WASHINGTON, D.C. — A new report out today from the Center for Data Innovation—a data-policy think tank—outlines 10 concrete steps Congress can take to optimize the way data is collected, shared, and used in the United States, including addressing the LGBT data gap.
According to the think tank, government-sponsored data collection often omits demographic information about sexual orientation, which leads to poor understanding about how policies impact the lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgender community. Congress should establish uniform policies for federal agencies to collect data on sexual orientation and gender identity. The LGBT Data Inclusion Act, introduced in 2016 with bipartisan support, would establish standards for when and how to include the voluntary collection of this demographic information in federal surveys. In addition, Congress should require all health programs receiving federal funding or other forms of support to collect sexual orientation and gender-identity information, just as they collect other important demographic information. Health surveys, clinical trials, and studies funded or performed by the National Institutes of Health all present opportunities to collect and analyze data to help researchers better understand the health issues facing the LGBT community and address the disparity. In 2013, the Strengthening Health Disparities Data Collection Act, proposed to enact this exact requirement, was introduced in the Senate but never voted on.
“In nearly every industry, data is powering new insights that improve decision-making, enable new products and services, and enhance quality of life,” said Daniel Castro, the Center’s director and the report’s lead author. “The government may not be the main engine of this innovation, but it can and should play a vital role in accelerating and shaping it to boost economic growth and aid society.”
The report urges Congress to accelerate data innovation by:
Publishing data the government already collects, including:
1. Establish a permanent open-data policy for the federal government,
2. Allow the U.S. Department of Agriculture to publicly release Common Land Unit data, and
3. Establish an API for legislative data.
Collecting more data that can be put to valuable use, including:
4. Develop a complete 3D National Elevation Dataset,
5. Require corporate data transparency, and
6. Address the LGBT data gap.
Encouraging industries to make better use of data, including:
7. Adopt universal patient identifiers for healthcare,
8. Incentivize adoption of electronic health records for mental-health providers,
9. Foster use of alternative credit data, and
10. Ensure consumers can access their utility data.
Noting that many of these policies have broad support from stakeholders and already have been introduced as legislation in Congress, Castro says the main holdup is inertia in Washington.
“While areas of bipartisan agreement have been limited in the current political climate, there are easy ways Congress can spur data-driven innovation that already have support from both sides of the aisle,” said Castro. “We just need Congress to pay attention and take action.”
“There is a lot of low-hanging fruit here that would deliver significant value to American consumers and businesses. While it is good that Congress tries to get out of the way of the private sector, it should not forget that it also has an important role to play in unlocking new opportunities to use data that we haven’t even imagined yet,” said Castro.
“Overall, the policies in this report are incremental, but significant, steps toward the larger aim of creating a fully integrated world that harnesses the power of information for productive purposes,” concluded Castro. “The long-term goal is for Congress to demand that federal agencies look closely at how they can use data to solve important policy challenges and help shepherd in a new era of innovation, productivity, and economic growth.”
