Summary: Federal agencies that conduct some type of statistical inquiry can be grouped into four categories: (1) a central coordinating agency; (2) five general purpose statistical collection agencies; (3) analytic and research agencies which use statistics collected by other agencies for interpretive purposes; and (4) administrative and regulatory agencies which collect statistics primarily as a result of their administrative and operating responsibilities. Oversight of federal statistical programs can be approached from several directions: (1) attention could be focused on the agencies involved; (2) concentration on groups of statistically related series, crossing agency lines; (3) sources of information gathered by federal statistical agencies; (4) a cross-government look at statistical collection, dissemination, and use; and (5) the approach in H.R. 11253 which involves looking at individual statistical series with evaluation assistance provided by the Bureau of the Census. While H.R. 11253 provides a mechanism for detailed examination of federal statistical programs, it only provides for one step to the reauthorization process. Congress' purposes would be better served by more front-end consideration of how oversight of federal statistical programs can best be accomplished. Since January 1974, GAO has issued 14 reports reviewing federal statistical programs, and 6 reviews are currently underway. The management of federal statistical activities should either be maintained in the Office of Management and Budget or should be set up as a separate agency with sufficient authority to establish and enforce standards on the executive agencies.
