Double Secret Probation
Dec 2nd, 2005 at 6:19 am by Susie
The Republicans want to create a top-secret agency to work on vaccines that will be exempt from the Freedom of Information Act and have minimal legal liability. Naturally, some people are upset:
Those exemptions would streamline the development process, safeguard national security and protect the proprietary interests of drug companies, say Republican backers of the bill. The legislation also proposes giving manufacturers immunity from liability in exchange for their participation in the public-private effort. [...]
But it is the secrecy and immunity provisions of the legislation that have alarmed patient rights and open government advocates. The agency would be exempt from the Freedom of Information and Federal Advisory Committee acts, both considered crucial for monitoring government accountability.
“There is no other agency that I am aware of where the agency is totally exempt either from FOIA or FACA,” said Pete Weitzel, coordinator of the Coalition of Journalists for Open Government. The coalition is an alliance of journalism groups, including the American Society of Newspaper Editors and Associated Press Managing Editors, that wrote to lawmakers seeking amendments to the bill. “That is a cause for major concern and should raise major policy concerns,” Weitzel said.
Burr spokesman Doug Heye said the provisions would keep competitors from gaining proprietary information through FOIA. However, confidential business information already is exempt from FOIA.
I am aware that being exempt might make the process go faster..government regulation = paperwork, red tape, etc.
But ever notice how whenever there’s a problem, the Republican’s first solution is adkin to smashing a fly with a hammer–ie, when we figured out that the FBI and the CIA weren’t talking to each other, their solution was the bloody Patriot act?
Point: there’s probably a better way to streamline the process.
Secrecy stinks
Why do the Republicans hate the public? They want to create a new government agency which will be exempt from the Freedom of Information Act and the Federal Advisory Committee Act.The proposed Biomedical Advanced Research and Development Agency, or BAR…