U.S. Commission on Evidence-Based Policymaking

Last updated

The U.S. Commission on Evidence-Based Policymaking was a 15-member agency in the federal government charged by the US Congress and the President with examining how government could better use its existing data to provide evidence for future government decisions.

Contents

The Commission was created in March 2016 by the Evidence-Based Policymaking Commission Act (P.L. 114-140), legislation jointly filed by Speaker of the House Paul Ryan (R-WI) and Senator Patty Murray (D-WA). [1] [2] [3] [4] [5] Over the subsequent 18 months after the law's enactment, the Commission engaged in fact-finding and deliberations that involved consideration of evidence from a survey of more than 200 federal agencies, testimony from more than 50 individuals, and additional written comments from 350 individuals. [6] [7] [8] [9] [10] The commission also received feedback from President Barack Obama's administration. [11]

On September 7, 2017, the Commission issued its final report, "The Promise of Evidence-Based Policymaking" which outlined a vision for "a future in which rigorous evidence is created efficiently, as a routine part of government operations, and used to construct effective public policy." [6] [12] [13] The final report includes findings and 22 recommendations for the President and Congress that were unanimously agreed to by the members of the Commission. [6] [14] [15] [16] The Commission outlined three overarching themes about improving access to data, strengthening privacy protections, and ensuring the capacity to generate and use evidence is present in government. [6] In line with each of the three themes, the commission's recommendations include strategies for modifying federal laws affecting data use, establishing a National Secure Data Service to engage in data linkage activities, instituting processes to improve data access and transparency, and designating leadership positions to support evidence generation and use in government. [17] [18]

Implementing the Commission Recommendations

On September 28, 2017, the Committee on Oversight and Government Reform in the U.S. House of Representatives heard testimony from four commissioners: Chair Katharine G. Abraham, Co-Chair Ron Haskins, Commissioner Robert Shea, and Commissioner Latanya Sweeney. [19] [20] [21]

Foundations for Evidence-Based Policymaking Act (Evidence Act)

In October 2017, Speaker Ryan and Senator Murray jointly filed the Foundations for Evidence-Based Policymaking Act, intended to implement half of the Commission's recommendations. [22] [23] [24] [25] [26] [27] [28] [29] The legislation, collectively referred to as the Evidence Act, includes three major subtitles that address capacity, open data, and data sharing. The second title is also referred to as the OPEN Government Data Act (OGDA) and the third title is also referred to as the Confidential Information Protection and Statistical Efficiency Act (CIPSEA).

The House bill was marked up by the House Committee on Oversight and Government Reform on November 2, 2017, [30] and voted out of the House under suspension on November 15, 2017. [22] [31] [32] While waiting for Senate action on the legislation, in 2018, the administration of President Donald Trump indicated its support for the commission's vision and indicated steps that were being taken to implement some of the Commission recommendations. [33]

In September 2018, the Bipartisan Policy Center hosted a one-year anniversary event called "Evidence: A Time to Act" that featured keynote remarks from Margaret Weichert, the deputy director for management at the U.S. Office of Management and Budget. [34] [35] In conjunction with the event, the co-chairs of the commission called on Congress to advance legislation implementing their recommendations. [36]

In December 2018, the Senate passed a modified version of the legislation and the House of Representatives subsequently concurred in the amendments. [37] On January 14, 2019, President Donald Trump signed the Foundations for Evidence-Based Policymaking Act ("Evidence Act") into law as Public Law 115-435. [38] The new law was described as the most comprehensive data reforms in a generation [39] and an "enormous step" for evidence-based policymaking. [40] The Evidence Act takes steps to promote data accessibility and enable responsible data use, including by creating chief data officers, evaluation officers, and statistics officials at agencies across the federal government. [41]

Federal Data Strategy

On June 4, 2019, the White House Office of Management and Budget issued the Federal Data Strategy, outlining a set of principles and practices federal agencies are expected to adhere to over the next decade. [42] [43] The Federal Data Strategy is considered one of the implementation vehicles for the Evidence Act and the Evidence Commission's recommendations. An earlier draft version of the strategy received extensive public comments from federal agencies and non-governmental organizations like the Data Coalition and the Bipartisan Policy Center. [44]

In June 2019, the Trump Administration also released a draft action plan, describing a set of 16 actions agencies are expected to undertake in 2019-2020. [45] The plan was referred to by one expert as "a promising start to recognizing government data as a strategic asset." [46] A public forum was held on July 8, 2019, co-hosted by the White House's Office of Management and Budget and the Data Coalition, to solicit additional feedback on the draft action plan from more than 50 commenters. [47] [48] A final action plan was published in early 2020.

In late 2021, the Joe Biden Administration published a new action plan, continuing the initiative launched during the prior administration. [49]

National Secure Data Service (NSDS) Act

Legislation to address the Evidence Commission's headline recommendation was filed by Congressman Don Beyer (D-VA) in May 2021, establishing the National Secure Data Service at the National Science Foundation. According to the Data Coalition which endorsed the bill, the proposal aligns with the Evidence Commission recommendations. [50] The legislation was subsequently attached to the National Science for the Future Act, which passed the U.S. House of Representatives on June 28, 2021 with a 345-67 vote. [51] While action was pending in the U.S. Senate on the legislation, the Evidence Commission Co-Chairs endorsed the proposal on November 30, 2021 and called for its passage. [52] In July 2022, the U.S. Senate attached the NSDS Act to the bipartisan CHIPs and Science Act of 2022 which passed the Senate with a 64-33 vote and the House with a 243-187 vote. [53] The Data Coalition applauded congressional passage of the legislation and described it as an "innovation" for the federal data ecosystem. [54] President Biden signed the CHIPS and Science Act on August 9, 2022 (P.L. 117-167).

Progress Report on Commission Recommendations

On September 7, 2019, the Data Coalition issued a two-year update summarizing the achievements made in law and policy for addressing the Commission's recommendations, indicating "substantial progress" had been made on the recommendations. [55]

Former House Speaker Paul Ryan described next steps in addressing the Commission's recommendations during keynote remarks at the Data Coalition's GovDATAx Summit on October 30, 2019. [56] In September 2021, Ryan called for support of the NSDS Act during a segment on Government Matters facilitated by the Data Coalition. [57]

At the 4-year mark following the Commission's report to Congress and the President, the Data Foundation reported that substantial progress had been made to achieve the Commission's vision. [58] The Data Foundation and Bipartisan Policy Center hosted an event to mark the 5-year anniversary on September 13, 2022, including experts from the Commission and civil society. [59] A 5-year progress report published by the Data Foundation noted substantial progress on implementation with some remaining gaps on several recommendations. [60]

In October 2022, the Federal Advisory Committee on Data for Evidence Building, established by the Evidence Act, also issued its final report with recommendations about how to further extend the impact of the Commission recommendations. [61]

Commission Members

The initial members of the commission were:

Allison Orris departed the commission on January 20, 2017 and was replaced by Nancy Potok, Chief Statistician of the United States.

Commission Staff

The Evidence Commission was supported by 10 full-time staff provided for short-term assignments from other federal agencies:

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">David Scott (Georgia politician)</span> American politician and businessman (born 1945)

David Albert Scott is an American politician and businessman who has served as the U.S. representative for Georgia's 13th congressional district since 2003. Scott's district includes the southern fourth of Atlanta, as well as several of its suburbs to the south and west. Before his election to Congress in 2002, Scott served as a Democratic member of both chambers of the Georgia Legislature and operated a small business. In 2007, the political watchdog group Citizens for Responsibility and Ethics in Washington named Scott one of the 25 most corrupt members of Congress. In 2023, he succeeded Glenn Thompson as ranking member of the House Agriculture Committee.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Children's Health Insurance Program</span> Health Insurance program for families administered by the United States

The Children's Health Insurance Program (CHIP) – formerly known as the State Children's Health Insurance Program (SCHIP) – is a program administered by the United States Department of Health and Human Services that provides matching funds to states for health insurance to families with children. The program was designed to cover uninsured children in families with incomes that are modest but too high to qualify for Medicaid. The program was passed into law as part of the Balanced Budget Act of 1997, and the statutory authority for CHIP is under title XXI of the Social Security Act.

Center for Democracy & Technology (CDT) is a Washington, D.C.–based 501(c)(3) nonprofit organisation that advocates for digital rights and freedom of expression. CDT seeks to promote legislation that enables individuals to use the internet for purposes of well-intent, while at the same time reducing its potential for harm. It advocates for transparency, accountability, and limiting the collection of personal information.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">United States Commission on Civil Rights</span> Government agency

The U.S. Commission on Civil Rights (CCR) is a bipartisan, independent commission of the United States federal government, created by the Civil Rights Act of 1957 during the Eisenhower administration, that is charged with the responsibility for investigating, reporting on, and making recommendations concerning civil rights issues in the United States. Specifically, the CCR investigates allegations of discrimination based on race, sex, national origin, disability. Since 2021, Norma V. Cantu has served as chair of the CCR.

Evidence-based policy is a concept in public policy that advocates for policy decisions to be grounded on, or influenced by, rigorously established objective evidence. This concept presents a stark contrast to policymaking predicated on ideology, 'common sense,' anecdotes, or personal intuitions. The methodology employed in evidence-based policy often includes comprehensive research methods such as randomized controlled trials (RCT). Good data, analytical skills, and political support to the use of scientific information are typically seen as the crucial elements of an evidence-based approach.

A cybersecurity regulation comprises directives that safeguard information technology and computer systems with the purpose of forcing companies and organizations to protect their systems and information from cyberattacks like viruses, worms, Trojan horses, phishing, denial of service (DOS) attacks, unauthorized access and control system attacks. There are numerous measures available to prevent cyberattacks.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Alliance to Save Energy</span> A How to Save Energy

The Alliance to Save Energy is a bipartisan, nonprofit coalition of business, government, environmental, and consumer groups based in Washington, D.C. The Alliance states that it advocates for "energy-efficiency policies that minimize costs to society and individual consumers, and that lessen greenhouse gas emissions and their impact on the global climate." The Alliance's chief activities include public relations, research, and lobbying to change U.S. energy policy.

The Joint Ocean Commission Initiative is a bipartisan, collaborative group in the United States that aims to "accelerate the pace of change that results in meaningful ocean policy reform." The Joint Initiative was established by the members of two major U.S.-based oceans commissions: the Pew Oceans Commission and the United States Commission on Ocean Policy. It was originally co-chaired by former White House Chief of Staff Leon Panetta and former Chief of Naval Operations Admiral James D. Watkins, chairs of the Pew and U.S. Ocean Commissions, respectively. Currently, the Joint Initiative is led by a Leadership Council, which is co-chaired by Christine Todd Whitman, former EPA Administrator under President George W. Bush and former governor of New Jersey, and Norman Y. Mineta, Secretary of Commerce under President Bill Clinton and Secretary of Transportation under President George W. Bush.

Public Knowledge is an American non-profit public interest group based in Washington, D.C. Founded in 2001 by David Bollier, Gigi Sohn, and Laurie Racine, Public Knowledge is primarily involved in the fields of intellectual property law, competition and choice in the digital marketplace, and an open standards/end-to-end internet.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Nick Sinai</span> Adjunct faculty and a senior in the Obama Administration

Nick Sinai is a venture capitalist, adjunct faculty at Harvard Kennedy School, author, and a former senior official in the Obama Administration.

The Email Privacy Act is a bill introduced in the United States Congress. The bipartisan proposed federal law was sponsored by Representative Kevin Yoder, a Republican from Kansas, and then-Representative Jared Polis, a Democrat of Colorado. The law is designed to update and reform existing online communications law, specifically the Electronic Communications Privacy Act (ECPA) of 1986.

The Bipartisan Commission on Biodefense, formerly known as the Blue Ribbon Study Panel on Biodefense, is an organization of former high-ranking government officials that analyzes US capabilities and capacity to defend against biological threats. According to the Commission's mission statement, the organization was formed to "provide for a comprehensive assessment of the state of U.S. biodefense efforts, and to issue recommendations that will foster change."

<span class="mw-page-title-main">National Biodefense Strategy Act of 2016</span> Proposed congressional bill

The National Biodefense Strategy Act of 2016 is a bill introduced in the United States Senate by U.S. Senator Ron Johnson (R-Wisconsin). The bill would amend the Homeland Security Act of 2002 by requiring the government to change its current policy and programs to coordinate and improve biodefense preparedness. Johnson is the current chairman of the Senate Committee on Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs.

The Rhode Island Innovative Policy Lab (RIIPL) is an interdisciplinary collaboration between the Office of the Governor of Rhode Island and researchers at Brown University. The lab's mission is to help state agencies design evidence-based policies that improve the quality of life for Rhode Islanders.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Political positions of John Delaney</span>

John Delaney is a Democrat who served as the U.S. Representative representing Maryland's 6th congressional district from 2013 to 2019. He announced his 2020 campaign for President of the United States on July 28, 2017. He suspended his campaign on January 31, 2020.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Political positions of Amy Klobuchar</span> Full coverage of the policies of a US politician

Amy Jean Klobuchar is an American lawyer and politician serving as the senior United States senator from Minnesota. A member of the Minnesota Democratic-Farmer-Labor Party, Minnesota's affiliate of the Democratic Party, she previously served as the Hennepin County Attorney. She ran for the Democratic nomination for President of the United States in the 2020 election, before pulling out in March and endorsing Joe Biden.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Foundations for Evidence-Based Policymaking Act</span> U.S. federal law

The Foundations for Evidence-Based Policymaking Act is a United States law that establishes processes for the federal government to modernize its data management practices, evidence-building functions, and statistical efficiency to inform policy decisions. The Evidence Act contains four parts ("titles"), which address evidence capacity, open data, and data confidentiality.

The regulation of artificial intelligence is the development of public sector policies and laws for promoting and regulating artificial intelligence (AI); it is therefore related to the broader regulation of algorithms. The regulatory and policy landscape for AI is an emerging issue in jurisdictions globally, including in the European Union and in supra-national bodies like the IEEE, OECD and others. Since 2016, a wave of AI ethics guidelines have been published in order to maintain social control over the technology. Regulation is considered necessary to both encourage AI and manage associated risks. In addition to regulation, AI-deploying organizations need to play a central role in creating and deploying trustworthy AI in line with the principles of trustworthy AI, and take accountability to mitigate the risks. Regulation of AI through mechanisms such as review boards can also be seen as social means to approach the AI control problem.

The Family First Prevention Services Act (FFPSA) was included in the Bipartisan Budget Act of 2018 (HR 1892) and signed by President Donald Trump on Feb. 9, 2018. While the primary purpose of the legislation at the time was keeping the government funded for six more weeks to pave the way for a long-term budget deal, the included FFPSA marked a significant change in states' ability to prioritize and fund prevention services in child welfare.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Commission on the Social Status of Black Men and Boys</span>

The United States Commission on the Social Status of Black Men and Boys (CSSBMB) is a bipartisan, independent commission of the United States government, created in 2020, it is tasked with recommending policies to improve upon, or augment, current government programs. Established within the United States Commission on Civil Rights’ (USCCR) Office of the Staff Director and The CSSBMB will investigate potential civil rights violations affecting black males and study the disparities they experience in education, criminal justice, health, employment, fatherhood, mentorship, and violence. The CSSBMB will be responsible for producing an annual report to address the current conditions affecting black men and boys and make recommendations to improve the social conditions and provide vital guidance for Congress on effective strategies to reduce the racial disparities in education, criminal justice, health, and employment.

References

  1. "Evidence-Based Policymaking Commission Act". 30 March 2016.
  2. Takala, Rudy (2017-09-17). "Policymaking commission offers a glimmer of hope in hyper-partisan Washington". TheHill. Retrieved 2018-12-03.
  3. "There's New Hope for Proponents of Evidence-Based Policy". Government Executive. Retrieved 2018-12-03.
  4. "In politics, does evidence matter?". Washington Post. Retrieved 2018-12-03.
  5. "Editorial: Patty Murray's and Paul Ryan's teamwork is a model for Congress". The Seattle Times. Retrieved 2018-12-03.
  6. 1 2 3 4 The Promise of Evidence-Based Policymaking (PDF). Washington, DC: Government Printing Office. Archived from the original (PDF) on 2018-12-09. Retrieved 3 Dec 2021.
  7. "Will Trump care about student data privacy?". Washington Post. Retrieved 2018-12-03.
  8. "Everything you need to know about the Commission on Evidence-Based Policymaking". Urban Institute. 2016-04-06. Retrieved 2018-12-03.
  9. Decker, Paul. "Letter to Commission on Evidence-Based Policymaking".{{cite journal}}: Cite journal requires |journal= (help)
  10. "Jerry Reiter and Lars Vilhuber speak at Ryan Murray Commission for Evidence Based Policymaking – Triangle Census Research Network". sites.duke.edu. Retrieved 2018-12-03.
  11. "Commission on Evidence Based Policymaking". The White House. Retrieved 2018-12-03.
  12. Mervis, Jeffrey (2017-09-08). "Panel urges steps to boost evidence-based policy". Science. 357 (6355): 959. Bibcode:2017Sci...357..959M. doi:10.1126/science.357.6355.959. ISSN   0036-8075. PMID   28883056.
  13. "Commission on Evidence-Based Policymaking Releases Final Report - Actionable Intelligence for Social Policy". Actionable Intelligence for Social Policy. 2017-09-11. Retrieved 2018-12-03.
  14. Dudley, Susan E. "Bipartisan Commission Offers Evidence-Based Reform Ideas". Forbes. Retrieved 2018-12-03.
  15. Tan, Anjelica (2017-10-17). "Paul Ryan and Patty Murray get credit for bipartisan policymaking". TheHill. Retrieved 2018-12-03.
  16. "Commission on Evidence-Based Policymaking Releases Final Report". COSSA. 2017-09-19. Retrieved 2018-12-03.
  17. "Evidence-based policy report calls for secure data service - Fedscoop". Fedscoop. 2017-09-08. Retrieved 2018-12-03.
  18. "A Moment for More and Better Evidence for Government". Bipartisan Policy Center. 2017-10-20. Retrieved 2018-12-03.
  19. "Recommendations of the Commission on Evidence-Based Policymaking, Full House Committee on Oversight and Government Reform". September 26, 2017. Retrieved May 7, 2018.
  20. Rotenberg, Marc. "Let's Use Government Data to Make Better Policy". Scientific American Blog Network. Retrieved 2018-12-03.
  21. Lester, Patrick (2017-09-27). "Evidence Commission Recommendations Generate Pushback in House Hearing". Social Innovation Research Center. Retrieved 2018-12-03.
  22. 1 2 "Foundations for Evidence-Based Policymaking Act of 2017 (H.R. 4174)". 14 January 2019.
  23. "Foundations for Evidence-Based Policymaking Act of 2017 (S. 2046)". 31 October 2017.
  24. "Ryan, Murray team up on evidence-based policy bill -- FCW". FCW. Retrieved 2018-12-03.
  25. "Congress Wants to Boost Agency Use of Evidence in Program Evaluation". Government Executive. Retrieved 2018-12-03.
  26. "A Real Opportunity for Evidence-Based Policymaking". www.governing.com. 13 November 2017. Retrieved 2018-12-03.
  27. "FACT SHEET: Foundations for Evidence-Based Policymaking Act". Bipartisan Policy Center. 2017-11-30. Retrieved 2018-12-03.
  28. "Early Progress on Fulfilling the "Promise of Evidence-Based Policymaking"". Bipartisan Policy Center. 2017-11-01. Retrieved 2018-12-03.
  29. "Legislation to Implement Commission on Evidence-Based Policymaking's Recommendations Passes House – FABBS". fabbs.org. Retrieved 2018-12-03.
  30. "FULL COMMITTEE BUSINESS MEETING".
  31. Ayala, Christine (2017-11-28). "Boosting integrity of federal policymaking is an easy win for Congress". TheHill. Retrieved 2018-12-03.
  32. "Update: House Passes Evidence-Based Policymaking Bill". National Skills Coalition. Retrieved 2018-12-03.
  33. FY 2019 President's Budget, Analytical Perspectives Volume (PDF). Washington DC: The White House, Office of Management and Budget. 2018.
  34. "Evidence-based Policymaking Commission Marks Report's One-Year Anniversary". Data Coalition. 2018-09-14. Retrieved 2018-12-03.
  35. "Evidence: Time to Act". Bipartisan Policy Center. Retrieved 2018-12-03.
  36. Tan, Anjelica (2018-09-04). "Time for action to improve government data analysis". TheHill. Retrieved 2018-12-03.
  37. Ryan, Paul (2019-01-02). "Actions - H.R.4174 - 115th Congress (2017-2018): Foundations for Evidence-Based Policymaking Act of 2017". www.congress.gov. Retrieved 2019-01-04.
  38. "Congress Provides New Foundation for Evidence-Based Policymaking". Bipartisan Policy Center. 2018-12-22. Retrieved 2019-03-02.
  39. Hart, Nick; Hart, Nick (2019-01-14). "Government's data policies enter the 21st century — finally" . Retrieved 2019-03-02.
  40. "Evidence Legislation Passed by Congress "Enormous Step" for Effective Policymaking". Bipartisan Policy Center. 2018-12-22. Retrieved 2019-03-02.
  41. "Data Coalition: Foundations for Evidence-Based Policymaking Act of 2018" (PDF). Retrieved July 4, 2019.
  42. Vought, Russ (June 4, 2019). "M-19-08: Federal Data Strategy - A Framework for Consistency" (PDF). White House Office of Management and Budget. Retrieved July 4, 2019.
  43. "OMB releases finalized data strategy draft action plan". www.fedscoop.com. 4 June 2019. Retrieved 2019-07-04.
  44. "Welcome - Federal Data Strategy". strategy.data.gov. Retrieved 2019-07-04.
  45. "16 Things OMB Wants Agencies to Accomplish in the Data Strategy's First Year". Nextgov.com. Retrieved 2019-07-04.
  46. "The Federal Data Strategy is a Trump Plan We Should All Support". Nextgov.com. Retrieved 2019-07-04.
  47. "Public Forum: Action Items for Implementing the Federal Data Strategy". Data Coalition. 2019-06-11. Retrieved 2019-07-04.
  48. "Industry Comments Focus on Data Quality, Standards, and Common Digital Identifiers for Federal Data Strategy". Data Coalition. 2019-08-22. Retrieved 2019-09-07.
  49. "2021 Action Plan - Federal Data Strategy". strategy.data.gov. Retrieved 2021-12-10.
  50. "Fact Sheet: National Secure Data Service Act Advances Responsible Data Sharing in Government". Data Coalition. 2021-05-13. Retrieved 2021-12-10.
  51. Johnson, Eddie Bernice (2021-07-12). "Actions - H.R.2225 - 117th Congress (2021-2022): National Science Foundation for the Future Act". www.congress.gov. Retrieved 2021-12-10.
  52. "Former Co-Chairs of the U.S. Commission on Evidence-Based Policymaking Urge Congress to Support NSDS Act". Data Coalition. 2021-12-03. Retrieved 2021-12-10.
  53. "House passes bill to subsidize U.S.-made semiconductor chips in win for Biden". Washington Post. ISSN   0190-8286 . Retrieved 2022-07-30.
  54. "Congress' CHIPS Act Passage Generates Applause". Nextgov.com. Retrieved 2022-07-30.
  55. "Two Years of Progress on Evidence-Based Policymaking in the United States". Data Coalition. 2019-09-06. Retrieved 2019-09-07.
  56. "GovDATAx 2019". GovDATAx 2019. Retrieved 2019-09-07.
  57. "Follow the data and tie funding to outcomes, former Speaker of the House Paul Ryan advises policymakers". Government Matters. 2021-10-03. Retrieved 2021-12-10.
  58. "4-Years Later, the Evidence Commission's Impact Now Widespread in the U.S." Data Foundation. Retrieved 2021-12-10.
  59. "Evidence Commission 5 Years Later: Markers of Success, Areas for Continued Progress". Data Foundation. Retrieved 2022-08-22.
  60. "Evidence Commission After 5 Years: A Progress Report on the Promise for a More Evidence-Informed Society". Data Foundation. Retrieved 2022-12-18.
  61. ACDEB Final Report

Further reading