RFA PRAISES BIPARTISAN LAWMAKERS FOR PROMOTING EVIDENCE-BASED POLICYMAKING
Results for America CEO and Co-founder Michele Jolin issued the following statement today after the introduction of the Evidence-Based Policymaking Commission Act of 2015, sponsored by U.S. House of Representatives Budget Committee Chairman Paul Ryan (R-WI) and U.S. Senator Patty Murray (D-WA). The legislation would provide policymakers with more information and access to data so that government can make better decisions for children, families, and communities.
“Results for America applauds the introduction of the Evidence-Based Policymaking Commission Act of 2015. This bill would make data more open, transparent, and accessible so that both the public and private sector can improve government services and produce better results for all Americans. The bipartisan support for the bill reflects a growing consensus that we’ve seen building across the country. We call this a Moneyball approach to governing because policymakers are using data, evidence, and evaluation to make more informed decisions to improve the lives of young people, their families, and communities.”
The Obama administration has also expressed support for the Commission. The FY16 budget request included $10 million to improve the work of the Census Bureau, which would include creating a commission focused on realizing the potential of administrative data. The commission would make recommendations for how to make additional administrative data available for evaluation and other statistical uses, while ensuring data security and fully protecting privacy and confidentiality.
Results for America recently released the new book, Moneyball for Government. The book which is available for purchase through Amazon, features 25 organizations that are successfully using data and evidence to improve outcomes for kids, families and communities, 12 high profile Republican and Democratic leaders supporting the use of data and evidence in policymaking, 6 interviews with leaders who have driven this change, and more than 2 dozen policy recommendations for how to make this happen even in today’s challenging environment.