Schatz’s Government Transparency Legislation Signed Into Law

President Trump signed the Open, Public, Electronic, and Necessary (OPEN) government data act into law Monday night. The new law, which Sens. Brian Schatz and Ben Sasse co-authored, will require federal agencies to publish public information in an open, machine-readable format online.

According to Schatzʻs communications director, the act was created to make public information more accessible for individuals, organizations, and other government offices. The act also aims to address privacy and national security concerns.

“This new law will require public data to be published in a way that people can actually use it,” Sen. Schatz said. “It’s the people’s data; they paid for it, and they deserve to access it, whether it’s weather, traffic, census, or budget numbers.”

According to Schatzʻs communications director, open data has proven to be an effective platform for innovation. Open data supports significant economic value, increases transparency, efficiency, and accountability in government operations, and can power new tools and services to address some of the country’s most pressing economic and social challenges.