Explanation of H. Con. Res. 49

H. Con. Res. 49 - Congressional Evidence-Based Policymaking Resolution

This bill establishes the Commission on Evidence-Based Policymaking, which is a group that will review, analyze, and make recommendations to Congress about using government data to create evidence-backed policies.

Membership

The Commission will be composed of 12 members, appointed by the Speaker of the House, the minority leader of the House, the majority leader of the Senate, and the minority leader of the Senate. These members will include academic researchers, former members or senior staff of Congress, and employees of offices involved in data and policy development.

Responsibilities

The Commission's primary objective is to study and develop recommendations for evidence-based policymaking within the federal government. This includes:

Encouraging federal agencies to produce and prioritize evidence on the effectiveness of major new programs and reauthorizations.
Supporting states in making data more open and accessible.
Improving access to administrative and survey data for evidence building.
Incorporating evidence such as outcomes measurement and rigorous impact analysis into the lawmaking process.
Incorporating real-time, structured, integrated, and machine-readable data into the lawmaking process.
Considering the need for a congressional Chief Data Officer and their potential duties.
Increasing data and data privacy expertise in Congress through the inclusion of technologists, data scientists, data analysts, privacy experts, social scientists, and engineers.

Reporting

The Commission may submit interim reports to the Speaker of the House and the majority leader of the Senate containing their findings, conclusions, and recommendations. They are also required to submit a final report on their activities and findings to the Speaker of the House and the majority leader of the Senate by the end of the One Hundred Eighteenth Congress.

Authorization of Appropriations

Funds will be appropriated as needed to support the activities of the Commission. Half of the funds will be derived from the applicable accounts of the House of Representatives, and the other half will come from the contingent fund of the Senate.

Rep. Brittany Pettersen

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