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Confidentiality and Data Access Committee (CDAC)
About CDAC
Background:
This Committee is the first interest group of OMB's Federal
Committee on Statistical Methodology (FCSM). The Confidentiality
and Data Access Committee (CDAC) was formed
for two main reasons:
- Staff members of federal statistical agencies who work in the
"confidentiality area" expressed a need to have a forum
where they could communicate among themselves, discuss disclosurelimitation methods, and exchange ideas.
- CDAC is a follow-on activity for the FCSM's Statistical Policy
Working Paper # 22 (SPWP # 22), Report on
Statistical Disclosure Limitation Methodology.
Membership:
- The members of CDAC are federal employees of Executive Branch
agencies and those administrative or independent agencies associated
with the Executive Branch. These employees are responsible for (and/or working
on) statistical disclosure limitation methods, administrative
procedures for access to confidential statistical
data, and members of their agency=s
Disclosure Review Board.
- CDAC must comply with the Federal Advisory Committee Act.
Consultants and contractors of the participating agencies can attend
meetings in support of their work at the request of their sponsoring
agency if the CDAC member from that sponsoring agency determines
that there is not a conflict of interest.
- The Chair decides on CDAC membership, after consulting with
current CDAC members and the FCSM Chair.
- The Chair of CDAC is a member of FCSM for the duration of his/her
two-year term. He/she attends the FCSM meetings and reports on CDAC
activities.
Objectives:
- Identify opportunities to implement the recommendations and
research agenda contained in Chapters VI and VII of
SPWP # 22;
- Disseminate SPWP # 22 "beyond the beltway";
- Share current research activities;
- Explore new research ideas;
- Serve as a forum where other government entities (agencies and their
contractors) can get assistance on confidentiality and data access
issues;
- Stimulate and/or renew interest in the academic community to
pursue research in relevant areas;
- Organize sessions for the annual Joint Statistical Meetings (JSM)
sponsored by the American Statistical Association, the International
Biometric Society (ENAR and WNAR), the Institute of Mathematical Statistics,
and the Statistical Society of Canada; and
- Provide input into organizing sessions for FCSM conferences.
Schedule of meetings:
- CDAC meets four times a year. Meetings are usually held on the third Tuesday of January, April, July, and October.
Committee's Officers:
For 2008-2009, the officers are:
- Chair: J. Neil Russell, National Center for Education Statistics (NCES), neil.russell@ed.gov
- Vice-Chair: Jonaki Bose, Substance Abuse & Mental Health Services Administration (SAMHSA), jonaki.bose@samhsa.hhs.gov
- Past-Chair: Philip Steel, Census Bureau (BOC) (Philip.M.Steel@census.gov)
Past Officers:
- 1997: Virginia de Wolf, retired (formerly with OMB & BLS), chair;
and Laura Zayatz, Census Bureau, vice-chair.
- 1998-1999: Laura Zayatz, Census Bureau, chair;
Al Zarate, retired (formerly with NCHS), vice-chair.
- 2000-2001: Al Zarate, retired (formerly with NCHS), chair; Jacob Bournazian, EIA, vice-chair.
- 2002-2003: Jacobke Bournazian, EIA, chair; Steve Cohen, NSF, vice-chair.
- 2004-2005: Steve Cohen, NSF, chair; Philip Steel, Census Bureau, vice-chair.
- 2006-2007: Philip Steel, Census Bureau, chair; J. Neil Russell, NCES, vice-chair.
Duties of CDAC chair:
- Schedule quarterly meetings;
- Notify members and consultants of meetings;
- Draft agenda for each meeting;
- Between meetings, notify members and consultants
of relevant issues;
- Make decisions on membership after consulting with current CDAC
members and the FCSM chair;
- Attend FCSM meetings and report on CDAC activities;
- Appoint members to CDAC workgroups to deal with new initiatives;
and
- Aid past chair in choosing a vice-chair after consulting
with the FCSM's chair.
Duties of CDAC vice-chair:
- Take minutes at each meeting and produce draft meeting minutes;
- Keep membership list current; and
- Substitute for chair when necessary.
Duties of CDAC past chair:
- Assist chair and vice-chair;
- Aid chair in choosing vice-chair after consulting with the FCSM's
chair; and
- Help arrange seminars to be held prior to
CDAC meetings.
Duties of each CDAC member:
- Distribute notices of relevant seminars and meetings, in his/her agency;
- Contribute information on relative
issues in his/her agency during CDAC meetings; and
- Participate in CDAC workgroups on new committee initiatives.
Responsibilities of members and consultants:
- Because this group provides a forum for discussion on confidentiality
issues, some of which are quite sensitive, all discussions are made
in confidence and are not to be disclosed outside the group. Should
there be discussion of any topics representing a potential conflict
of interest for the consultants or contractors, they are expected to excuse
themselves from that discussion.
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