Title: The Opportunity Project Act of 2019
Policy area: Science, Technology, Communications

Summary:
The Opportunity Project Act of 2019
This bill directs the Department of Commerce, through collaboration between federal agency personnel, end users, and technology experts, to carry out a program, to be known as the Opportunity Project, to facilitate the development of digital products for the public.
Commerce may enter into agreements with federal agencies and states or political subdivisions of states to (1) provide for participation by their employees in digital product development conducted through the project, or (2) make available employees of Commerce to assist in teaching and implementing the processes of the project for use in digital product development by such agency, state, or political subdivision.
The Government Accountability Office must report on the project's effectiveness.

[Congressional Bills 116th Congress]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office]
[H.R. 3528 Introduced in House (IH)]

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116th CONGRESS
  1st Session
                                H. R. 3528

     To direct the Secretary of Commerce to carry out a program to 
facilitate the development of digital products for the public, and for 
                            other purposes.


_______________________________________________________________________


                    IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES

                             June 27, 2019

 Mr. Lipinski introduced the following bill; which was referred to the 
                   Committee on Oversight and Reform

_______________________________________________________________________

                                 A BILL


 
     To direct the Secretary of Commerce to carry out a program to 
facilitate the development of digital products for the public, and for 
                            other purposes.

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

SECTION 1. SHORT TITLE.

    This Act may be cited as ``The Opportunity Project Act of 2019''.

SEC. 2. FINDINGS.

    Congress finds the following:
            (1) The Opportunity Project of the Department of Commerce 
        is based on a process that engages the technology industry to 
        create digital products that expand economic opportunity for 
        the people of the United States.
            (2) The Opportunity Project facilitates cross-sector 
        collaboration, makes Federal Government data more usable and 
        accessible, and creates a positive impact for families, 
        communities, and businesses.
            (3) Since launching in 2016, The Opportunity Project has 
        yielded dozens of new digital products, including products that 
        connect veterans and their families with jobs, connect people 
        experiencing homelessness with services and shelter, and 
        rebuild rural economies.
            (4) The Opportunity Project provides Federal agencies with 
        new ways to use existing Federal data to solve problems and 
        create innovative products by combining the skills and 
        knowledge of Federal agency personnel, end users, and 
        technology experts.
            (5) The process used by The Opportunity Project can be 
        adopted by any Federal agency or non-Federal entity interested 
        in transforming data into digital products for the public.
            (6) The Opportunity Project is consistent with the 
        President's cross-agency priority goal of leveraging data as a 
        strategic asset.

SEC. 3. THE OPPORTUNITY PROJECT.

    (a) In General.--The Secretary shall carry out a program, to be 
known as ``The Opportunity Project'', to facilitate the development of 
digital products for the public through collaboration between Federal 
agency personnel, end users, and technology experts.
    (b) Requirements.--In carrying out The Opportunity Project, the 
Secretary shall--
            (1) provide regularly updated guidance on priorities for 
        digital product development and objectives to be accomplished 
        by the products developed; and
            (2) facilitate--
                    (A) the identification of data that may be useful 
                in the development of such products;
                    (B) the formation of teams of Federal agency 
                personnel, end users, and technology experts to develop 
                such products; and
                    (C) a process that leads the teams through the 
                development of a digital product or a minimum viable 
                technology product as a main component of the work 
                associated with The Opportunity Project as a program.
    (c) Sources of Data.--Data identified under subsection (b)(2)(A) 
may include the data of Federal agencies, States, political 
subdivisions of States, and private-sector entities.
    (d) Topic Submissions.--The Secretary shall establish a process for 
a Federal agency to submit for consideration under The Opportunity 
Project a priority for digital product development or an objective to 
be accomplished by a digital product developed.
    (e) Agreements With Other Federal Agencies and States.--
            (1) In general.--The Secretary may enter into an agreement 
        (written, verbal, or informal) with a Federal agency, State, or 
        political subdivision of a State to--
                    (A) provide for participation by employees of such 
                agency, State, or political subdivision in digital 
                product development conducted through The Opportunity 
                Project; or
                    (B) make available employees of the Department of 
                Commerce to assist in teaching and implementing the 
                processes of The Opportunity Project for use in digital 
                product development by such agency, State, or political 
                subdivision.
            (2) Reimbursement.--An agreement entered into under 
        paragraph (1) may provide for the reimbursement to the 
        Secretary for the services provided by employees of the Bureau 
        of the Census under such agreement, as the Secretary and the 
        Federal agency, State, or political subdivision of a State (as 
        the case may be) deems appropriate.
    (f) Performance Metrics.--The Secretary shall--
            (1) develop metrics to track the performance of The 
        Opportunity Project and the resulting products; and
            (2) collect data to enable ongoing assessment of The 
        Opportunity Project.
    (g) Report to Congress.--Not later than 2 years after the date of 
the enactment of this Act, and annually thereafter, the Secretary shall 
submit to the Committee on Energy and Commerce of the House of 
Representatives and the Committee on Commerce, Science, and 
Transportation of the Senate a report on the performance of The 
Opportunity Project, including an assessment of the effectiveness of 
The Opportunity Project in--
            (1) increasing the usability and accessibility of Federal 
        data by the public; and
            (2) increasing the use of Federal data by the public.
    (h) GAO Report.--Not later than 5 years after the date of the 
enactment of this Act, the Comptroller General of the United States 
shall submit to Congress a report assessing the effectiveness of The 
Opportunity Project in--
            (1) increasing the usability and accessibility of Federal 
        data by the public;
            (2) increasing the use of Federal data by the public; and
            (3) the impact of the resulting products on members of the 
        public.
    (i) Definitions.--In this section:
            (1) Federal agency.--The term ``Federal agency'' has the 
        meaning given the term ``agency'' in section 551 of title 5, 
        United States Code.
            (2) Secretary.--The term ``Secretary'' means the Secretary 
        of Commerce.
            (3) State.--The term ``State'' means each State of the 
        United States, the District of Columbia, each commonwealth, 
        territory, or possession of the United States, and each 
        federally recognized Indian Tribe.
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