National Secure Data Service Act

To establish a National Secure Data Service, and for other purposes. 1. Short title This Act may be cited as the National Secure Data Service Act 2. National secure data service (a) In general The Director, in consultation with the Chief Statistician of the United States, shall establish a demonstration project to develop, refine and test models to inform the full implementation of the Commission on Evidence-Based Policymaking recommendation for a government-wide data linkage and access infrastructure for statistical activities conducted for statistical purposes, as defined in chapter 35 (b) Establishment Not later than one year after the date of enactment of this Act, the Director shall establish a National Secure Data Service demonstration project. The National Secure Data Service demonstration project shall be— (1) aligned with the principles, best practices, and priority actions recommended by the Advisory Committee on Data for Evidence Building, to the extent feasible; and (2) operated directly by or via a contract that is managed by the National Center for Science and Engineering Statistics. (c) Data In carrying out this subsection, the Director shall engage with State and federal agencies to collect, acquire, analyze, report, and disseminate statistical data in the United States and other nations to support governmentwide evidence-building activities consistent with the Foundations for Evidence-Based Policymaking Act of 2018. (d) Privacy and confidentiality protections If the Director issues a management contract under subsection (b), the awardee shall be designated as an agent chapter 35 (e) Technology In carrying out this subsection, the Director shall consider application and use of systems and technologies that incorporate protection measures to reasonably ensure confidential data and statistical products are protected in accordance with obligations under chapter 35 (f) Transparency The National Secure Data Service established under subsection (b) shall maintain a public website with up-to-date information on supported projects. (g) Report Not later than 2 years after the date of enactment of this Act, the National Secure Data Service demonstration project established under subsection (b) shall submit a report to Congress that includes— (1) a description of policies for protecting data, consistent with applicable Federal law; (2) a comprehensive description of all completed or active data linkage activities and projects; (3) an assessment of the effectiveness of the demonstration project for mitigating risks and removing barriers to a sustained implementation of the National Secure Data Service as recommended by the Commission on Evidence-Based Policymaking; and (4) if deemed effective by the Director, a plan for scaling up the demonstration project to facilitate data access for evidence building while ensuring transparency and privacy. (h) Authorization of appropriations There are authorized to be appropriated to the Director to carry out this subsection $56,000,000 for each of fiscal years 2022 through 2026.

Summary: National Secure Data Service Act This bill establishes a National Secure Data Service demonstration project. The bill follows a recommendation in the 2017 Commission on Evidence-Based Policymaking report calling for establishment of such a service to facilitate access to data across government. The project shall be (1) aligned with the principles, best practices, and priority actions recommended by the Advisory Committee on Data for Evidence Building; and (2) managed by the National Center for Science and Engineering Statistics. The project shall engage with state and federal agencies to collect, acquire, analyze, report, and disseminate statistical data in the United States and other nations to support government-wide evidence-building activities. The bill includes provisions to ensure confidentiality and transparency.