Senate Budget Committee Chairman Patty Murray and House Budget Committee Chairman Paul Ryan have announced the Evidence-Based Policymaking Commission Act of 2014, a new bill that is a step toward strengthening our understanding of how government investments can better serve all Americans.  This bipartisan bill would establish a 15-member commission to study how best to expand the use of data to evaluate the effectiveness of federal programs and tax expenditures. The commission would also study how best to protect the privacy rights of people who interact with federal agencies and ensure confidentiality.

Read more about the bill here.

Evidence-Based Policymaking Commission Act of 2014:

• The bill would establish a “Commission on Evidenced-based Policymaking.” The Commission would review the inventory, infrastructure, and protocols related to data from federal programs and tax expenditures while developing recommendations to increase the availability and use of this data in support of rigorous program evaluation.

• In the course of its review, the Commission would specifically be required to evaluate the merits of and provide guidance for creating a “clearinghouse” for program and survey data. The clearinghouse would make available and facilitate the merging of datasets that are valuable in evaluating program effectiveness and informing domestic policymaking.

• The Commission would be comprised of 15 members representing an array of disciplines relevant to program evaluation and data management, including economics, statistics, and data security.  The Majority and Minority leaders in the Senate, and Speaker and Minority Leader in the House are authorized to appoint 3 members each, as is the President. 

• The Commission’s findings and recommendations would be due 15 months after the majority of the members have been appointed.  At least three quarters of the members must vote in the affirmative for the recommendations. The Commission ends 18 months after the date of enactment.

• The bill would require several agencies to provide assistance to the Commission including OMB, Census, and the Departments of Health and Human Services, Education and Justice.

• The Commission would also study how best to protect the privacy rights of people who interact with federal agencies and ensure confidentiality.

Senator Murray and Congressman Ryan also worked across the aisle to reach agreement on the Bipartisan Budget Act of 2013, which set spending levels for fiscal years 2014 and 2015 to move Congress away from governing by crisis.