August 12, 2015 Senator Patrick Leahy Ranking Member, Senate Judiciary Committee 437 Russell Senate Office Building Washington, D.C. 20510 Dear Senator Leahy, The undersigned organizations committed to government openness and accountability would like to express our sincere gratitude for your leadership in ensuring the removal of the Exemption 10 provision from the Cybersecurity Information Sharing Act (CISA), S.754. This provision was the biggest threat to the Freedom of Information Act (FOIA) in recent years. Your leadership on this was essential to maintaining the Judiciary Committee’s appropriate jurisdiction over the FOIA. Our community also deeply appreciates your work in securing the removal from the Senate Transportation Bill (H.R. 22) provisions that would have created new unnecessary, overbroad and unwise exemptions to the FOIA. As you know, provisions such as these threaten to undermine the integrity of the FOIA. Your efforts to protect the FOIA in this instance are illustrative of the true leadership and commitment to the protection of freedom of information that has been a defining characteristic of your Senate career. We recognize and appreciate the tremendous effort your office has undertaken to defend freedom of information and government accountability. We look forward to continued engagement with you and your staff to secure the passage of the FOIA Improvement Act, and are eager to work with you in advancing further necessary reforms that must follow on its heels. Once again, we are grateful for your continued leadership and support for the right to information, government openness and accountability. Sincerely, American Association of Law Libraries American Library Association (ALA) American Society of News Editors Association of Alternative Newsmedia Association of Research Libraries Bill of Rights Defense Committee Campaign for Accountability Citizens for Responsibility and Ethics in Washington (CREW) Defending Dissent Foundation Demand Progress Government Accountability Project National Coalition Against Censorship National Security Archive OpenTheGovernment.org Project On Government Oversight (POGO) Rural Coalition Sunlight Foundation Transactional Records Access Clearinghouse