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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."

Standard Business Reporting programs are in place in the Netherlands and Australia. SBR applies open data to regulation by adopting consistent data standards across multiple agencies' reporting requirements. SBR can reduce compliance costs while avoiding political battles over the substance of what companies are required to report to regulatory agencies. The 115th Congress and the Trump Administration should take notice.

Why does the Data Transparency Coalition support the adoption of consistent data formats, such as XBRL, throughout regulatory reporting? If regulatory agencies standardized the information they collect, software could automate reporting, replacing layers of lawyers with lines of code - and the cost of compliance would drop. This is already happening in the Netherlands. Here's how.