44 U.S.C. § 3563: Statistical agencies

Summary

Federal statistical agencies must make and share timely, useful statistics. They must do accurate, unbiased, and trustworthy work and keep people’s answers private and used only for statistics. Agencies must adopt policies and procedures to meet these duties. Agency leaders must support these units, and the Director must issue rules to carry this out. Definitions: Accurate — matches real events and trends; Confidentiality — not sharing information with unauthorized people; Objective — accurate, clear, complete, unbiased; Relevant — useful to policymakers and data users.

Title 44, §3563

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(a)Responsibilities.—

(1)In general.—

Each statistical agency or unit shall—

(A)produce and disseminate relevant and timely statistical information;

(B)conduct credible and accurate statistical activities;

(C)conduct objective statistical activities; and

(D)protect the trust of information providers by ensuring the confidentiality and exclusive statistical use of their responses.

(2)Policies, best practices, and procedures.—

Each statistical agency or unit shall adopt policies, best practices, and appropriate procedures to implement the responsibilities described in paragraph (1).

(b)Support From Other Agencies.—

The head of each agency shall enable, support, and facilitate statistical agencies or units in carrying out the responsibilities described in subsection (a)(1).

(c)Regulations.—

The Director shall prescribe regulations to carry out this section.

(d)Definitions.—

In this section: (1) Accurate.—

(2)Confidentiality.—

The term “confidentiality” means a quality or condition accorded to information as an obligation not to disclose that information to an unauthorized party.

(3)Objective.—

The term “objective”, when used with respect to statistical activities, means accurate, clear, complete, and unbiased.

(4)Relevant.—

The term “relevant”, when used with respect to statistical information, means processes, activities, and other such matters likely to be useful to policymakers and public and private sector data users.

Statutory Notes and Related Subsidiaries

Effective Date

Section effective 180 days after Jan. 14, 2019, see section 403 of Pub. L. 115–435, set out as an

Effective Date

of 2019 Amendment note under section 306 of Title 5, Government Organization and Employees.

§3563 Statistical Agencies

Summary

Title 44, §3563

Notes & Related Subsidiaries

Statutory Notes and Related Subsidiaries

Effective Date

Effective Date

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