[Congressional Bills 118th Congress]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office]
[H.R. 6886 Introduced in House (IH)]

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118th CONGRESS
  1st Session
                                H. R. 6886

To direct agencies to be transparent when using automated and augmented 
systems to interact with the public or make critical decisions, and for 
                            other purposes.


_______________________________________________________________________


                    IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES

                           December 22, 2023

    Mr. Higgins of Louisiana (for himself, Mr. Weber of Texas, Mr. 
  McGovern, and Mr. Davis of North Carolina) introduced the following 
      bill; which was referred to the Committee on Oversight and 
                             Accountability

_______________________________________________________________________

                                 A BILL


 
To direct agencies to be transparent when using automated and augmented 
systems to interact with the public or make critical decisions, 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 ``Transparent Automated Governance 
Act'' or the ``TAG Act''.

SEC. 2. DEFINITIONS.

    In this Act:
            (1) Agency.--The term ``agency'' has the meaning given the 
        term in section 3502 of title 44, United States Code.
            (2) Artificial intelligence.--The term ``artificial 
        intelligence'' has the meaning given the term in section 238(g) 
        of the John S. McCain National Defense Authorization Act for 
        Fiscal Year 2019 (10 U.S.C. note prec. 4061; Public Law 115-
        232).
            (3) Augmented critical decision process.--The term 
        ``augmented critical decision process'' means the use by an 
        agency, or by a third party on behalf of the agency, of an 
        automated system to determine or substantially influence the 
        outcomes of critical decisions.
            (4) Automated system.--The term ``automated system''--
                    (A) means a set of computational processes derived 
                from statistics or artificial intelligence techniques, 
                or that otherwise rely on data about specific 
                individuals or groups, to substantially influence the 
                outcome of critical decisions, including computational 
                processes that stand alone or are embedded within 
                another process, system, or application, including 
                paper-based processes; and
                    (B) does not include computational processes or 
                infrastructure the function of which is not directly 
                related to influencing or determining the outcome of 
                critical decisions.
            (5) Critical decision.--The term ``critical decision'' 
        means an agency determination, including the assignment of a 
        score or classification, related to the status, rights, 
        property, or wellbeing of specific individuals or groups, the 
        outcome of which--
                    (A) is likely to meaningfully differ from one 
                individual or group to another; and
                    (B) meaningfully affects access to, or the cost, 
                terms, or availability of--
                            (i) education and vocational training;
                            (ii) employment;
                            (iii) essential utilities, including 
                        electricity, heat, water, and internet;
                            (iv) transportation;
                            (v) any benefits or assistance under any 
                        Federal public assistance program or under any 
                        State or local public assistance program 
                        financed in whole or in part with Federal 
                        funds;
                            (vi) financial services, including access 
                        to credit or insurance;
                            (vii) asylum and immigration services;
                            (viii) healthcare;
                            (ix) housing, lodging, or public 
                        accommodations; and
                            (x) any other service, program, or 
                        opportunity a determination about which would 
                        have a legal, material, or significant effect 
                        on the life of an individual, as determined by 
                        the Director.
            (6) Director.--The term ``Director'' means the Director of 
        the Office of Management and Budget.
            (7) Plain language.--The term ``plain language'' has the 
        meaning given the term in section 1311(e)(3)(B) of the Patient 
        Protection and Affordable Care Act (42 U.S.C. 18031(e)(3)(B)).
            (8) Transparent automated governance guidance.--The term 
        ``transparent automated governance guidance'' means the 
        guidance issued by the Director pursuant to section 3(a).

SEC. 3. TRANSPARENT AUTOMATED GOVERNANCE GUIDANCE.

    (a) In General.--Not later than 270 days after the date of 
enactment of this Act, the Director shall issue guidance that--
            (1) is consistent with relevant legal authorities relating 
        to privacy, civil rights, and civil liberties protections; and
            (2) requires agencies to provide disclosure and opportunity 
        for appeal when using certain automated systems and augmented 
        critical decision processes.
    (b) Guidance.--The transparent automated governance guidance issued 
under subsection (a) shall include--
            (1) an identification by the Director of any additional 
        services, programs, or opportunities relating to critical 
        decisions described in section 2(5)(B)(x), if appropriate, for 
        use by agencies with respect to the requirements under this 
        Act;
            (2) a list of automated systems that may be used in 
        augmented critical decision processes, that, as determined by 
        the Director, are not subject to the requirements of this Act;
            (3) with respect to automated systems that contribute to 
        augmented critical decision processes and interact with the 
        public, guidance for how agencies shall design, develop, 
        procure, or update those automated systems to provide plain 
        language notice to individuals not later than the time and at 
        the place of interaction with such an automated system that 
        they are interacting with such an automated system;
            (4) the proper contents of the notice described in 
        paragraph (3);
            (5) examples of what the notice described in paragraph (3) 
        could look like in practice;
            (6) with respect to augmented critical decision processes, 
        guidance for how agencies shall provide plain language notice 
        to individuals not later than the time a critical decision is 
        issued to an individual that a critical decision concerning the 
        individual was made using an augmented critical decision 
        process;
            (7) the proper contents of the notice described in 
        paragraph (6);
            (8) examples of what the notice described in paragraph (6) 
        could look like in practice;
            (9) guidance for how agencies shall establish an appeals 
        process for critical decisions made by an augmented critical 
        decision process in which an individual is harmed as a direct 
        result of the use of an automated system in the augmented 
        critical decision process;
            (10) with respect to critical decisions made by an 
        augmented critical decision process, guidance for how agencies 
        should provide individuals with the opportunity for an 
        alternative review, as appropriate, by an individual working 
        for or on behalf of the agency with respect to the critical 
        decision, independent of the augmented critical decision 
        process; and
            (11) criteria for information that each agency is required 
        to track and collect relating to issues that arise during the 
        use of augmented critical decision processes--
                    (A) to ensure that the information collected can be 
                used to determine whether each automated system and 
                augmented critical decision process covered by this Act 
                is accurate, reliable, and, to the greatest extent 
                practicable, explainable; and
                    (B) that the agency shall make accessible for use 
                by the agency, the Comptroller General of the United 
                States, and Congress.
    (c) Public Comment.--Not later than 180 days after the date of 
enactment of this Act, the Director shall make a preliminary version of 
the transparent automated governance guidance available for public 
comment for a period of 30 days.
    (d) Consultation.--In developing the transparent automated 
governance guidance, the Director shall consider soliciting input 
from--
            (1) the Government Accountability Office;
            (2) the General Services Administration, including on the 
        topic of user experience;
            (3) the private sector; and
            (4) the nonprofit sector, including experts in privacy, 
        civil rights, and civil liberties.
    (e) Artificial Intelligence Guidance.--The guidance required by 
section 104 of the AI in Government Act of 2020 (40 U.S.C. 11301 note) 
may be used to satisfy the requirement for the transparent automated 
governance guidance with respect to relevant automated systems and 
augmented critical decision processes, or a subset thereof, if such 
guidance addresses each requirement under subsection (b) of this 
section with respect to the automated system or augmented critical 
decision process.
    (f) Updates.--Not later than 2 years after the date on which the 
Director issues the transparent automated governance guidance, and 
biennially thereafter, the Director shall issue updates to the 
guidance.

SEC. 4. AGENCY IMPLEMENTATION.

    (a) Agency Implementation of Transparent Automated Governance 
Guidance.--Not later than 270 days after the date on which the Director 
issues the transparent automated governance guidance, the head of each 
agency shall implement the transparent automated governance guidance to 
the extent that implementation does not require rulemaking.
    (b) Comptroller General Report.--Not later than 2 years after the 
date of enactment of this Act, and biannually thereafter, the 
Comptroller General of the United States shall review agency compliance 
with this Act and submit to the Committee on Homeland Security and 
Governmental Affairs of the Senate and the Committee on Oversight and 
Accountability of the House of Representatives a report with findings 
and recommendations.

SEC. 5. SUNSET.

    Beginning on the date that is 10 years after the date of enactment 
of this Act, this Act shall have no force or effect.
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