Bipartisan, Bicameral Bill Mandates Open Government Data
A bipartisan bill unveiled Thursday would require the federal government to share data by default. Reps. Derek Kilmer, D-Wash., and Blake Farenthold, R-Texas, plan to introduce the Open, Public, Electronic and Necessary (OPEN) Government Data Act in the House, and…
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Sen. Brian Schatz, D-Hawaii, will sponsor the bill in the Senate. Schatz said he has support from Sen. Ben Sasse, R-Neb. Schatz, Kilmer and Farenthold announced the bill at an event hosted by the Center for Data Innovation. The bill codifies many principles from President Barack Obama’s 2013 executive order on open data. The OPEN Act would require government data to be machine-readable and available in open format, require use of open licenses for government data, and encourage agencies to engage with public and private entities about innovative uses for data. It would require agencies to use existing resources to develop, maintain and regularly update a public Enterprise Data Inventory. It would mandate a single online portal, currently Data.gov, to share all open government data. The requirements won’t apply retroactively, but will force the government to embrace the digital age, Farenthold said. “This is 21st century government. It’s open and transparent. It’s bipartisan. It’s bicameral.” The bill will "empower government to be more effective,” Kilmer said. “It’s going to empower private sector to innovate. It’s going to empower citizens to participate." Accessing government data should be “painless,” Schatz said. Data and documents shouldn't be posted only online, but should be machine readable, he said. The Center for Data Innovation supports the bill. “The U.S. government has a wealth of data, and turning this data over to the public creates a powerful platform for innovation,” center Director Daniel Castro said in a statement. The bill would “improve the public’s ability to scrutinize wasteful, fraudulent, or abusive government spending, help agencies better manage their own data resources and create valuable new public services, and support private sector efforts to develop new business models supported by open data,” he said. A mandate from Congress is needed to “force change” in the government, said Tim Day, vice president of the U.S. Chamber of Commerce’s Center for Advanced Technology and Innovation.