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  • June 28, 2021 9:30 AM | Anonymous member (Administrator)

    Washington, D.C. – On June 28, 2021, the U.S. House of Representatives passed the bipartisan National Science Foundation for the Future Act (H.R. 2225), including the Data Coalition-endorsed National Secure Data Service Act sponsored by Rep. Don Beyer (D-VA). On behalf of the Data Coalition members, Data Foundation President Nick Hart issued the following statement on House’s bipartisan call for the creation of a data service:

    In modern society we must continually identify innovative and realistic strategies to ensure data and information are used responsibly and with sound privacy safeguards in place. The National Secure Data Service included in the bipartisan NSF for the Future Act will accelerate responsible and protected access to government data, supporting efforts to improve evidence-based policymaking in the United States. As a unanimous recommendation from the U.S. Commission on Evidence-Based Policymaking and based on research from the Data Foundation, the members of the Data Coalition applaud the swift and decisive action from the U.S. House to advance this practical, cost-effective, and much-needed resource for modernizing the country’s data infrastructure with a strong bipartisan vote. The Data Coalition calls on the Senate to support enactment of the National Secure Data Service Act and inclusion in a final NSF reauthorization bill.  

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    The Data Coalition is an initiative of the non-profit Data Foundation. The membership-based initiative facilitates a strong national data community and advocates for responsible policies to make government data high-quality, accessible, and usable. The Data Coalition’s work unites the data communities that focus on data science, management, evaluation, statistics, and technology, including individuals in companies, nonprofit organizations, and academia.


  • May 13, 2021 9:00 AM | Anonymous member (Administrator)

    On May 12, 2021, Rep. Don Beyer (D-VA) introduced the National Secure Data Service Act (H.R. 3133), calling for the establishment of a data service at the National Science Foundation (NSF). The proposal was also attached to the NSF for the Future Act (H.R. 2225) as an amendment on May 13, 2021. On behalf of the Data Coalition members, Data Foundation President Nick Hart issued the following statement on the legislative proposal:

    The National Secure Data Service Act responsibly addresses a major gap in our country’s data infrastructure by establishing a new capability for sharing, combining, and using data with strong privacy safeguards. Creating a data service at the National Science Foundation is a practical, cost-effective, and much-needed resource for researchers and data analysts to provide decision-makers with information they need for evidence-based policymaking, including to support implementation of the Foundations for Evidence-Based Policymaking Act of 2018.

    Building on the bipartisan and unanimous recommendations from the U.S. Commission on Evidence-Based Policymaking, a consensus proposal from the National Academies of Sciences, Engineering and Medicine, and a suggested roadmap from the Data Foundation, the National Secure Data Service Act creates an expectation for NSF to make rapid progress in launching a data service and transparently supporting government-wide evidence-building activities. The Data Coalition calls on Congress to pass the National Secure Data Service Act to enable long-overdue and modern data capabilities alongside responsible privacy protections.

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    The Data Coalition is an initiative of the non-profit Data Foundation. The membership-based initiative facilitates a strong national data community and advocates for responsible policies to make government data high-quality, accessible, and usable. The Data Coalition’s work unites the data communities that focus on data science, management, evaluation, statistics, and technology, including individuals in companies, nonprofit organizations, and academia.


  • May 04, 2021 9:00 AM | Anonymous member (Administrator)

    Today, Representatives Carolyn Maloney (D-NY) and Patrick McHenry (R-NC) reintroduced the Financial Transparency Act (H.R. 2989) to the 117th Congress. This bipartisan bill establishes a framework that improves the efficiency of regulatory reporting by adopting consistent data fields and formats, including a non-proprietary legal entity identifier for regulated entities. Corinna Turbes, Managing Director of the Data Coalition  issued the following statement about the reintroduction of the Financial Transparency Act: 

    “The Data Coalition is glad to see continued bipartisan interest and commitment in improving regulatory data. The Financial Transparency Act brings common sense updates to our outdated financial regulatory system. By requiring the information already collected by regulators to be reported and published as structured data, financial firms and regulators will have more timely and accurate data to support decision-making as well as weed out fraud and other abuses, ultimately strengthening the US financial system. Structured financial data will enable new analytic capabilities that will help us understand what is happening in financial markets in near real time, improving  decision-making and enhancing accountability. The importance of this modernization effort should not be underestimated, especially as we work to recover from the pandemic.”


  • March 24, 2021 9:00 AM | Anonymous member (Administrator)

    Today the U.S. Department of Education released the results of a new monthly, nationally-representative, and high-quality survey about the impacts of COVID-19 on students and schools across the country. On behalf of the Data Coalition members, Data Foundation President Nick Hart issued the following statement about the release of initial survey results:

    “When the Data Coalition called for the U.S. Department of Education to launch a School Pulse Survey in late 2020, the hope was that such a resource would provide critical information to decision-makers at the federal, state, and local level for protecting children and promoting learning at schools across the country. With the first release of data from the School Pulse Survey this week, the Department of Education is providing long-overdue leadership and a much-needed resource to support decision-making using data. The Data Coalition applauds the Department of Education, Institute of Education Sciences,  National Center for Education Statistics and leaders across government who made this innovative open data resource possible.”

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    The Data Coalition is an initiative of the non-profit Data Foundation. The membership-based initiative facilitates a strong national data community and advocates for responsible policies to make government data high-quality, accessible, and usable. The Data Coalition’s work unites the data communities that focus on data science, management, evaluation, statistics, and technology, including individuals in companies, nonprofit organizations, and academia.


  • December 21, 2020 9:00 AM | Anonymous member (Administrator)

    Washington, D.C. – The recent bipartisan deal on FY 2021 appropriations for the Federal government and coronavirus relief includes numerous priorities that advance the country’s data ecosystem. The “Consolidated Appropriations Act, 2021” includes the Data Coalition-endorsed AI in Government Act, modernization for public health data systems, and targeted resources for implementing the Foundations for Evidence-Based Policymaking Act. Data Coalition Chief Executive Officer Nick Hart, Ph.D. issued the following statement on the bipartisan agreement: 

    The Data Coalition applauds the efforts in Congress to prioritize our country’s data infrastructure in the omnibus appropriations. Inclusion of the bipartisan AI in Government Act builds on recent actions to ensure the United States plans for rapid advances in technologies and data analytics in coming years, and that our government will be positioned to lead the world in responsibly using AI. 

    The Data Coalition is also pleased to see a targeted proposal to modernize public health data systems, aligning with recommendations offered by the Data Coalition in early 2020 as the coronavirus pandemic highlighted the major need for updates to the current infrastructure. The modernization proposal provides a productive path for advancing public health data standards and improving secure data sharing that can enhance the quality of health statistics, improve medical practice, and encourage the application of evidence-based practice. 

    The Data Coalition appreciates Congress allocating some resources for federal agencies, including the General Services Administration to implement the OPEN Government Data Act and Foundations for Evidence-Based Policymaking Act. Yet the resources allocated by appropriators and agencies pale in comparison to the tremendous needs for building capabilities for realistically and transparently using data for the public good. The Data Coalition encourages agencies in FY 2021 to prioritize resources and funding flexibilities to adequately resource evidence-building and data-management needs.  


  • December 04, 2020 9:00 AM | Anonymous member (Administrator)

    In September, Reps Will Hurd (R-Texas) and Robin Kelly (D-Ill) introduced a concurrent resolution calling for the creation of a national artificial intelligence strategy. On Thursday, December 3rd, Data Coalition CEO Nick Hart issued the following statement on the resolution:

    Artificial intelligence (AI) applications hold tremendous potential for devising strategies to improve government services. The Data Coalition enthusiastically endorses H.Res.1250, co-sponsored by Rep. Will Hurd (R-TX) and Rep. Robin Kelly (D-IL). The joint resolution presents a clear strategy for materially improving and rapidly advancing the use of AI across the federal government. In particular, the Data Coalition strongly encourages the Executive Branch to prioritize further implementation of the Foundations for Evidence-Based Policymaking Act and the OPEN Government Data Act to assist in the rapid adoption of AI. With these existing laws the adoption of AI envisioned in the Hurd-Kelley resolution can be achieved by transparently and equitably promoting the use of high-quality data across government. The Data Coalition calls on the 116th Congress to approve the bipartisan Hurd-Kelly resolution to create a national AI strategy.


  • October 08, 2020 9:00 AM | Anonymous member (Administrator)

    Washington, D.C. – Data Coalition Chief Executive Officer Nick Hart, Ph.D. issued the following statement on the Government Accountability Office's report assessing the progress of federal agency implementation of the OPEN Government Data Act, released October 8, 2020: 

    The White House’s lack of prioritization for implementing the OPEN Government Data Act is exceedingly disappointing. Nearly two years after enactment of a milestone open data law intended to support transparency and accountability of our government, the Office of Management and Budget has failed to issue implementation guidance. The Data Coalition calls on OMB to address GAO’s recommendations, specifically issuing guidance to provide agencies meaningful direction for ensuring inventories of government data assets are timely, comprehensive, and useful. In the interim, the Data Coalition encourages all federal agencies to continue promising efforts to implement the OPEN Government Data Act, supporting the new chief data officers, sharing and updating data inventories, and increasing the prevalence of open data provided to the American public.


  • August 21, 2020 9:00 AM | Anonymous member (Administrator)

    On Friday, August 21, Rep. Scott Peters (D-CA), Rep. Lucy McBath (D-GA), Rep. Anna G. Eshoo (D-18) and Rep. Brian Fitzpatrick (R-PA) introduced the bipartisan Health Standards to Advance Transparency, Integrity, Science, Technology Infrastructure, and Confidential Statistics Act of 2020 (Health STATISTICS Act). Data Coalition CEO Nick Hart issued the following statement on the bill’s introduction:

    The pandemic highlights something we have known for years – that our country’s data infrastructure needs continuous improvement and resources to adjust to emerging priorities. The lack of certain health data standards limits our ability to reliably and meaningfully use data to generate insights for decision-makers inside and outside government. The bipartisan Health STATISTICS Act promotes the rapid adoption and use of existing data standards created by industry and non-profit partners, while also planning for future data innovation. The Data Coalition is pleased to endorse the Health STATISTICS Act legislation that will ultimately support evidence-based decision-making, higher quality open data, and responsible data sharing. The Data Coalition members look forward to rapid advancement of this important legislation that will result in much-needed and long-overdue improvements to public health data standards.


  • August 20, 2020 9:00 AM | Anonymous member (Administrator)

    Nick Hart, CEO of the Data Coalition and President of the Data Foundation, has been appointed to serve as a member of the Federal Government's Advisory Committee on Data for Evidence Building.

    The new advisory committee was established by the Foundations for Evidence-Based Policymaking Act of 2018, or the Evidence Act (P.L. 115-435). The committee will provide advice to the Director of the White House Office of Management and Budget about strategies for improving government data sharing, applying privacy-protective techniques, and reviewing capabilities across the government.

    “I am honored to be appointed to this important committee, which will help rapidly advance the potential for our government and society to meaningfully use data to improve the lives of the American people,” Hart said. “While our country has made notable progress in recent years for more strategically using government data, we have a long road ahead to deploy modern technologies and methods for data analytics while also ensuring adequate privacy safeguards are in place.” 

    Hart previously served as the Policy and Research Director for the U.S. Commission on Evidence-Based Policymaking, which formulated recommendations that led to the Evidence Act and the creation of the committee.

    Members of the advisory committee were selected from nominated experts in government data policy, privacy, technology, transparency, evaluation, and research. In addition to experts from outside government, the committee also includes senior leaders from agencies including chief data officers, evaluation officers, and statistical officials established by the Evidence Act.  

    As the head of the non-profit Data Coalition, America’s premier voice on data policy, Hart’s work involves real-time collaboration with leaders across the private sector, non-profits, and academia developing new and innovative approaches that are relevant for the government to have accessible, high quality, and usable data. Similarly, the non-profit Data Foundation is a think tank that advances solutions to improve government and society by using data to inform public policymaking. 

    Additional details about the advisory committee and a full list of members is available at www.bea.gov/evidence


  • July 21, 2020 9:00 AM | Anonymous member (Administrator)

    Yesterday, the House of Representatives voted in the affirmative to advance the Taxpayers Right-to-Know Act in the William M. Thornberry National Defense Authorization Act (H.R. 6395) for Fiscal Year 2021. The bipartisan bill leverages and builds upon recent data-centric reforms like the DATA Act of 2014 and the Evidence Act of 2018. The Taxpayers Right-to-Know Act uses existing government-wide financial data standards to make information about federal expenditures more readily available and transparent to American taxpayers.This will increase the understanding of how to improve the productivity and impact of federal programs delivering valuable services to the American public. 

    The Data Coalition’s CEO Nick Hart release the following statement:

    “The Data Coalition applauds members of the House of Representatives for including and advancing the Taxpayers Right-to-Know Act (Amendment 237) in the National Defense Authorization Act (H.R. 6395) for Fiscal Year 2021. This bill will provide the American public, Congress, and federal managers valuable information to make informed decisions about the operations of the federal government. At a time when the country has a great need for transparency and accountability, the Taxpayers Right-to-Know Act will provide valuable open data that will ultimately help improve the efficiency and effectiveness of federal programs.”



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