IB 

Union Calendar No. 394 

118TH CONGRESS 

2D SESSION H. R. 7219 

[Report No. 118–475, Part I] 

To ensure that Federal agencies rely on the best reasonably available scientific, technical, demographic, economic, and statistical information and 

evidence to develop, issue or inform the public of the nature and bases 

of Federal agency rules and guidance, and for other purposes. 

IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES 

FEBRUARY 5, 2024 

Mrs. MCCLAIN (for herself and Ms. PORTER) introduced the following bill; 

which was referred to the Committee on Oversight and Accountability, 

and in addition to the Committee on the Judiciary, for a period to be 

subsequently determined by the Speaker, in each case for consideration 

of such provisions as fall within the jurisdiction of the committee concerned 

APRIL 29, 2024 

Reported from the Committee on Oversight and Accountability with an 

amendment 

[Strike out all after the enacting clause and insert the part printed in italic] 

APRIL 29, 2024 

Committee on the Judiciary discharged; committed to the Committee of the 

Whole House on the State of the Union and ordered to be printed 

[For text of introduced bill, see copy of bill as introduced on February 5, 2024] 


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•HR 7219 RH

A BILL 

To ensure that Federal agencies rely on the best reasonably 

available scientific, technical, demographic, economic, and 

statistical information and evidence to develop, issue or 

inform the public of the nature and bases of Federal 

agency rules and guidance, and for other purposes. 


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•HR 7219 RH

1 Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representa2 tives of the United States of America in Congress assembled, 

3 SECTION 1. SHORT TITLE. 

4 This Act may be cited as the ‘‘Information Quality 

5 Assurance Act’’. 

6 SEC. 2. INFORMATION QUALITY ASSURANCE. 

7 (a) IN GENERAL.—Subchapter 1 of chapter 35 of title 

8 44, United States Code, is amended by adding at the end 

9 the following: 

10 ‘‘§ 3522. Information Quality Assurance. 

11 ‘‘(a) IN GENERAL.—Not later than 1 year after the 

12 date of the enactment of the Information Quality Assurance 

13 Act, the Director shall— 

14 ‘‘(1) with public and Federal agency involve15 ment, update the guidelines issued under subsection 

16 (a) of the Information Quality Act— 

17 ‘‘(A) to provide policy and procedural guid18 ance to the heads of Federal agencies for better 

19 ensuring and maximizing the quality, objec20 tivity, utility, and integrity of influential infor21 mation or evidence— 

22 ‘‘(i) used by the heads of Federal agen23 cies to develop or issue rules and guidance; 

24 or 


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1 ‘‘(ii) disseminated to the public to in2 form the public about the nature and bases 

3 of such rules and guidance; and 

4 ‘‘(B) in a manner consistent with— 

5 ‘‘(i) this chapter; and 

6 ‘‘(ii) the amendments made by the 

7 Foundations for Evidence-Based Policy8 making Act of 2018 (Public Law 115–435); 

9 and 

10 ‘‘(2) make the guidelines updated under para11 graph (1) available on the website of the Office of 

12 Management and Budget. 

13 ‘‘(b) CONTENT OF GUIDELINES.—In updating the 

14 guidelines under subsection (a), the Director shall require 

15 that the head of each Federal agency to which the guidelines 

16 apply, not later than 1 year after the Director updates such 

17 guidelines— 

18 ‘‘(1) update any guidelines issued by the head of 

19 the Federal agency under the Information Quality 

20 Act to ensure that, in the case of influential informa21 tion or evidence, the best reasonably available infor22 mation and evidence is relied on in developing, 

23 issuing, or informing the public about the rules and 

24 guidance of the Federal agency; 


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1 ‘‘(2) publish the guidelines updated by the head 

2 of the Federal agency under paragraph (1) on the 

3 website of the Federal agency; 

4 ‘‘(3) ensure the administrative mechanisms es5 tablished under subparagraph (B) of section (b)(2) of 

6 the Information Quality Act are available with re7 spect to seeking and obtaining the correction of any 

8 influential information or evidence that the Federal 

9 agency uses to develop or issue a rule or guideline, or 

10 disseminates to the public to inform the public of the 

11 nature and basis of any rule or guidance of the Fed12 eral agency, that does not comply with the guidelines 

13 issued under paragraph (1); and 

14 ‘‘(4) include in the report required under sub15 paragraph (C) of subsection (b)(2) of the Information 

16 Quality Act the information described under that sub17 paragraph with respect to any complaints received by 

18 the Federal agency related to the accuracy of influen19 tial information or evidence the Federal agency uses 

20 to develop, issue, or inform the public of the nature 

21 and bases of rules or guidance. 

22 ‘‘(c) PUBLIC DISCLOSURE.— 

23 ‘‘(1) AVAILABILITY.—Except as provided under 

24 paragraph (2), the head of the Federal agency shall 

25 make available in the docket for the rulemaking of 


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1 any rule of the Federal agency, or in the administra2 tive record for any guidance, in a timely manner be3 fore the promulgation of the rule or issuance of the 

4 guidance document— 

5 ‘‘(A) any model, methodology, or source of 

6 scientific, technical, demographic, economic, or 

7 statistical information or evidence upon which 

8 the head of the Federal agency— 

9 ‘‘(i) relied on in developing or issuing 

10 such rule or guidance; or 

11 ‘‘(ii) proposes to rely on in developing 

12 or issuing such rule or guidance; and 

13 ‘‘(B) an identification of whether each such 

14 model, methodology, or source constitutes, or 

15 may constitute, influential information or evi16 dence. 

17 ‘‘(2) EXCEPTION.— 

18 ‘‘(A) IN GENERAL.—The head of the Federal 

19 agency— 

20 ‘‘(i) shall implement paragraph (1) in 

21 a manner consistent with this chapter and 

22 section 552a of title 5; and 

23 ‘‘(ii) may not make available in the 

24 docket for the rulemaking of any rule of the 

25 Federal agency, or in the administrative 


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1 record for any guidance, information that is 

2 prohibited from being disclosed to the public 

3 under any statute. 

4 ‘‘(B) EXPLANATION TO BE INCLUDED IN

5 DOCKET OR ADMINISTRATIVE RECORD.—If the 

6 head of the Federal agency does not make a 

7 model, methodology, or source available under 

8 paragraph (1)(A) pursuant to paragraph (2)(A), 

9 the head of the Federal agency shall include in 

10 the docket for the rulemaking or the administra11 tive record for the guidance document— 

12 ‘‘(i) an explanation as to why such in13 formation cannot be made publicly avail14 able, including a citation to the applicable 

15 law and policy; and 

16 ‘‘(ii) a description of any steps being 

17 taken to increase access to such information, 

18 even if the information cannot be made 

19 public. 

20 ‘‘(3) FORMAT OF SOURCE.—The head of each 

21 Federal agency shall make any model, methodology, 

22 or source required to be made available under para23 graph (1)(A) available as an open Government data 

24 asset. 

25 ‘‘(d) DEFINITIONS.—In this section: 


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1 ‘‘(1) EVIDENCE.—The term ‘evidence’ has the 

2 meaning given that term in section 3561. 

3 ‘‘(2) INFLUENTIAL INFORMATION OR EVI4 DENCE.—The term ‘influential information or evi5 dence’ means information or evidence (including sci6 entific, technical, demographic, economic, financial, 

7 and statistical information or evidence) that the head 

8 of the Federal agency can reasonably determine will 

9 have or does have a clear or substantial impact on— 

10 ‘‘(A) developing or issuing a proposed or 

11 final rule of the Federal agency; or 

12 ‘‘(B) informing the public of the nature and 

13 basis of any rule or guidance of the Federal 

14 agency. 

15 ‘‘(3) INFORMATION QUALITY ACT.—The term ‘In16 formation Quality Act’ means section 515 of the 

17 Treasury and General Government Appropriations 

18 Act, 2001 (Public Law 106–554).’’. 

19 (b) TABLE OF CONTENTS.—The table of contents for 

20 subchapter I of chapter 35 of title 44, United States Code, 

21 is amended by adding after the item relating to section 3521 

22 the following: 

‘‘3522. Information Quality Assurance.’’. 


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Union Calendar No. 394 

118TH CONGRESS 

2D SESSION H. R. 7219 

[Report No. 118–475, Part I] 

A BILL 

To ensure that Federal agencies rely on the best 

rules and guidance, and for other purposes. lic of the nature and bases of Federal agency and evidence to develop, issue or inform the pubgraphic, economic, and statistical information reasonably available scientific, technical, demoAPRIL 29, 2024 

Reported from the Committee on Oversight and 

Accountability with an amendment 

APRIL 29, 2024 

Committee on the Judiciary discharged; committed to the 

Union and ordered to be printed Committee of the Whole House on the State of the 


ssavage on LAPJG3WLY3PROD with BILLS