House GOP proposal would require veteran’s consent before granting FOIA request

| June 20, 2023

A House GOP proposal would make it illegal for the military to release information about currently serving military members, or veterans, without their consent. Normally, organizations and individuals can submit a FOIA request. If information is found, or is available, then the information “releasable to the public” is provided to the one that made the request. However, if this proposal becomes reality, then the individual that is the subject of the request, or their next of kin if the individual is deceased, will need to provide consent prior to release.

From NBC News:

Under the new proposal, members of the public, new organizations and some employers would have to file a Freedom of Information Act (FOIA) request with the military service branch to obtain the information, and the individual must be notified before the information can be released. But the FOIA process is notoriously backlogged and can take months or even years to fulfill a request.

The only exception would be if the request comes from a federal government entity or state and local law enforcement, which the military can fulfill.

Pentagon spokesperson Cmdr. Nicole Schwegman declined to comment, saying, “It would be inappropriate to comment on pending legislation.”

The Republican bill comes after several high-profile cases in which the Pentagon erroneously released the private information of GOP politicians who are former service members. Earlier this year, the Air Force informed Nebraska Rep. Don Bacon, a retired Air Force Brigadier General, and Iowa Rep. Zach Nunn, a former Air Force officer, that their personal records were mistakenly released without their consent during the midterm election campaigns. The person who requested Bacon’s and Nunn’s records has ties to the Democratic Party.

NBC News has the rest of the article.

Category: Politics, Society, Veterans in the news

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Fm2176

This should appease the phonies, if I’m reading it right.

I’m all about personal privacy, and what I did in two decades of service is my own business and that of those I served with, but if I’m using that service for personal gain or recognition I should expect it to be validated.

TAH/VG has done a great job of exposing phonies over the years, as have other groups like POW Network. If this passes, hands will be tied and we’ll have only our well-earned intuition to use in calling out those “Delta Recon Silver Star POW, spent five years in Laos back in ’77 sorts…

RGR 4-78

Throwing the baby out with the bath water.

Anonymous

Privacy is the last refuge of a scoundrel nowadays.

Roh-Dog

Punting on pistol braces and now this shit?

GOP faggotry is giving democrat faggotry a run for its money these days!

Next thing you’ll know, they’ll ‘cross the aisle’ to create and fund a Big Brother department at the Pent-a-gone!

edit: To think, our government and its functionaries, supposedly constituted of We…, will have another right above us and with this ‘newly crafted right’ they will be able to keep their own lies apart and undiscoverable to We…

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Last edited 1 year ago by Roh-Dog
Roh-Dog

{mistakes were made}

Last edited 1 year ago by Roh-Dog
ChipNASA

Roh-Dog…just for you….I agree….Oh and Hunter Biden….LMFAO!!

Let me go and do the same thing and see what
happens…

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Anonymous

“Reaching across the aisle”– RINOs do it for the reach-around Democrats never give them.

Green Thumb

Curious as to if All Points Logistics is in the background lobbying for this nonsense.

Roh-Dog

I’m sure Hack will be by shorty to inform us an answer from the Magic 8 ball, presuming he PMCSed it.

Ten bucks says Kevin McC*nthy is using a Ouija board to contact Bernath for lawerin’ help on this fine piece of legislation.

SFC D

Nope. Public information is just that, public. Hillary is the exception.

NHSparky

Yeah, nah. PII isn’t released, no reason an employer (or anyone for that matter) shouldn’t be able to verify service, etc.

As previously stated, this only helps the phonies.

26Limabeans

Agreed. I’m proud of my DD-214 and DD-215.
Boring as Hell to read but hey, having it public info is ok with me.
I was a soldier once and can prove it.
All the phonies can do is dance to the music.

Veritas Omnia Vincit

This is what legislators do now, there’s an issue within the system but their solution is a blanket ban on something as opposed to a review of best practices and procedures and moving forward with a revised methodology that keeps PII and public information separate.

Hold the heads of these departments accountable for what’s going on within the system and when there’s a failure conduct a review of those best practices/procedures and find out where the consistent flaw exists.

Public records should always remain public. My service was not spectacular but it was honorable. I make no claims to the contrary and if someone looks into me they will discover that reality.

My private life is a different matter, it’s no one’s fucking business now that the government doesn’t pay me what I do, where I do it, and how I’m compensated for doing it. Nor is what I do within the confines of my property anyone’s business as long as those activities neither inflict harm on any persons or their property.

Forest Bondurant

A solution looking for a problem, sounds like to me.

ninja

We are confused.

We thought Military records of former Servicemembers, alive and deceased (Not current ServiceMembers still on active duty with the Active Component, Reserves, National Guard) fell under NARA.

https://www.archives.gov/st-louis

https://www.archives.gov/about

We don’t think NARA falls under DoD.

What are we missing?

🤔

ninja

From the Yahoo article (See below).

Both NBC News and Yahoo states DoD.

When we request FOIA, we use NARA.

We do not think NARA falls under DoD or the Pentagon.

https://news.yahoo.com/house-bill-severely-curtail-public-232436665.html

????????????

“Currently, the Defense Department (DOD) typically releases the full name of an individual and where they’re from, as well as rank, past and present duty assignments, any awards and decorations they may have earned, whether they attended a professional military school, current duty status, whether they separated from service and when, and an official photo.”

Since when does NARA falls under “THE MILITARY”???????

“Under the proposed bill, it would be illegal for THE MILITARY to release information to a member of the public, journalist..”

“If those barred individuals do want to know someone’s military history, they would have to file a Freedom of Information Act (FOIA) request with THE SERVICE BRANCH in which the person currently or previously served.”

What Are We Missing? 🤔

ninja

Again….We don’t think NARA falls under DoD or the Pentagon as NBC News and Yahoo stated.

“About the National Archives of the
United States”

https://www.archives.gov/publications/general-info-leaflets/1-about-archives.html

“Anyone who has cleaned out a family attic knows the importance of keeping family records. You may have military records from relatives who served in one of the World Wars—or even the Civil War. Or pictures of your great-great grandparents on the day they became American citizens. Or the canceled check that paid for your first home.”

“Now imagine the task of the National Archives and Records Administration (NARA)—the nation’s record keeper.”

“Many people know the National Archives as the keeper of the Declaration of Independence, the Constitution, and the Bill of Rights. But we also hold in trust for the public the records of ordinary citizens—for example, military records of the brave men and women who have fought for our country, naturalization records of the immigrants whose dreams have shaped our nation, and even the canceled check from the purchase of Alaska.”

“In a democracy, records belong to the people, and for more than eight decades, NARA has preserved and provided access to the records of the United States of America. Records help us claim our rights and entitlements, hold our elected officials accountable for their actions, and document our history as a nation. In short, NARA ensures continuing access to the essential documentation of the rights of American citizens and the actions of their Government.”

*Continue*

ninja

“The National Archives was established in 1934 by President Franklin Roosevelt, but its major holdings date back to 1775. They capture the sweep of the past: slave ship manifests and the Emancipation Proclamation; captured German records and the Japanese surrender documents from World War II; journals of polar expeditions and photographs of Dust Bowl farmers; Indian treaties making transitory promises; and a richly bound document bearing the bold signature “Bonaparte”—the Louisiana Purchase Treaty that doubled the territory of the young republic.”

“NARA keeps only those Federal records that are judged to have continuing value—about 2 to 5 percent of those generated in any given year. By now, they add up to a formidable number, diverse in form as well as in content. There are approximately 13.28 billion pages of textual records; 10 million maps, charts, and architectural and engineering drawings; 44.4 million still photographs, digital images, filmstrips, and graphics; 40 million aerial photographs; 563,000 reels of motion picture film; 992,000 video and sound recordings; and 1,323 terabytes of electronic data. All of these materials are preserved because they are important to the workings of Government, have long-term research worth, or provide information of value to citizens.”

“The National Personnel Records Center in St. Louis manages the records of millions of military veterans of the 20th century as well as former civilian Federal employees.”

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SFC D

“Under the proposed bill, it would be illegal for THE MILITARY to release information to a member of the public, journalist..”

Isn’t that already illegal?

jeff LPH 3 63-66

Are these alleged rhino gop vets really legit or may have had their DD214’s embellished.????????????????????????

ninja

“Hunter Biden Reaches Plea Deal With Feds To Resolve Tax Issues, Gun Charge

https://www.politico.com/news/2023/06/20/hunter-biden-reaches-plea-deal-with-feds-to-resolve-tax-issues-gun-charge-00102637

“Hunter Biden has reached a deal with federal prosecutors to resolve a five-year federal investigation into his failure to pay about $1 million in federal taxes and his purchase of a handgun in 2018.”

“Under an agreement detailed Tuesday in a filing in federal court in Delaware, President Joe Biden’s son will plead guilty to a pair of misdemeanor tax charges. Prosecutors have also charged him with possessing a firearm while being a user of illegal drugs — a felony — but have agreed to dismiss that charge if he completes a two-year period of probation.”

“Hunter Biden, 53, is unlikely to serve time in prison if he complies with release conditions. The deal calls for both sides to recommend that he be put on probation.”

“Under the plea agreement, he will plead guilty to the two misdemeanors covering his failure to pay his federal taxes from 2017 and 2018, but will not be required to plead guilty to the gun charge. Instead, the charge will remain pending while he proceeds through the diversion program. If he complies with the terms of that program, prosecutors will drop the charge.”

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USMC Steve

Interesting in that they bargained two federal felonies down to misdemeanors. Sweet deal for the crackhead.

rgr769

Even Stevie Wonder saw this coming. Instead of charging him with the slam dunk on perjury for false swearing on the form 4473, they are letting him plead guilty to drug user in possession of a firearm so that they can put him in a drug diversion program. This will allow him to get the conviction expunged. The tax charges are misdemeanors. They will get a friendly judge who will only give him probation and a fine.

KoB

The UniParty is alive and well. As stated by others here…make way for the phonies.

Anonymous

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Anonymous

Too many politicians lie about their service and it’s embarrassing to them, you know…

rgr769

We have seen it numerous times over the years. Especially with the ones who served but were REMF’s.

Skippy

The house GOP giving phony’s a leg up with this legislation