Ordered to be Reported in the Nature of a Substitute (Amended) by the Yeas and Nays: 22 - 15.
Congressional Research Service
Official summary
Version 00 · Introduced in House · Jun 30, 2021
Improving Digital Identity Act of 2021
This bill establishes the Improving Digital Identity Task Force to establish a government-wide effort to develop secure methods for governmental agencies to validate identity attributes to protect the privacy and security of individuals and support reliable, interoperable digital identity verification in the public and private sectors.
The National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST) shall develop and periodically update a framework of standards, methodologies, procedures, and processes as a guide for federal, state, and local governments to follow when providing services to support digital identity verification.
Showing the opening paragraphs of the official summary.
Read full official summaryShow less
The Department of Homeland Security (DHS) shall award grants to states to upgrade systems that provide drivers' licenses or other types of identity credentials to support the development of highly secure, interoperable state systems that enable digital identity verification.
The Government Accountability Office shall submit to Congress a report that includes (1) an analysis of legal and regulatory requirements with respect to the collection and retention of Social Security numbers by nongovernmental organizations, and (2) a recommendation on the necessity and effectiveness of any such legal and regulatory requirement analyzed and the use of a form of identification other than a Social Security number.
DHS shall issue binding operational directives to federal agencies to implement (1) the Digital Identity Guidelines published by NIST; and (2) the memorandum of the Office of Management and Budget issued on May 21, 2019, which includes the subject Enabling Mission Delivery through Improved Identity, Credential, and Access Management.
Ordered to be Reported in the Nature of a Substitute (Amended) by the Yeas and Nays: 22 - 15.
Committee Consideration and Mark-up Session Held.
Committee Consideration and Mark-up Session Held.
Referred to the Subcommittee on Social Security.
Referred to the Committee on Oversight and Reform, and in addition to the Committees on Science, Space, and Technology, and Ways and Means, for a period to be subsequently determined by the Speaker, in each case for consideration of such provisions as fall within the jurisdiction of the committee concerned.
Referred to the Committee on Oversight and Reform, and in addition to the Committees on Science, Space, and Technology, and Ways and Means, for a period to be subsequently determined by the Speaker, in each case for consideration of such provisions as fall within the jurisdiction of the committee concerned.
Referred to the Committee on Oversight and Reform, and in addition to the Committees on Science, Space, and Technology, and Ways and Means, for a period to be subsequently determined by the Speaker, in each case for consideration of such provisions as fall within the jurisdiction of the committee concerned.
Referred to the Subcommittee on Research and Technology.
Introduced in House
Introduced in House
Primary sources
Bill text & related measures
Text links open the official source. We currently store references to these documents.
Source last updated: Apr 7, 2025. Consult Congress.gov for the current record.
AI Conversation Starters
Explore the bill from different angles
Choose a perspective, copy a prompt, and paste it into your preferred AI. Each prompt includes the bill version and available official source links, and asks for counterarguments as well as supporting evidence.
Neutral evidence review
Objective
Analyze H.R.4258 as objectively as possible. Explain its main provisions, who would be affected, possible benefits and harms, implementation, exceptions, and uncertainties. Present the strongest arguments for and against it, and identify evidence needed to assess its public impact.
View full prompt & sources
Fairness and public impact
Progressive lens
Examine H.R.4258 through a progressive lens, focusing on fairness, access, economic inequality, and effects on vulnerable communities. Explain potential benefits, costs, and unintended consequences. Consider the strongest counterarguments and distinguish stated goals from demonstrated outcomes.
View full prompt & sources
Institutions and government scope
Conservative lens
Examine H.R.4258 through a conservative lens, focusing on fiscal responsibility, institutional stability, federalism, and the scope of government. Explain potential benefits, costs, and unintended consequences. Consider the strongest counterarguments and any provisions that challenge this perspective.
View full prompt & sources
Individual rights and government power
Liberty lens
Examine H.R.4258 through a civil-liberties and limited-government lens. Consider individual rights, privacy, voluntary choice, accountability, and government power. Explain tradeoffs, possible safeguards, and the strongest counterarguments without assuming the proposal is beneficial or harmful.