STATEMENT FROM THE DATA FOUNDATION ON H.R. 10151

The Data Foundation strongly endorses H.R. 10151, the Modernizing Data Practices to Improve Government Act, and calls on members of the House Committee on Oversight and Accountability to vote YES during today's Full Committee Business Meeting and Markup. This important legislation would strengthen data governance across the federal enterprise and ensure the continuation of the Chief Data Officer (CDO) Council through 2031.

"We're at an important juncture for the country and the CDO community," said Nick Hart, President and CEO of the Data Foundation. "Five years after Congress established the CDO role with bipartisan support, the progress has been remarkable. As we stand halfway through the implementation of the original Federal Data Strategy, we see both tremendous opportunity and pressing challenges. The path forward is clear - we must ensure CDOs have the resources and authority they need, operating as partners—not subordinates—to evaluation and IT functions."

On November 19 the Data Foundation, in partnership with Deloitte, published Five Years of Progress and the Road Ahead: Insights from the 2024 Survey of Federal Chief Data Officers. The 2024 Federal CDO Survey provides a perspective into the evolving role of CDOs and  supports broad understanding of the CDO community’s progress and needs.

"The Federal CDO Council serves as a vital coordination and collaboration mechanism for CDOs," said Corinna Turbes, Director of the Center for Data Policy at the Data Foundation. "Our 2024 survey reveals that CDOs consistently rely on Council resources and activities to achieve their missions. The Council's role in promoting shared tools, templates, and collaboration mechanisms is essential for breaking down silos and advancing data-driven decision-making across government."

"Over the past five years, we've seen the CDO function mature into a clearly defined leadership role that is distinct from IT management," said Kris Rowley, Data Foundation Board Member, Current CDO for the Conference of State Bank Supervisors and former Chief Data Officer of the U.S. General Services Administration (GSA). "This legislation appropriately recognizes that data governance and management require dedicated leadership focused on leveraging data as a strategic asset and is essential for enabling Artificial Intelligence."

The Modernizing Data Practices to Improve Government Act builds on momentum in Congress to strengthen federal data practices. The Senate Committee on Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs previously approved a counterpart bill (S. 5109).

The Data Foundation, and members of our Data Coalition, strongly encourage you to vote YES on H.R. 10151. 

For more information about the current state of federal Chief Data Officers, see "Five Years of Progress and the Road Ahead: Insights from the 2024 Survey of Federal Chief Data Officers," available at https://datafoundation.org/news/reports/490/490-Five-Years-of-Progress-and-the-Road-Ahead .

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