[Federal Register Volume 81, Number 178 (Wednesday, September 14, 2016)]
[Notices]
[Pages 63166-63168]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 2016-22002]


=======================================================================
-----------------------------------------------------------------------

DEPARTMENT OF COMMERCE

[Docket Number 160907825-6825-01]


Request for Comments for the Commission on Evidence-Based 
Policymaking

AGENCY: Commission on Evidence-Based Policymaking, Department of 
Commerce.

ACTION: Request for comments.

-----------------------------------------------------------------------

SUMMARY: The Evidence-Based Policymaking Commission Act of 2016 (Pub. 
L. 114-140), enacted March 30, 2016, established a 15-member Commission 
on Evidence-Based Policymaking. The Commission is charged with 
examining strategies to increase the availability and use of government 
data, in order to build evidence related to government programs and 
policies, while protecting the privacy and confidentiality of the data. 
Over the next year, the Commission will consider how data, research, 
and evaluation are currently used to build evidence and continuously 
improve public programs and policies, and how to strengthen evidence-
building to inform program and policy design and implementation. The 
Commission's work will conclude with a presentation of findings and 
recommendations on evidence-building to Congress and the President. 
This request for comments seeks public input on a range of issues, 
including topics the authorizing law directs the Commission to 
consider. The public comments received from this request will be used 
to inform future deliberations of the Commission.

DATES: Comments must be received by November 14, 2016.

ADDRESSES: Submit comments through the Federal eRulemaking Portal. We 
will not accept comments by fax or paper delivery. Please include the 
Docket ID and the phrase ``Commission on Evidence-Based Policymaking 
Comments'' at the beginning of your comments. Please also indicate 
which questions described in the SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION of this 
notice are addressed in your comments.
     Federal eRulemaking Portal: Go to www.regulations.gov to 
submit your comments electronically under Docket ID USBC-2016-0003. 
Information on using Regulations.gov, including instructions for 
accessing Commission

[[Page 63167]]

documents, submitting comments, and viewing the docket, is available on 
the site under ``How to Use This Site.''
     Privacy Note: Comments submitted in response to this 
notice may be made available to the public through relevant Web sites. 
Therefore, commenters should only include in their comments information 
that they wish to make publicly available on the Internet. Please note 
that responses to this public comment request containing any routine 
notice about the confidentiality of the communication will be treated 
as public comments that may be made available to the public, 
notwithstanding the inclusion of the routine notice.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Nick Hart, Policy and Research 
Director for the Commission on Evidence-Based Policymaking, 
[email protected].

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION:

Purpose

    The Commission on Evidence-Based Policymaking (hereafter, 
``Commission'') established by Public Law 114-140 is charged with 
examining strategies to improve the production and use of evidence to 
support U.S. government programs and policies. Specifically, the 
Commission is considering how to increase the availability and use of 
government data in support of evidence-building activities related to 
government programs and policies, while protecting the privacy and 
confidentiality of such data.
    This request for comments offers government entities, researchers, 
evaluators, contractors, and other interested parties the opportunity 
to inform the Commission's work and provide recommendations on core 
questions the Commission will consider.

Request for Comments

    Through this request for comments, the Commission is seeking 
initial feedback from a broad range of stakeholders on questions that 
will contribute to the Commission's future activities and fulfillment 
of its duties, potentially including any findings and recommendations. 
This request for comments is for information-gathering and fact-finding 
purposes only, and should not be construed as a solicitation or as an 
obligation on the part of the Commission or Federal agencies to agree 
with submitted comments or to make recommendations regarding specific 
issues identified in public comments.
    The Commission requests that respondents address the following 
questions, where possible and applicable. Respondents are encouraged to 
focus on questions informed by relevant expertise or perspectives. 
Please clearly indicate which question(s) you address in your response 
and any evidence to support assertions, where practicable.

Overarching Questions

    1. Are there successful frameworks, policies, practices, and 
methods to overcome challenges related to evidence-building from state, 
local, and/or international governments the Commission should consider 
when developing findings and recommendations regarding Federal 
evidence-based policymaking? If so, please describe.
    2. Based on identified best practices and existing examples, what 
factors should be considered in reasonably ensuring the security and 
privacy of administrative and survey data?

Data Infrastructure and Access

    3. Based on identified best practices and existing examples, how 
should existing government data infrastructure be modified to best 
facilitate use of and access to administrative and survey data?
    4. What data-sharing infrastructure should be used to facilitate 
data merging, linking, and access for research, evaluation, and 
analysis purposes?
    5. What challenges currently exist in linking state and local data 
to federal data? Are there successful instances where these challenges 
have been addressed?
    6. Should a single or multiple clearinghouse(s) for administrative 
and survey data be established to improve evidence-based policymaking? 
What benefits or limitations are likely to be encountered in either 
approach?
    7. What data should be included in a potential U.S. government data 
clearinghouse(s)? What are the current legal or administrative barriers 
to including such data in a clearinghouse or linking the data?
    8. What factors or strategies should the Commission consider for 
how a clearinghouse(s) could be self-funded? What successful examples 
exist for self-financing related to similar purposes?
    9. What specific administrative or legal barriers currently exist 
for accessing survey and administrative data?
    10. How should the Commission define ``qualified researchers and 
institutions?'' To what extent should administrative and survey data 
held by government agencies be made available to ``qualified 
researchers and institutions?''
    11. How might integration of administrative and survey data in a 
clearinghouse affect the risk of unintentional or unauthorized access 
or release of personally-identifiable information, confidential 
business information, or other identifiable records? How can 
identifiable information be best protected to ensure the privacy and 
confidentiality of individual or business data in a clearinghouse?
    12. If a clearinghouse were created, what types of restrictions 
should be placed on the uses of data in the clearinghouse by 
``qualified researchers and institutions?''
    13. What technological solutions from government or the private 
sector are relevant for facilitating data sharing and management?
    14. What incentives may best facilitate interagency sharing of 
information to improve programmatic effectiveness and enhance data 
accuracy and comprehensiveness?

Data Use in Program Design, Management, Research, Evaluation, and 
Analysis

    15. What barriers currently exist for using survey and 
administrative data to support program management and/or evaluation 
activities?
    16. How can data, statistics, results of research, and findings 
from evaluation, be best used to improve policies and programs?
    17. To what extent can or should program and policy evaluation be 
addressed in program designs?
    18. How can or should program evaluation be incorporated into 
program designs? What specific examples demonstrate where evaluation 
has been successfully incorporated in program designs?
    19. To what extent should evaluations specifically with either 
experimental (sometimes referred to as ``randomized control trials'') 
or quasi-experimental designs be institutionalized in programs? What 
specific examples demonstrate where such institutionalization has been 
successful and what best practices exist for doing so?

Guidance for Submitting Documents

    We ask that each respondent include the name and address of his or 
her institution or affiliation, and the name, title, mailing and email 
addresses, and telephone number of a contact person for his or her 
institution or affiliation, if any.

[[Page 63168]]

Rights to Materials Submitted

    By submitting material in response to this request, you agree to 
grant the Commission a worldwide, royalty-free, perpetual, irrevocable, 
nonexclusive license to use the material, and to post it. Further, you 
agree that you own, have a valid license, or are otherwise authorized 
to provide the material to the Commission. The Commission will not 
provide any compensation for material submitted in response to this 
request for comments.

    Dated: September 8, 2016.
Shelly Martinez,
Executive Director of the Commission on Evidence-Based Policymaking.
[FR Doc. 2016-22002 Filed 9-13-16; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 3510-07-P