1. Short title This Act may be cited as the Preserving Data in Government Act of 2017 . 2. Preserving government data (a) In general Subchapter I of chapter 35 of title 44, United States Code, is amended— (1) in section 3502— (A) in paragraph (13), by striking and at the end; (B) in paragraph (14), by striking the period at the end and inserting a semicolon; and (C) by adding at the end the following: (15) the term data means recorded information, regardless of form or the media on which the data is recorded; (16) the term data asset means a collection of data elements or data sets that may be grouped together; (17) the term machine-readable means a format in which information or data can be easily processed by a computer without human intervention while ensuring no semantic meaning is lost; (18) the term open format means a technical format that is not encumbered by restrictions that would impede use or reuse; (19) the term open Government data means a public data asset that is— (A) machine-readable; (B) available in an open format; and (C) part of the worldwide public domain or, if necessary, published with an open license; and (20) the term public data asset means a data asset created or maintained by an agency, or a contractor of an agency, that— (A) is not protected under copyright or patent laws; and (B) (i) may be released to the public; or (ii) has been released to the public in an open format. ; and (2) by adding at the end the following: 3522. Requirement to preserve Government data (a) In general Except as provided under subsection (c), any open Government data that is made available to the public for a period of not less than 90 consecutive days shall— (1) remain machine-readable, available in an open format, and part of the worldwide public domain or, if necessary, published with an open license