Evidence-Based Policymaking Commission Act (HR 1831)

• Sponsor: Rep. Paul Ryan (R-WI) “Would establish a 15-member commission to study how best to expand the use of data to evaluate the effectiveness of federal programs and tax expenditures. The commission would also study how best to protect the privacy rights of people who interact with federal agencies and ensure confidentiality. Specifically, the commission would determine whether the federal government should establish a clearinghouse for program and survey data, which qualified researchers from both the private and public sector could access and use to perform program evaluations and policy-relevant research. By coordinating data across federal programs and tax expenditures, and giving researchers greater access to that data, federal agencies would gain a better grasp of how effective they are, and lawmakers would gain a better grasp of how to improve them,” according to the bill sponsors.

Regulations from the Executive in Need of Scrutiny (REINS) Act (HR 427)

• Sponsor: Rep. Todd Young (R-IN) “Would require any executive branch rule or regulation with an annual economic impact of $100 million or more—designated by the White House’s Office of Management and Budget (OMB) as a “major rule”—to come before Congress for an up-or-down vote before being enacted,”according to the bill sponsor. “In 2014, the executive branch finalized 3,541 new rules and regulations—approximately 16 times greater than the 223 new laws passed by Congress and signed by President. Of those rules and regulations, 200 were deemed to be ‘major’.”