Congress Moves to Adopt 'Evidence-Based' Rules: What It Means for Future Laws

This concurrent resolution, titled the Congressional Evidence-Based Policymaking Resolution, isn't a new spending bill or a regulatory change. Instead, it’s a commitment by Congress to get serious about using data and research when making laws. Think of it as Congress trying to build better apps by finally hiring quality assurance testers. The resolution establishes a 12-member, bipartisan Commission on Evidence-Based Policymaking, tasked with figuring out how to bake solid, verifiable evidence into the legislative process.

The Data Nerd Squad: Who’s on the Commission?

The Commission is designed to be a mix of expertise and political balance. It requires 12 members to be appointed within 45 days, split evenly between House and Senate leadership, and between majority and minority parties. Crucially, they’re not just pulling random former politicians. Each group of three appointees must include an academic researcher (like a social or data scientist), a former senior staffer or member of Congress, and someone from a legislative branch agency that already handles data. If you’re currently serving in Congress, you’re out. This structure ensures that the group tasked with demanding evidence actually understands how to find, analyze, and apply it, combining street smarts with academic rigor.

Integrating Reality Into Lawmaking

The Commission’s main job is to study and recommend ways to make future laws more effective. For the average person juggling work and family, this is the most important part. If this resolution works, it means future laws—like those affecting student loans, infrastructure spending, or healthcare access—will be designed based on what actually works rather than just good intentions. They’re tasked with finding ways to push federal agencies to prioritize evidence showing if major new programs are actually effective, following up on the 2018 Foundations for Evidence-Based Policymaking Act.

Specifically, the Commission needs to figure out how to weave outcome measurement and solid impact analysis directly into the lawmaking process. They’ll also look into making it easier for Congress to access real-time, structured, and machine-readable data when drafting bills. Right now, getting good data can be like pulling teeth; this resolution aims to install a powerful electric toothbrush. They even have to look into whether Congress needs its own Chief Data Officer to manage this new focus and hire more data scientists and privacy experts to help evaluate policy.

The Supermajority Hurdle

To ensure that the recommendations aren't just partisan wish lists, the resolution includes a significant requirement: any official recommendation the Commission makes must be approved by at least two-thirds of its members. This supermajority rule is a check that forces bipartisan consensus and ensures that the proposed changes to the legislative process are widely supported across the political spectrum. The Commission must deliver its final report by the end of the 119th Congress, laying out the roadmap for a more data-driven government. While this resolution itself doesn't change policy, it sets the stage for a future where laws might actually be required to show their work before they get passed.