WASHINGTON – March 30, 2017 – BSA | The Software Alliance expressed its strong support for the reintroduction of the Open, Public, Electronic, and Necessary (OPEN) Government Data Act today in the House and Senate. The bipartisan legislation would make non-sensitive government data more open, available, and usable for the public. Open data increases government transparency and improves government management through better analysis. It also allows entrepreneurs to leverage that data to create new value-added services, propelling job creation and economic growth. Ninety percent of business leaders cite data innovation as one of their key resources and a key differentiator for businesses, on par with basic resources like land, labor, and capital. Today, BSA sent letters to the Chairmen and Ranking Members of the Senate Committee on Homeland Security and Government Affairs and the House Committee on Oversight and Government Reform urging them to take up the bill at the earliest opportunity. BSA looks forward to working with the bill’s sponsors, Sens. Brian Schatz (D-HI) and Ben Sasse (R-NE) and Reps. Derek Kilmer (D-WA) and Blake Farenthold (R-TX), to pass it quickly this year.