Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representa-
tives of the United States of America in Congress assembled, 
SECTION 1. SHORT TITLE. 
This Act may be cited as the ‘‘Information Quality 
Assurance Act’’. 
SEC. 2. INFORMATION QUALITY ASSURANCE. 
(a) IN GENERAL.—Subchapter 1 of chapter 35 of 
title 44, United States Code, is amended by adding at the 
end the following: 
‘‘§ 3522. Information Quality Assurance. 
‘‘(a) IN GENERAL.—Not later than 1 year after the 
date of the enactment of the Information Quality Assur-
ance Act, the Director shall— 
‘‘(1) with public and Federal agency involve-
ment, update the guidelines issued under subsection 
(a) of the Information Quality Act— 
‘‘(A) to provide policy and procedural guid-
ance to the heads of Federal agencies for better 
ensuring and maximizing the quality, objec-
tivity, utility, and integrity of influential infor-
mation or evidence— 
‘‘(i) used by the heads of Federal 
agencies to develop or issue rules and guid-
ance; or
‘‘(ii) disseminated to the public to in-
form the public about the nature and bases 
of such rules and guidance; and 
‘‘(B) in a manner consistent with— 
‘‘(i) this chapter; and 
‘‘(ii) the amendments made by the 
Foundations for Evidence-Based Policy-
making Act of 2018 (Public Law 115– 
435); and 
‘‘(2) make the guidelines updated under para-
graph (1) available on the website of the Office of 
Management and Budget. 
‘‘(b) CONTENT OF GUIDELINES.—In updating the 
guidelines under subsection (a), the Director shall require 
that the head of each Federal agency to which the guide-
lines apply, not later than 1 year after the Director up-
dates such guidelines— 
‘‘(1) update any guidelines issued by the head 
of the Federal agency under the Information Quality 
Act to ensure that, in the case of influential infor-
mation or evidence, the best reasonably available in-
formation and evidence is relied on in developing, 
issuing, or informing the public about the rules and 
guidance of the Federal agency;
‘‘(2) publish the guidelines updated by the head 
of the Federal agency under paragraph (1) on the 
website of the Federal agency; 
‘‘(3) ensure the administrative mechanisms es-
tablished under subparagraph (B) of section (b)(2) 
of the Information Quality Act are available with re-
spect to seeking and obtaining the correction of any 
influential information or evidence that the Federal 
agency uses to develop or issue a rule or guideline, 
or disseminates to the public to inform the public of 
the nature and basis of any rule or guidance of the 
Federal agency, that does not comply with the 
guidelines issued under paragraph (1); and 
‘‘(4) include in the report required under sub-
paragraph (C) of subsection (b)(2) of the Informa-
tion Quality Act the information described under 
that subparagraph with respect to any complaints 
received by the Federal agency related to the accu-
racy of influential information or evidence the Fed-
eral agency uses to develop, issue, or inform the 
public of the nature and bases of rules or guidance. 
‘‘(c) PUBLIC DISCLOSURE.— 
‘‘(1) AVAILABILITY.—Except as provided under 
paragraph (2), the head of the Federal agency shall 
make available in the docket for the rulemaking of
any rule of the Federal agency, or in the administra-
tive record for any guidance, in a timely manner be-
fore the promulgation of the rule or issuance of the 
guidance document— 
‘‘(A) any model, methodology, or source of 
scientific, technical, demographic, economic, or 
statistical information or evidence upon which 
the head of the Federal agency— 
‘‘(i) relied on in developing or issuing 
such rule or guidance; or 
‘‘(ii) proposes to rely on in developing 
or issuing such rule or guidance; and 
‘‘(B) an identification of whether each 
such model, methodology, or source constitutes, 
or may constitute, influential information or 
evidence. 
‘‘(2) EXCEPTION.— 
‘‘(A) IN GENERAL.—The head of the Fed-
eral agency— 
‘‘(i) shall implement paragraph (1) in 
a manner consistent with this chapter and 
section 552a of title 5; and 
‘‘(ii) may not make available in the 
docket for the rulemaking of any rule of 
the Federal agency, or in the administra-
tive record for any guidance, information 
that is prohibited from being disclosed to 
the public under any statute. 
‘‘(B) EXPLANATION TO BE INCLUDED IN 
DOCKET OR ADMINISTRATIVE RECORD.—If the 
head of the Federal agency does not make a 
model, methodology, or source available under 
paragraph 
(1)(A) 
pursuant 
to 
paragraph 
(2)(A), the head of the Federal agency shall in-
clude in the docket for the rulemaking or the 
administrative record for the guidance docu-
ment— 
‘‘(i) an explanation as to why such in-
formation cannot be made publicly avail-
able, including a citation to the applicable 
law and policy; and 
‘‘(ii) a description of any steps being 
taken to increase access to such informa-
tion, even if the information cannot be 
made public. 
‘‘(3) FORMAT OF SOURCE.—The head of each 
Federal agency shall make any model, methodology, 
or source required to be made available under para-
graph (1)(A) available as an open Government data 
asset.
‘‘(d) DEFINITIONS.—In this section: 
‘‘(1) EVIDENCE.—The term ‘evidence’ has the 
meaning given that term in section 3561. 
‘‘(2) INFLUENTIAL
INFORMATION
OR
EVI-
DENCE.—The term ‘influential information or evi-
dence’ means information or evidence (including sci-
entific, technical, demographic, economic, financial, 
and statistical information or evidence) that the 
head of the Federal agency can reasonably deter-
mine will have or does have a clear or substantial 
impact on— 
‘‘(A) developing or issuing a proposed or 
final rule of the Federal agency; or 
‘‘(B) informing the public of the nature 
and basis of any rule or guidance of the Fed-
eral agency. 
‘‘(3) INFORMATION
QUALITY
ACT.—The term 
‘Information Quality Act’ means section 515 of the 
Treasury and General Government Appropriations 
Act, 2001 (Public Law 106–554).’’. 
(b) TABLE OF CONTENTS.—The table of contents for 
subchapter I of chapter 35 of title 44, United States Code,