44 U.S.C. § 3504 Authority and Functions of Director

• Library: United States Statutes
• Currency: Current through P.L. 118-19 (published on www.congress.gov on 10/06/2023)
• Citation: 44 U.S.C. § 3504

(a)

(1) The Director shall oversee the use of information resources to improve the efficiency and effectiveness of governmental operations to serve agency missions, including burden reduction and service delivery to the public. In performing such oversight, the Director shall-

(A) develop, coordinate and oversee the implementation of Federal information resources management policies, principles, standards, and guidelines; and

(B) provide direction and oversee-

(i) the review and approval of the collection of information and the reduction of the information collection burden;

(ii) agency dissemination of and public access to information;

(iii) statistical activities;

(iv) records management activities;

(v) privacy, confidentiality, security, disclosure, and sharing of information; and

(vi) the acquisition and use of information technology, including alternative information technologies that provide for electronic submission, maintenance, or disclosure of information as a substitute for paper and for the use and acceptance of electronic signatures.

(2) The authority of the Director under this subchapter shall be exercised consistent with applicable law.

(b) With respect to general information resources management policy, the Director shall-

(1) develop and oversee the implementation of uniform information resources management policies, principles, standards, and guidelines;

(2) foster greater sharing, dissemination, and access to public information, including through-

(A) the use of comprehensive data inventories and the Federal data catalogue under section 3511; and

(B) the development and utilization of common standards for information collection, storage, processing and communication, including standards for security, interconnectivity and interoperability;

(3) initiate and review proposals for changes in legislation, regulations, and agency procedures to improve information resources management practices;

(4) oversee the development and implementation of best practices in information resources management, including training;

(5) oversee agency integration of program and management functions with information resources management functions; and

(6) issue guidance for agencies to implement section 3506(b)(6) in a manner that takes into account-

(A) risks and restrictions related to the disclosure of personally identifiable information, including the risk that an individual data asset in isolation does not pose a privacy or confidentiality risk but when combined with other available information may pose such a risk;

(B) security considerations, including the risk that information in an individual data asset in isolation does not pose a security risk but when combined with other available information may pose such a risk;

(C) the cost and benefits to the public of converting a data asset into a machine-readable format that is accessible and useful to the public;

(D) whether the application of the requirements described in such section to a data asset could result in legal liability;

(E) a determination of whether a data asset-

(i) is subject to intellectual property rights, including rights under titles 17 and 35;

(ii) contains confidential business information, that could be withheld under section 552(b)(4) of title 5; or

(iii) is otherwise restricted by contract or other binding, written agreement;

(F) the requirement that a data asset be disclosed, if it would otherwise be made available under section 552 of title 5 (commonly known as the "Freedom of Information Act"); and

(G) any other considerations that the Director determines to be relevant.

(c) With respect to the collection of information and the control of paperwork, the Director shall-

(1) review and approve proposed agency collections of information;

(2) coordinate the review of the collection of information associated with Federal procurement and acquisition by the Office of Information and Regulatory Affairs with the Office of Federal Procurement Policy, with particular emphasis on applying information technology to improve the efficiency and effectiveness of Federal procurement, acquisition and payment, and to reduce information collection burdens on the public;

(3) minimize the Federal information collection burden, with particular emphasis on those individuals and entities most adversely affected;

(4) maximize the practical utility of and public benefit from information collected by or for the Federal Government;

(5) establish and oversee standards and guidelines by which agencies are to estimate the burden to comply with a proposed collection of information; ¹

(6) publish in the Federal Register and make available on the Internet (in consultation with the Small Business Administration) on an annual basis a list of the compliance assistance resources available to small businesses, with the first such publication occurring not later than 1 year after the date of enactment of the Small Business Paperwork Relief Act of 2002.

(d) With respect to information dissemination, the Director shall develop and oversee the implementation of policies, principles, standards, and guidelines to-

(1) apply to Federal agency dissemination of public information, regardless of the form or format in which such information is disseminated; and

(2) promote public access to public information and fulfill the purposes of this subchapter, including through the effective use of information technology.