# 114-hr-1615: DHS FOIA Efficiency Act of 2015

114-hr-1615, DHS FOIA Efficiency Act of 2015, is a 114th Congress bill sponsored by Rep. Carter, Earl L. "Buddy" [R-GA-1] (R-GA); status Received in the Senate and Read twice and referred to the Committee on the Judiciary. (as of 2025-11-18).

- Canonical: https://policyrisk.com/legislation/114-hr-1615
- As of: 2025-11-18
- Plain-text twin of the page above; the HTML and this file carry the same facts.

## Facts
- Bill: 114-hr-1615
- Congress: 114
- Title: DHS FOIA Efficiency Act of 2015
- Status: Received in the Senate and Read twice and referred to the Committee on the Judiciary.
- Introduced: 2015-03-25
- Sponsor: Rep. Carter, Earl L. "Buddy" [R-GA-1] (R-GA)
- Cosponsors: 9
- Policy area: Government Operations and Politics
- Touches household money: no
- Last recorded action: 2025-11-18

## Summary

DHS FOIA Efficiency Act of 2015 Directs the Chief FOIA Officer of the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) to finalize and issue an updated regulation implementing the Freedom of Information Act (FOIA), which shall 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 responsible for processing such requests; and (3) detailed information on fees and costs associated with, and the appeals process for, such requests. Requires such Officer to: (1) identify the total annual cost to DHS of implementing FOIA, (2) develop guidance on reporting standards related to costs of processing requests, (3) identify and eliminate unnecessary and duplicative actions taken by DHS in processing requests, and (4) develop a plan to automate the processing of requests. Requires the Chief Privacy Officer of DHS to update and issue guidance to the heads of each of the relevant DHS components regarding the goal of reducing the backlog in processing requests by 50% between FY2015 and FY2018. 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 for the period covered by the report and an assessment of progress made toward meeting the backlog goals, and (2) in the second semiannual privacy report for FY2016 a description of any cost savings identified and the automation plan developed.

## Cosponsors (9)

- Rep. McCaul, Michael T. [R-TX-10] (R-TX), 2015-03-25T00:00:00.000Z
- Rep. Katko, John [R-NY-24] (R-NY), 2015-03-25T00:00:00.000Z
- Rep. Hurd, Will [R-TX-23] (R-TX), 2015-03-25T00:00:00.000Z
- Rep. Walker, Mark [R-NC-6] (R-NC), 2015-03-25T00:00:00.000Z
- Rep. Loudermilk, Barry [R-GA-11] (R-GA), 2015-03-25T00:00:00.000Z
- Rep. McSally, Martha [R-AZ-2] (R-AZ), 2015-03-25T00:00:00.000Z
- Rep. Ratcliffe, John [R-TX-4] (R-TX), 2015-03-25T00:00:00.000Z
- Rep. Perry, Scott [R-PA-10] (R-PA), 2015-05-12T00:00:00.000Z
- Rep. Miller, Candice S. [R-MI-10] (R-MI), 2015-05-12T00:00:00.000Z

## Related bills

- 114-hr-1640: Department of Homeland Security Headquarters Consolidation Accountability Act of 2015
- 114-hr-1633: DHS Paid Administrative Leave Accountability Act of 2015
- 114-hr-160: Protect Medical Innovation Act of 2015
- 114-hr-4764: Puppies Assisting Wounded Servicemembers (PAWS) Act of 2016
- 114-hr-4651: Digital Security Commission Act of 2016
- 114-hr-3880: Stopping EPA Overreach Act of 2015

## Sources
- [114-hr-1615 on Congress.gov](https://www.congress.gov/bill/114th-congress/house-bill/1615)

## Related
- [114-hr-1640: Department of Homeland Security Headquarters Consolidation Accountability Act o…](https://policyrisk.com/legislation/114-hr-1640)
- [114-hr-1633: DHS Paid Administrative Leave Accountability Act of 2015](https://policyrisk.com/legislation/114-hr-1633)
- [114-hr-160: Protect Medical Innovation Act of 2015](https://policyrisk.com/legislation/114-hr-160)
- [114-hr-4764: Puppies Assisting Wounded Servicemembers (PAWS) Act of 2016](https://policyrisk.com/legislation/114-hr-4764)
- [114-hr-4651: Digital Security Commission Act of 2016](https://policyrisk.com/legislation/114-hr-4651)
- [114-hr-3880: Stopping EPA Overreach Act of 2015](https://policyrisk.com/legislation/114-hr-3880)
- [All bills in Congress](https://policyrisk.com/legislation)

Source: PRIA, https://policyrisk.com/legislation/114-hr-1615 (as of 2025-11-18).