Open Data Law Aims To Demystify Federal Spending - InformationWeek

abernard102@gmail.com 2014-04-09

Summary:

Both houses of Congress stand poised to pass a law three years in the making that would standardize how the federal government's spending data are published. The Digital Accountability and Transparency Act (DATA Act), regarded by some observers as the most significant open-government legislation since the Freedom of Information Act in 1966, would transform the US government's spending information from a maze of confusing documents into easily accessible open data. The new law would require the federal government to automate, standardize, and publish its myriad financial management, procurement, and related data in electronic formats that can be easily accessed and analyzed by interested parties in the public and private sectors. Among its most important reforms, the legislation would expand the USAspending.gov site to include spending data for all federal funds, set government-wide financial data standards, and reduce reporting costs for entities that are awarded taxpayer dollars, the bill's sponsors said ... Standardizing electronic publishing of federal data would benefit the government in a number of ways, for example by mandating greater transparency, reducing the long-term costs of data compliance, and improving information sharing to make timelier management decisions. Specifically, the law would transform federal reporting requirements related to financial accounts, budget actions, payment requests, and reports from grant and contract recipients into easily accessed open data.  IT entrepreneurs and businesses are keenly interested in the effort because it will allow them to automate, republish, and analyze federal data more easily. The success of the DATA Act, however, will depend in large part on whether the White House (the Obama administration and those that follow it) will insist that federal agencies comply promptly and completely with the statutory components of the legislation, said the Data Transparency Coalition, a Washington-based trade group. A number of federal agencies and offices will have key roles to play in complying with the law and carrying forward its reforms, including the departments of Commerce and Treasury, the General Services Administration, and the Office of Management and Budget ..."

Link:

http://www.informationweek.com/government/open-government/open-data-law-aims-to-demystify-federal-spending/d/d-id/1204243

From feeds:

Open Access Tracking Project (OATP) » abernard102@gmail.com

Tags:

oa.new oa.comment oa.data_act oa.usa oa.legislation oa.psi oa.government oa.formats oa.usaspending.gov oa.standards oa.data

Date tagged:

04/09/2014, 07:31

Date published:

04/09/2014, 03:31