifying them; and within 90 days after enactment of this Act, to develop a plan to automate the processing of requests and to issue guidance to the relevant DHS components regarding the goal of reducing the backlog in processing requests by 50% between FY2015 and FY2018. Requires the regulation implementing FOIA to include: (1) public guidance on procedures to be followed when making requests for DHS rules, opinions, orders, records, or proceedings; (2) updated guidance to the DHS components for processing such requests, which may include information on automated processing; and (3) detailed information on fees and costs associated with, and on the appeals process for, requests. Directs the Chief FOIA Officer to include: (1) in each semiannual privacy report submitted under the Intelligence Reform and Terrorism Prevention Act of 2004, the total costs to DHS of meeting FOIA requirements and assessments of progress made toward meeting backlog goals, of whether DHS has adequate staffing and other resources to address such goals, and of progress made toward automating the processing of requests; and (2) in the second semiannual privacy report for FY2016, a description of any cost savings identified from, and the plan developed for, automating the processing of requests. (Sec. 3) Directs the Chief FOIA Officer to provide such plan, upon completion, to DHS components and seek written feedback regarding the extent to which each component will adopt the plan, the associated costs, and the projected time lines.

Congressional Research Service summary (Passed House amended), quoted unchanged (nonpartisan). Read the source.

What a vote does

A “Yea” vote

If it passes both chambers and is signed, it becomes law.

A “Nay” vote

If it is not passed, current law stays as it is.

PSI Sci description of the legislative step (not an opinion).

What does this mean? (plain words)

Official text

DHS FOIA Efficiency Act of 2015

Source: Congressional Research Service summary (Passed House amended)

AI explanation – may be wrong, check the official text

No AI explanation yet. It takes up to a minute to write and is then saved for everyone.

Limited to a few requests an hour per person.

The strongest published arguments

Arguments for (supporters)

Needs sources: no published arguments on this side yet. We only show items backed by a published source. Suggest one.

Arguments against (opponents)

Needs sources: no published arguments on this side yet. We only show items backed by a published source. Suggest one.

Alternatives

Needs sources: no published alternatives yet (for example a different bill, a law instead of an amendment, or keeping current law). We only show items backed by a published source. Suggest one.

How did my representative vote? · This bill's floor votes

Officials and money

Sponsor: Rep. Carter, Earl L. "Buddy" [R-GA-1] · 9 cosponsors

Cost estimate: CBO cost estimate: H.R. 1615, DHS FOIA Efficiency Act of 2015 (2015-06-02)

Cosponsors on this site

Michael T. McCaul (R-TX), Barry Loudermilk (R-GA), Scott Perry (R-PA)

Sponsor's campaign money: Rep. Carter, Earl L. "Buddy" [R-GA-1] reported raising $7.3 million (2025–2026). Details. Shown for context only; it does not mean any donor supported this bill.

Recorded votes

Words on this page, explained (2)
Rulemaking
The process agencies use to write regulations that carry out laws passed by Congress or a legislature. Usually an agency publishes a proposed rule, takes public comments, then publishes a final rule.
Securities
Financial investments that can be bought and sold, such as stocks and bonds.

Plain meanings written from linked sources. All words.

Sources

Record fed-us-cong114-hr1615 · catalog fed-us-congress-bills-cong114 · updated 2026-11-15 by psicol fed-bills-cong114