Please give history of Information Quality Act
ChatGPT said:
Here’s a clear history of the Information Quality Act (IQA), also sometimes called the Data Quality Act:
Origins
• The IQA was not passed as a standalone law, but rather enacted quietly in December 2000 as a two-paragraph rider (Section 515) in the Consolidated Appropriations Act of 2001 (Public Law 106-554).
• The provision was drafted by Jim Tozzi, a former regulatory official in the Office of Management and Budget (OMB) and later an industry consultant, who has been widely credited with inserting it into the appropriations bill.
Statutory Requirements
The law directs the OMB to:
1.Issue guidelines to federal agencies to ensure the quality, objectivity, utility, and integrity of information they disseminate.
2.Require agencies themselves to create their own information quality guidelines consistent with OMB’s framework.
3.Establish administrative mechanisms allowing affected parties to seek correction of information that does not meet quality standards.
4.Provide for periodic reports on the number and nature of complaints received and how they were handled.
Implementation
•In 2002, OMB issued government-wide guidelines. These guidelines required every federal agency to issue its own rules by October 2002.
• The standards apply to virtually all “information” released by agencies — including scientific, statistical, and technical data used in regulation and policy.
Policy and Legal Effects
Notable Uses
• Used to challenge climate change assessments, public health advisories, and environmental risk studies.
• Federal agencies often respond by clarifying, updating, or reaffirming the information, but rarely by retracting major scientific conclusions.
Current Status
• Still in effect today, under OMB oversight.
• The law continues to shape how agencies present scientific and technical information, especially in areas where regulatory costs are high.
• OIRA (Office of Information and Regulatory Affairs) within OMB remains the central authority enforcing the IQA.
