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Today, the Senate passed the Open, Public, Electronic and Necessary (OPEN) Government Data Act, championed by Senators Ben Sasse (R-NE) and Brian Schatz (D-HI).

Today the Open, Public, Electronic and Necessary (OPEN) Government Data Act (S.760; H.R. 1770), as championed by Senators Ben Sasse (R-NE) and Brian Schatz (D-HI), was incorporated into a package of amendments (S.Amdt.1003) representing the final negotiated Senate FY18 National Defense Authorization Act (NDAA) (S. 1519; H.R. 2810).

What a year it’s been so far! The Data Coalition is leading the push for the policy changes that are needed to transform government information into open data. The first half of 2017 has been jam-packed with policy and event milestones. And we’re continuing to grow our community.

Today a bicameral and bipartisan group of lawmakers reintroduced the Open, Public, Electronic and Necessary (OPEN) Government Data Act (H.R. 1770). The OPEN Government Data Act will require all federal agencies to publish their information online, using non-proprietary, machine-readable data formats. Senators Ben Sasse (R-NE) and Brian Schatz (D-HI), and Representatives Blake Farenthold (R-TX) and Derek Kilmer (D-WA) led the reintroduction.

Last week, on Feb. 2, leaders from 22 tech companies fanned out across Capitol Hill. We crossed from Senate office buildings to House, and back again. We sat down with eight members of Congress and nine groups of staffers. We walked nearly ten miles. We ended our fourteen-hour day with a well-deserved beer. To enact our wonky agenda and realize our ambitious vision, we may have to invest many more Groundhog Days. But that’s okay. With each year of the same Capitol Hill treks and similar policy chats, real change is happening.

FROM EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR HUDSON HOLLISTER: "We call on the new Trump Administration and the 115th Congress to enforce (and expand) the DATA Act, embrace a government-wide transformation of all information resources through the OPEN Government Data Act, and initiate regulatory reforms that use open data to reduce burdens, governed by the Financial Transparency Act and other reforms. I am optimistic that we will realize all three goals."

It’s been a busy year for the world’s only open data trade association! We started a new sister organization, welcomed nearly two thousand people to our events, testified before Congress, and celebrated the Senate’s passage of landmark legislation. Our members made all this possible.

Early this morning the Senate approved by unanimous consent the Open, Public, Electronic and Necessary (OPEN) Government Data Act (S.2852), sending a strong signal to the incoming 115th Congress that the bill can quickly be passed by both chambers upon re-introduction in January.

Today the Data Coalition announced its 2017 Policy Agenda, which summarizes advocacy priorities for the start of the Trump Administration and the 115th Congress. The Coalition, which represents 36 leading technology and consulting firms, is the nation’s only open data trade association.

Today, the Senate Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs Committee unanimously approved S. 2852, the Open, Public, Electronic and Necessary (OPEN) Government Data Act. The sweeping open data proposal will set a presumption that all public federal information should be expressed in searchable formats and freely available for everyone to use.