WASHINGTON — Congress on Monday sent President Barack Obama legislation making it easier for Americans to obtain government records.

The bipartisan bill would require federal agencies to consider release of government information under a “presumption of openness” as opposed to a presumption the information is secret. Supporters of the shift said it would make it harder for agency officials to block release of government records.

The House approved the bill Monday on a voice vote, three months after the Senate acted.

Obama is expected to sign the measure, which aims to reduce the number of exemptions the government uses to withhold information from the public and news media. It also would create an online portal for individuals to submit a request under the 50-year-old Freedom of Information Act. Such requests currently are handled by separate agencies in different ways.

The legislation was sponsored by Sens. John Cornyn, R-Texas and Patrick Leahy, D-Vermont. Leahy said he could “think of no better way to celebrate the 50th Anniversary of FOIA than by passing the FOIA Improvement Act.”

Besides the presumption of openness, the bill also would place a 25-year sunset on the government’s ability to withhold certain documents that demonstrate how the government reaches decisions.

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