Comments on OMB Plan to Revise Standards on Reporting of Race and Ethnicity Data

Executive Summary

NHeLP provided comments on the White House Office of Management and Budget (OMB) plan to revise its Standards for Maintaining, Collecting, and Presenting Federal Data on Race and Ethnicity. NHeLP urged OMB to ensure detailed and accurate reporting of racial and ethnicity data. NHeLP stated, “Maintaining or improving upon the quality of these data is essential to informed public policy for our communities and the fair allocation of federal, state, and local funding.” NHeLP stated that “revising racial and ethnic terminology in light of today’s growing diversity is an important task to undertake. The terminology should be aligned to recognize the breadth of racial and ethnic communities comprising the American public today and strive to reflect the importance of all communities.” NHeLP raised “serious concerns” about OMB’s timeline for revising its standards. It stated that the “process must be recalibrated to allow for appropriate and meaningful engagement by interested stakeholders, including Congress, civil rights organizations and citizens.”