Grassley Nixes FOIA Exemption for Ag Checkoff Panels

Senator Charles Grassley has come out strongly against exempting agricultural commodity marketing panels from the Freedom of Information Act (FOIA).

Ag commodity boards are federally chartered, but populated mostly by industry reps. FOIA'd emails last year proved embarrassing when the American Egg Board was caught trying to strangle an egg-free mayonnaise product in its crib. This year, at industry request, the House Appropriations Agriculture Subcommittee wrote a FOIA exemption into its appropriations bill.

But Ben Nuelle reported June 5, 2016, for the Iowa Agribusiness Radio Network, that Sen. Charles Grassley (R-IA) opposed any such exemption.

Grassley's opinion matters because he chairs the Senate Judiciary Committee, which has jurisdiction over FOIA. He also sits on the Senate Agriculture Committee.

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