42 U.S.C. § 1111: Data exchange standardization for improved interoperability

The Secretary of Labor, in consultation with an interagency work group which shall be established by the Office of Management and Budget, and considering State and employer perspectives, shall, by rule, designate a data exchange standard for any category of information required under subchapter III, subchapter XII, or this subchapter. Data exchange standards designated under paragraph (1) shall, to the extent practicable, be nonproprietary and interoperable. interoperable standards developed and maintained by an international voluntary consensus standards body, as defined by the Office of Management and Budget, such as the International Organization for Standardization; interoperable standards developed and maintained by intergovernmental partnerships, such as the National Information Exchange Model; and interoperable standards developed and maintained by Federal entities with authority over contracting and financial assistance, such as the Federal Acquisition Regulations Council. The Secretary of Labor, in consultation with an interagency work group established by the Office of Management and Budget, and considering State and employer perspectives, shall, by rule, designate data exchange standards to govern the reporting required under subchapter III, subchapter XII, or this subchapter. incorporate a widely accepted, nonproprietary, searchable, computer-readable format; be consistent with and implement applicable accounting principles; and be capable of being continually upgraded as necessary. In designating reporting standards under this subsection, the Secretary of Labor shall, to the extent practicable, incorporate existing nonproprietary standards, such as the eXtensible Markup Language. The Secretary of Labor shall issue a proposed rule under section 911(a)(1) of the Social Security Act [ 42 U.S.C. 1111(a)(1) ] (as added by subsection (a)) within 12 months after the date of the enactment of this section [ Feb. 22, 2012 ], and shall issue a final rule under such section 911(a)(1), after public comment, within 24 months after such date of enactment. The reporting standards required under section 911(b)(1) of such Act [ 42 U.S.C. 1111(b)(1) ] (as so added) shall become effective with respect to reports required in the first reporting period, after the effective date of the final rule referred to in paragraph (1) of this subsection, for which the authority for data collection and reporting is established or renewed under the Paperwork Reduction Act [ 44 U.S.C. 3501 et seq.].”