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Legislative Pathway to the National Secure Data Service
Over the past decade, dedicated experts and policymakers have led efforts to conceptualize, develop, and authorize the National Secure Data Service (NSDS).
2017 Evidence Commission Calls for a National Secure Data Service
The bipartisan Commission on Evidence-Based Policymaking was established by Congress in 2016 to develop a national strategy for expanding the availability and use of data for evidence-building on the effectiveness of government programs while strengthening protections for privacy and confidentiality. The Commission’s 2017 report, The Promise of Evidence-Based Policymaking, called for the establishment of “a National Secure Data Service to facilitate access to data for evidence building while ensuring privacy and transparency in how those data are used.”
Evidence Act of 2018 and Advisory Committee Affirm the NSDS
Following the Commission’s report, the Foundations for Evidence-Based Policymaking Act of 2018 (Public Law 115-435)–commonly known as the Evidence Act–received broad bipartisan support in Congress and was signed into law by President Trump in January 2019. The law established the Advisory Committee on Data for Evidence Building (ACDEB), which advanced the Commission’s vision by affirming the need for an NSDS that supplements but does not supplant the work of other evidence builders and users.
CHIPS and Science Act of 2022 Authorizes NSDS Demonstration
Building on these efforts, Public Law 117-167, also known as the CHIPS and Science Act of 2022, authorized a five-year National Secure Data Service (NSDS) Demonstration project, to be managed by the U.S. National Science Foundation (NSF), operated directly or via a contract by the National Center for Science and Engineering Statistics (NCSES). Per § 10375, the NSDS Demonstration project is to “develop, refine, and test models to inform the full implementation of the Commission on Evidence-Based Policymaking recommendation for a government wide data linkage and access infrastructure for statistical activities conducted for statistical purposes as defined in chapter 35 of title 44, United States Code.”
Two-Year Congressional Report
The two-year congressional report on the National Secure Data Service (NSDS) Demonstration project highlights progress made during the project’s first two years and outlines a path toward full implementation of a National Secure Data Service. The report was required under § 10375(h) of the Chips and Science Act of 2022 and was delivered to Congress on 5 September 2024.
Alignment with Administration Priorities
The National Secure Data Service (NSDS) supports administration priorities to modernize how government data is shared, accessed, and used. By leveraging secure, innovative technology, it helps deliver faster, more reliable services for the American people. Through shared services and cross-agency collaboration, the NSDS serves as a central hub for the Federal Statistical System – streamlining operations, improving coordination, and maximizing the value of federal data assets. The NSDS aligns with the following key initiatives:
- America’s AI Action Plan: The NSDS fulfills key policy actions in America’s AI Action Plan, which calls for the NSDS Demonstration to create a secure compute environment and an online portal to provide the public and federal agencies with a front door to AI use-cases involving controlled access to restricted federal data.
- OMB M-25-34: FY25 Administration Research & Development Budget Priorities: The NSDS efforts align with three of the five high-priority, crosscutting actions outlined in OMB Memorandum M-25-34. Most notably, Priority Action 4 calls for agencies to “increase interagency collaboration... [especially making] data generated or funded by the agency discoverable, accessible, and useable, consistent with all applicable laws, regulations, and policies governing data use, disclosure, and sharing.”
- President’s Management Agenda: The NSDS also support goals from the President’s Management Agenda, including by "consolidate[ing] procurement and eliminat[ing] bureaucracy to maximize taxpayer value and enhance operational efficiency” through its efficient acquisition process that leverages NSF’s Other Arrangements Authority; “eliminat[ing] data silos and duplicative data collection” through its innovative approach to data access, linking, and privacy protections; and “reduc[ing] wasteful processes through artificial intelligence” with its various user-focused AI toolkits.