HR6329-119

What This Bill Does

This bill creates a new information-quality section in title 44. Within one year, the OMB Director must update Information Quality Act guidelines so federal agencies better ensure the quality, objectivity, utility, and integrity of influential information or evidence used to develop public rules or guidance, or disseminated to explain the basis for those rules or guidance. OMB must publish the updated guidelines on its website.

After OMB updates the guidelines, each covered federal agency has one year to update its own Information Quality Act guidelines, publish them online, make correction mechanisms available for influential information or evidence, and include complaint information in required reports. OMB also must issue public-disclosure guidance requiring agencies to place critical factual material and source citations in rulemaking dockets or guidance administrative records. Agencies must provide notice and comment on critical factual material when using notice-and-comment rulemaking or proposed guidance, update the record when material revisions occur, explain nondisclosure when legal limits apply, and make critical factual material available as an open government data asset when feasible. The bill authorizes no additional funds.

Who Benefits and How

Regulated businesses benefit from greater access to the evidence agencies use when writing rules or guidance. Industry trade association staff benefit because correction mechanisms and public dockets provide stronger tools for challenging weak information. Public commenters benefit from notice and comment on critical factual material before final rules or guidance. Policy researchers benefit from open government data assets and citations to source material. OMB information-quality staff benefit from clearer statutory direction for updating governmentwide guidelines.

Who Bears the Burden and How

OMB information-quality staff must update guidelines within one year and publish them online. Agency rulemaking offices must update their own guidelines, publish them, maintain correction mechanisms, report complaints, place critical factual material in dockets, and explain legal nondisclosure. Agency guidance offices must build administrative records with source citations and revisions. Federal data officers must handle open government data formatting where feasible. Agencies must absorb implementation costs because the bill authorizes no additional appropriations.

Key Provisions

• Requires OMB to update Information Quality Act guidelines for influential information or evidence.
• Requires federal agencies to update and publish agency information-quality guidelines within one year after OMB action.
• Requires correction mechanisms for influential information used in rules or guidance.
• Directs agencies to disclose critical factual material and source citations in rulemaking dockets or guidance records.
• Requires notice and comment on critical factual material when agencies use notice-and-comment processes.
• Requires open government data treatment where feasible and no additional appropriations.