IV 

117TH CONGRESS 

2D SESSION H. CON. RES. 116 

Establishing the Commission on Evidence-Based Policymaking to review, analyze, and make recommendations to Congress to promote the use of 

Federal data for evidence-building and evidence-based policymaking, and 

for other purposes. 

IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES 

NOVEMBER 17, 2022 

Mr. KILMER (for himself, Mr. TIMMONS, Mr. PHILLIPS, and Mr. JOYCE of 

Ohio) submitted the following concurrent resolution; which was referred 

to the Committee on House Administration, and in addition to the Committee on Oversight and Reform, 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 

CONCURRENT RESOLUTION 

Establishing the Commission on Evidence-Based Policymaking to review, analyze, and make recommendations 

to Congress to promote the use of Federal data for 

evidence-building and evidence-based policymaking, and 

for other purposes. 

1 Resolved by the House of Representatives (the Senate 

2 concurring), 

3 SECTION 1. SHORT TITLE. 

4 This concurrent resolution may be cited as the ‘‘Con5 gressional Evidence-Based Policymaking Resolution’’. 


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1 SEC. 2. COMMISSION ON EVIDENCE-BASED POLICYMAKING. 

2 (a) ESTABLISHMENT.—There is established in the 

3 legislative branch the Commission on Evidence-Based Pol4 icymaking (in this section referred to as the ‘‘Commis5 sion’’) to review, analyze, and make recommendations with 

6 respect to promoting the use of Federal data for evidence7 building and evidence-based policymaking. 

8 (b) MEMBERSHIP.—The Commission shall be com9 posed of 12 members, appointed not later than 180 days 

10 after the date of the adoption of this resolution, as follows: 

11 (1) Three shall be appointed by the Speaker of 

12 the House of Representatives, of whom— 

13 (A) one shall be an academic researcher 

14 specializing in Congress or data science; 

15 (B) one shall be a former Member or sen16 ior staffer of the House; and 

17 (C) one shall be an employee of an office 

18 that participates in the Congressional Data 

19 Task Force or other legislative branch support 

20 agency as appropriate for the purposes of 

21 studying and developing the recommendations 

22 under subsection (f). 

23 (2) Three shall be appointed by the minority 

24 leader of the House of Representatives, of whom— 

25 (A) one shall be an academic researcher 

26 specializing in Congress or data science; 


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1 (B) one shall be a former Member or sen2 ior staffer of the House; and 

3 (C) one shall be an employee of an office 

4 that participates in the Congressional Data 

5 Task Force or other legislative branch support 

6 agency as appropriate for the purposes of 

7 studying and developing the recommendations 

8 under subsection (f). 

9 (3) Three shall be appointed by the majority 

10 leader of the Senate, of whom— 

11 (A) one shall be an academic researcher 

12 specializing in Congress or data science; 

13 (B) one shall be a former Member or sen14 ior staffer of the Senate; and 

15 (C) one shall be an employee of an office 

16 that participates in the Congressional Data 

17 Task Force or other legislative branch support 

18 agency as appropriate for the purposes of 

19 studying and developing the recommendations 

20 under subsection (f). 

21 (4) Three shall be appointed by the minority 

22 leader of the Senate, of whom— 

23 (A) one shall be an academic researcher 

24 specializing in Congress or data science; 


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1 (B) one shall be a former Member or sen2 ior staffer of the Senate; and 

3 (C) one shall be an employee of an office 

4 that participates in the Congressional Data 

5 Task Force or other legislative branch support 

6 agency as appropriate for the purposes of 

7 studying and developing the recommendations 

8 under subsection (f). 

9 (c) PROHIBITION AGAINST SERVICE BY CURRENT

10 MEMBERS OF CONGRESS.—An individual is not eligible to 

11 serve on the Commission if the individual is a current 

12 Member of Congress (including a Delegate or Resident 

13 Commissioner to the Congress). 

14 (d) CO-CHAIRS.—The Speaker of the House of Rep15 resentatives and the majority leader of the Senate shall 

16 each select one member of the Commission to serve as co17 chairs. 

18 (e) STAFF.— 

19 (1) DIRECTOR.—The Commission shall have a 

20 Director who shall be appointed jointly by the co21 chairs. The Director shall be paid at a rate of pay 

22 established by the co-chairs, not to exceed the an23 nual rate of basic pay payable for level V of the Ex24 ecutive Schedule under section 5316 of title 5, 

25 United States Code. 


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1 (2) OTHER STAFF.—The Director may appoint 

2 and fix the pay of not more than 8 full-time equiva3 lent employees and 4 part-time employees. 

4 (3) COVERAGE UNDER CONGRESSIONAL AC5 COUNTABILITY ACT OF 1995.—For purposes of the 

6 Congressional Accountability Act of 1995 (2 U.S.C. 

7 1301 et seq.)— 

8 (A) the Commission shall be treated as an 

9 employing office under the Act; and 

10 (B) an employee of the Commission shall 

11 be treated as a covered employee under the Act. 

12 (4) DETAIL OF EMPLOYEES.—At the request of 

13 the Commission, an employee of an office of the 

14 House of Representatives or Senate may be detailed 

15 to the Commission to assist the Commission with 

16 carrying out its duties. 

17 (f) RECOMMENDATIONS.— 

18 (1) IN GENERAL.—The Commission shall study 

19 and consider approval of applicable recommenda20 tions with respect to evidence-based policymaking 

21 within the Federal Government, including— 

22 (A) how to incorporate outcomes measure23 ment, rigorous impact analysis, and implemen24 tation-aligned language into the lawmaking 

25 process; 


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1 (B) how Congress can access and incor2 porate real-time, structured, and machine-read3 able data into the lawmaking process; 

4 (C) the potential need for and duties of a 

5 congressional Chief Data Officer, including 

6 whether the officer should be located in a 

7 stand-alone office or housed within another ex8 isting agency and how such an office would 

9 function with existing data and transformation 

10 units in Congress; 

11 (D) ways to increase data expertise in 

12 Congress through the incorporation of tech13 nologists, data scientists, and engineers to as14 sist in policy evaluation and legislative drafting; 

15 and 

16 (E) how Congress may encourage Federal 

17 agencies to produce evidence on effectiveness 

18 for major new programs and reauthorizations, 

19 consistent with the Foundations for Evidence20 Based Policymaking Act of 2018 (Public Law 

21 115–435). 

22 (2) ADOPTION OF RECOMMENDATIONS.—Any 

23 recommendation considered by the Commission shall 

24 only be considered adopted by the Commission upon 


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1 receiving the votes of at least two-thirds of the mem2 bers of the Commission. 

3 (g) REPORTS.— 

4 (1) INTERIM REPORTS.—The Commission may 

5 submit to the Speaker of the House and the major6 ity leader of the Senate interim reports containing 

7 such findings, conclusions, and recommendations as 

8 have been agreed to by at least two-thirds of the 

9 members of the Commission. 

10 (2) FINAL REPORT.—Not later than 2 years 

11 after the date of the adoption of this resolution, the 

12 Commission shall submit a report to the Speaker of 

13 the House and the majority leader of the Senate on 

14 the activities and findings of the Commission. 

15 (h) AUTHORIZATION OF APPROPRIATIONS.—There 

16 are authorized to be appropriated such sums as may be 

17 necessary to carry out this section, of which— 

18 (1) 50 percent shall be derived from the appli19 cable accounts of the House of Representatives; and 

20 (2) 50 percent shall be derived from the contin21 gent fund of the Senate. 

Æ 


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