Information Quality

Introduction

The Department of the Treasury disseminates a variety of information to the public. Section 515 of the Treasury and General Government Appropriations Act for Fiscal Year 2001 [Public Law 106-554] requires Federal agencies to issue guidelines ensuring and maximizing the quality, utility, objectivity, and integrity of disseminated information.

14.1.1 Background

The focus of Section 515 is on the Federal Government's information dissemination activities. Federal agencies have disseminated information to the public for decades. Until recently, agencies have disseminated information principally by making paper copies of documents available to the public. In recent years, Federal dissemination has grown.

Section 515 builds upon the existing Government-wide responsibility to ensure information quality. According to the Paperwork Reduction Act (PRA), the agency Chief Information Officers (CIO) must manage information resources to "improve the integrity, quality, and utility of information to all users within and outside the agency, including capabilities for ensuring dissemination of public information, public access to government information, and protections for privacy and security."