Mexican Chamber unanimously passes public information access law Via NY Transfer News * All the News That Doesn't Fit source - Milt Shapiro Chamber unanimously passes public information access law Jason Lange, The News Staff - 4/25/2002 Federal deputies on Wednesday unanimously passed Mexico's first-ever public information law to open up government records to public scrutiny. The bill - passed 411-0 with 89 abstentions - now goes to the Senate, where it is expected to be approved before Congress wraps up its spring session next Tuesday. If passed into law, the bill would give unfettered access to federal government information except that deemed vital to national security or data on private citizens. Lawmakers praised the bill as an important step in the development of Mexico's emerging democracy. "Democracy is more than free elections," said Dep. Luis Miguel Barbosa, of the Party of the Democratic Revolution (PRD). "Rather, democracy depends also on society's ability to audit its government's activities." The bill, known as the Federal Transparency and Public Access to Information Law, emerged out of three separate proposals submitted by President Vicente Fox, the PRD and a group of journalists and academics called Grupo Oaxaca. Fox has touted the initiative as proof of his willingness to open up the records of his administration as well as previous administrations. He and other proponents of the bill say it will help fight corruption by making officials aware the public and the press have an eye on them. The law would require federal offices to post on the Internet information on the government including the federal budget, payroll, internal audits, public debt and contracts for public works. The legislation also would establish the Federal Institute for Access to Public Information, which would oversee information requests from the public. The institute would have 20 working days to respond to requests, and 10 more days to provide the information. A failure to respond within 20 days, according to the law, would mean the automatic approval of the request. Under the law, citizens would not need to give any explanation why they want the information requested. Information classified on national security grounds would remain under lock and key for 12 years, according to the legislation. Members of Grupo Oaxaca said the bill's final draft - after months of negotiation in Congress - was an important first step toward transparent governance, but still had several weak points. "This will inhibit corruption, but not necessarily root it out," said Juan Francisco Escovedo, a communications professor at the Iberoamerican University and a member of Grupo Oaxaca. He said the law is weak on those who refuse to give up non-classified information. "It only calls for penal action when officials are flagrantly destroying documents, but not when they cover up crimes by withholding information," said Escovedo. ================================================================= NY Transfer News Collective * A Service of Blythe Systems Since 1985 - Information for the Rest of Us 339 Lafayette St., New York, NY 10012 http://www.blythe.org e-mail: nyt@blythe.org ================================================================= nytcamer-04.26.02-00:33:55-13243