James Lankford (R-OK)
Information Quality Assurance Act of 2026
A Republican bill with 1 Democratic cosponsor · See the cosponsor
Last activity — Read twice and referred to the Committee on Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs.
In committee
Introduced and handed to a committee in the chamber it started in.
The committee holds it, and most bills are never heard from again. A hearing or a committee vote would be news; silence is the usual outcome, and it kills the bill without anyone voting against it.
Its path through Congress
- Introduced
- In Committee
What this bill would do
This bill requires federal agencies to use the best reasonably available scientific, technical, demographic, economic, and statistical evidence when creating rules and guidance for the public. It directs the Director of the Office of Management and Budget to update guidelines for agencies to ensure information quality, objectivity, utility, and integrity. Individual federal agencies must also update their own guidelines and publish them online within a specific timeframe. Additionally, agencies must provide administrative mechanisms for the public to seek corrections of influential information or evidence that does not comply with the guidelines. Agencies are required to make the critical factual material they rely upon publicly available in rulemaking dockets or administrative records. Finally, the bill states that no additional funds are authorized to be appropriated to carry out its requirements.
Yes
- Scored +5
Does this make what the government does easier for the public to see?
The legislation requires federal agencies to make critical factual materials publicly available in rulemaking dockets and establish administrative correction mechanisms.
- Scored +2
Does this give the federal government more power?
The bill directs the OMB and federal agencies to update and enforce standardized information quality guidelines for rulemaking.
The opposite
No question was scored the opposite.
Who it would affect, and how
Potential Positive Impacts for People
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Section 2(a) and Section 2(b): These provisions require federal agencies to rely on the best reasonably available information and evidence that is fit-for-purpose when developing rules and guidance. This is a positive step because it helps ensure our elected officials and bureaucrats base their decisions on solid facts rather than guesswork.
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Section 2(b): This provision ensures that administrative mechanisms are available for the public to seek the correction of influential information or evidence disseminated by agencies that does not comply with quality guidelines. This gives everyday citizens a clear way to hold agencies accountable for mistakes or inaccurate data.
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Section 2(c): This provision directs agencies to make critical factual material available to the public in the rulemaking docket or administrative record, and to provide notice and an opportunity to comment on that material. This transparency lets the people see the exact data our government uses to make decisions that affect our daily lives.
Potential Negative Impacts for People
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Section 2(c)(2)(A): This provision allows agencies to withhold certain information from the public if it is prohibited from being disclosed under any statute, or if it is constrained by costs to the federal government. While protections for sensitive data are standard, withholding information can make it harder for citizens to fully verify the foundations of certain federal rules.
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Section 2(c)(3)(B): This provision allows agencies to withhold or limit public access to critical factual material if legal rights, such as copyrights, prohibit reproduction or distribution. This means people might have to jump through extra hoops or request materials directly from third-party holders instead of easily accessing government data in one place.
Groups and Interests Ranking
Every group the model scored this bill for, from -10 to +10. Tap or hover a score for the reason it gave.
- Governance And Ideology
- Does this make what the government does easier for the public to see? — The legislation requires federal agencies to make critical factual materials publicly available in rulemaking dockets and establish administrative correction mechanisms. Does this give the federal government more power? — The bill directs the OMB and federal agencies to update and enforce standardized information quality guidelines for rulemaking.
- 11/10/2026
- Read twice and referred to the Committee on Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs.
- 1 Cosponsor added.
- Introduced in Senate
Gary PetersDemocrat · Michigan