Model State Bills for Data Quality and Access - March 24, 2003 Vol. 4 No. 6

March 24, 2003 Vol. 4 No. 6:

Published: 03/24/2003

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Model State Bills for Data Quality and Access

Apparently initial efforts have begun to develop data quality and data access legislation at the state level. OMB Watch has obtained model legislation for both bills that was reportedly drafted by the The Center for Regulatory Effectiveness (CRE), a strong supporter of both policy efforts at the federal level. Both state level model bills are clearly patterned after federal policies. The state data quality bill borrows heavily from the just recently completed Federal Data Quality Guidelines. The state data access bill has been developed from the Shelby Amendment, which required federal grant recipients to provide access to their underlying data through the Freedom of Information Act. Although no organizations seem to be openly advocating these model bills and no states have introduced them, it is disconcerting to be considering duplicating these hotly contested federal policies at the state level when they have not been implemented long enough to establish their benefits. Additionally the model bills are more detailed and restrictive then the federal policies they build upon. OMB Watch has produced an in-depth analysis of the model state bills.