Bill Summary
This resolution of inquiry requests that the President of the United States and the Secretary of Health and Human Services provide specific documents to the House of Representatives regarding the privacy of taxpayers and children. It focuses on the actions of the Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE), which has allegedly seized sensitive identity and financial data from two major databases: the National Directory of New Hires (NDNH) and the Federal Parent Locator Service (FPLS).
The resolution outlines several key areas of inquiry, including:
1. Any requests made by DOGE for access to protected information under federal laws and the authorizations granted.
2. Details on the location and security measures for any data copies made by DOGE.
3. Previous legal opinions or communications about accessing NDNH data outside established protocols.
4. Requests for confidential financial and personal information affecting over 40 million Americans, particularly related to child support.
5. Staff changes within the Department of Health and Human Services related to the FPLS and NDNH after DOGE's initial requests.
6. Any attempts by DOGE employees to access information governed by specific sections of the Social Security Act.
The resolution mandates that these documents be transmitted to the House of Representatives within 14 days of its adoption to ensure transparency and accountability regarding the handling of private information.
Possible Impacts
The legislation outlined in the resolution could affect people in various ways. Here are three examples:
1. **Privacy Concerns**: The resolution raises significant privacy issues for American workers and parents whose information is stored in the National Directory of New Hires (NDNH) and the Federal Parent Locator Service (FPLS). If the Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE) is granted access to sensitive personal data without appropriate safeguards, individuals may experience anxiety about the security of their financial and personal information, leading to a loss of trust in government systems designed to protect their data.
2. **Impact on Child Support Enforcement**: The FPLS is a crucial tool for ensuring that non-custodial parents fulfill their child support obligations. If the DOGE's access to financial data is not properly regulated, it could disrupt the functioning of this system. For instance, if the data access is mishandled or misused, it may lead to delays in child support payments or even wrongful actions against individuals, impacting the financial stability of custodial parents and their children who rely on these payments.
3. **Public Accountability and Transparency**: By requesting documents related to the DOGE's access to sensitive data, this resolution promotes accountability from the government. If the public learns about unauthorized data access or inappropriate handling of personal information, it may lead to public outcry and demands for better oversight and regulations. This increased scrutiny could result in changes to how government agencies handle personal data, leading to improved protections for all citizens' privacy rights moving forward.
[Congressional Bills 119th Congress]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office]
[H. Res. 314 Introduced in House (IH)]
<DOC>
119th CONGRESS
1st Session
H. RES. 314
Of inquiry requesting the President and directing the Secretary of
Health and Human Services to transmit, respectively, certain documents
to the House of Representatives relating to the effect on taxpayer and
child privacy of the seizure by the so-called ``Department of
Government Efficiency'' of legally-protected identity and financial
data stored in the National Directory of New Hires and the Federal
Parent Locator Service.
_______________________________________________________________________
IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES
April 9, 2025
Mr. Davis of Illinois (for himself, Mr. Neal, Mr. Doggett, Mr. Thompson
of California, Mr. Larson of Connecticut, Ms. Sanchez, Ms. Sewell, Ms.
DelBene, Ms. Chu, Ms. Moore of Wisconsin, Mr. Boyle of Pennsylvania,
Mr. Beyer, Mr. Evans of Pennsylvania, Mr. Schneider, Mr. Panetta, Mr.
Gomez, Mr. Horsford, Ms. Plaskett, and Mr. Suozzi) submitted the
following resolution; which was referred to the Committee on Ways and
Means
_______________________________________________________________________
RESOLUTION
Of inquiry requesting the President and directing the Secretary of
Health and Human Services to transmit, respectively, certain documents
to the House of Representatives relating to the effect on taxpayer and
child privacy of the seizure by the so-called ``Department of
Government Efficiency'' of legally-protected identity and financial
data stored in the National Directory of New Hires and the Federal
Parent Locator Service.
Resolved, That the President of the United States is requested, and
the Secretary of Health and Human Services is directed, to transmit, to
the extent that such documents are in the possession of the President
or the Secretary, to the House of Representatives, not later than 14
days after the date of adoption of this resolution, copies of any
document, record, audio recording, memorandum, call log, correspondence
(electronic or otherwise), activity logs, audit trails, audit logs,
written agreements, or other communication or any portion of any such
communication, that refers or relates to the following:
(1) Any request from the United States DOGE Service
(commonly referred to as the ``Department of Government
Efficiency'' or ``DOGE''), and any authorization provided to
DOGE, to access any information on any American worker which is
protected under section 453 of the Social Security Act or
section 6103 of the Internal Revenue Code of 1986 and stored in
the National Database of New Hires (in this resolution referred
to as ``NDNH'').
(2) The location of, and data security protections applied
to, any copies of all or part of the data made by DOGE
employees.
(3) Prior legal opinions or other internal communications
regarding requests to access NDNH data for purposes not
specified in such section 453 or without a negotiated
memorandum of understanding setting forth conditions of access,
limiting the number of individuals with access, or requiring
training, background checks, and other qualifications for those
individuals accessing the data.
(4) Any request from DOGE for any confidential financial
information or personally identifiable information of more than
40,000,000 Americans, including over 19,000,000 which is stored
in the Federal Parent Locator Service (in this resolution
referred to as ``FPLS''), which is used to facilitate child
support payments to children from non-custodial parents.
(5) Staff terminations, retirements, or resignations of
employees of the Department of Health and Human Services with
responsibilities related to the FPLS or the NDNH after the date
of the first request by DOGE for information stored in the
Federal Case Registry.
(6) Any attempt by DOGE employees to access information
obtained pursuant to section 453(a)(2) of the Social Security
Act.
<all>