Federal Government Equity Improvement Act of 2024

Bill: 118-hr-7882
Sponsor: full_name: Rep. Raskin, Jamie [D-MD-8]
Introduced: 2024-04-05
Policy area: Government Operations and Politics
Latest action: action_date: 2024-04-05
text: Referred to the House Committee on Oversight and Accountability.

Summaries:

tv_txt: I 118th CONGRESS 2d Session H. R. 7882 IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES April 5, 2024 Mr. Raskin (for himself, Ms. Pressley , Ms. Bush , Mr. Carson , Ms. Jackson Lee , Mr. Johnson of Georgia , Ms. Lee of Pennsylvania , Ms. Norton , Mrs. Ramirez , Mr. Carter of Louisiana , Mr. Nadler , Mr. Lynch , Ms. Tlaib , Mr. Khanna , Ms. Ocasio-Cortez , Mr. Espaillat , and Ms. Brown ) introduced the following bill; which was referred to the Committee on Oversight and Accountability A BILL To amend section 1124 of title 31, United States Code, to establish an Agency Equity Advisory Team, to amend sections 3520 and 3520A of title 44, United States Code, to ensure the use of equity, and for other purposes.

1. Short title This Act may be cited as the Federal Government Equity Improvement Act of 2024 . 2. Performance improvement officers Section 1124 of title 31, United States Code, is amended— (1) in subsection (a)(2)— (A) in subparagraph (E), by striking ; and and inserting a semicolon; (B) in subparagraph (F), by striking the period at the end and inserting ; and ; and (C) by inserting at the end the following: (G) establish and serve as the head of an Agency Equity Advisory Team, with at least 10 members, that includes representation from at least 10 of the following: (i) The head of the agency. (ii) Regulatory affairs senior designee. (iii) Counsel. (iv) Civil rights enforcement senior designee. (v) Policy development senior designee. (vi) Chief Financial Officer, Controller, or senior designee. (vii) Chief Data Officer or senior designee. (viii) Chief Science Officer or senior designee. (ix) Chief Human Capital Officer or senior designee. (x) Evaluation Officer or senior designee. (xi) Statistical official. (xii) Procurement senior designee. (xiii) Customer or user experience leadership. (xiv) Communications or public affairs senior designee. (xv) Public engagement senior designee. ; and (2) in subsection (b), by adding at the end the following new paragraph: (4) Equity Subcommittee (A) Establishment There is established an Equity Subcommittee of the Performance Improvement Council, consisting of members of that Council, to be selected by the Council. (B) Functions The Equity Subcommittee of the Performance Improvement Council shall— (i) assist the Director of the Office of Management and Budget in identifying guidance agencies need on how to provide services more equitably and developing such guidance; (ii) facilitate the sharing of information across agencies regarding practices that have led to the more equitable provision of services; (iii) coordinate with the Equitable Data Working Group of the Chief Data Officer Council (established pursuant to section 3520A of title 44) to ensure that agencies share best practices related to the equitable collection and use of data; and (iv) solicit input from nongovernmental organizations, State and local governments, and recipients of government services to determine best practices for providing government services equitably. . 3. Chief data officers Title 44, United States Code, is amended— (1) in section 3520(c)— (A) in paragraph (13), by striking ; and and inserting a semicolon; (B) in paragraph (14) by striking the period at the end and inserting ; and ; and (C) by inserting at the end the following new paragraph: (15) ensure the agency applies the recommendations of the Chief Data Officer Council developed pursuant to paragraphs (1) through (5) of section 3520A(b). ; and (2) in section 3520A— (A) in subsection (b)— (i) in paragraph (1), by striking the use and inserting the equitable use ; (ii) in paragraph (2), by striking between agencies and inserting between agencies, academic and research partners, State and local governments, community and advocacy groups, and other stakeholders ; (iii) in paragraph (3), by striking policymaking and inserting equitable policymaking ; (iv) in paragraph (4), by striking access and inserting equitable access ; and (v) in paragraph (5), by striking collection and inserting equitable collection ; (B) in subsection (d), by striking the Council. and inserting the Council, including the work of the Equitable Data Working Group. ; (C) by amending subsection (e) to read as follows: (e) Evaluation and termination (1) GAO Evaluation of Council Not later than 4 years after the date of the enactment of this paragraph, the Comptroller General shall submit to Congress a report on whether the additional duties of the Council, including the Equitable Data Working Group, improved the equitable collection and use of evidence, including for program evaluation, in the Federal Government. (2) Termination of Council The Council, including the Equitable Data Working Group, shall not terminate until at least two years after the date on which the Comptroller General submits the report under paragraph (1) to Congress. ; and (D) by adding at the end the following new subsections: (f) Equitable Data Working Group (1) Establishment There is established within the Council an Equitable Data Working Group. (2) Purpose and functions The Equitable Data Working Group shall ensure that the Council prioritizes equity when carrying out the functions of the Council described in paragraphs (1) through (5) of subsection (b). (3) Meetings; reports Not less frequently than once per quarter, the Equitable Data Working Group shall meet submit to the Chief Data Officer Council a written report with recommendations on how to execute the functions described in paragraphs (1) through (5) of subsection (b) to better achieve equitable methods and outcomes. (4) Membership (A) In general The Council shall select a subset of the members of the Council to serve as members of the Equitable Data Working Group. (B) Chair The Chair of the Council shall select the Chair of the Equitable Data Working Group from among the members of the Equitable Data Working Group. (g) State defined In this section and section 1124 of title 31, 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. .