#FOIA IMPORTANT FYI @_rshapiro @digiphile @danielschuman @AmyLikesOpenGov @sunshineingov @OpenTheGov

I just talked to @HouseFloor Clerk (202) 225-7000 regarding the official status of S.2520 Freedom of Information Improvement Act.

I got redirected to some "public resource center" operator...

She CONFIRMED that if the congressional record status on a Senate Bill sent to the House is listed as "held as desk" (See: https://www.congress.gov/bill/113th-congress/senate-bill/2520/all-info#all-actions )

That means that ultimately @SpeakerBoehner, or someone from his staff, withheld it from being available for a "motion for consideration under suspension of rules" or a "unanimous consent" motion to bring it to the floor for consideration.

Just to be absolutely certain I understood things, I verified with her that a bill that is "held at desk" cannot be brought forward for a vote until Boehner releases it. And only the Speaker's office can do such a hold. However, she also noted that sometimes the Speaker may have something held at the clerk's desk on behalf of some other Representative. AND/OR it could also mean someone is preparing to bring the bill to the floor at a later date under a "special order."

When I inquired what was the easiest way to find out when a "held at desk" status was lifted on a senate bill, she said the list of all actions for the bill on www.congress.gov will reflect the status change first, and then the Office of the Clerk will add it the official list of bills to be considered on the house floor for a given week.

So these two links are the ones we need to watch:
https://www.congress.gov/bill/113th-congress/senate-bill/2520/all-info#all-actions
http://docs.house.gov/floor/Default.aspx

(insert great, big frowny-face here)

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