And now, the DATA Act is on the Way to the President.
The Senate passed a version of the DATA Act on April 1oth. That version of the DATA Act passed the House of Representatives today on a voice vote and now is on its way to President Obama’s desk as reported late today by Nextgov. It will likely be signed by the President, despite it not containing adjustments suggested in a leaked White House document in January.
Among the requirements in this version of the DATA Act, as summarized on Congress.gov, is the following:
Requires the Director to establish a two-year pilot program to develop recommendations for: (1) standardized reporting elements across the federal government, (2) the elimination of unnecessary duplication in financial reporting, and (3) the reduction of compliance costs for recipients of federal awards. Requires such pilot program to include: (1) a combination of federal contracts, grants, and subawards, with an aggregate value of not less than $1 billion and not more than $2 billion; (2) a diverse group of recipients of federal awards; (3) recipients who receive awards from multiple programs across multiple agencies; and (4) data collected during a 12-monoth reporting cycle.
Many groups favoring open government have expressed substantial support for this version of the DATA Act, which requires agencies to apply consistent data standards across the government, which should also make the anticipated required reporting by institutions less burdensome.
