Legislation may broaden OMB's e-gov perspective, agency IT managers say

 

Connecting state and local government leaders

Agency CIOs and IT managers want the E-Government Act of 2002 to help the Office of Management and Budget see the e-government forest for the 25 Quicksilver trees.

What HR 2458 will do for e-government initiatives

  • Establish an Office of Electronic Government within OMB with an administrator appointed by the president

  • Establish an e-government fund of $45 million for fiscal 2003, $50 million for 2004 and $250 million for the following two years

  • Authorize the General Services Administration $8 million for 2003 to develop a framework for digital signatures

  • Allot GSA $15 million for maintenance, improvement and promotion of a federal Internet portal, such as FirstGov

  • Require agencies to use publicly available electronic docket systems to publish federal rules and regulations

  • Require each agency head to establish an IT training program

  • Authorize an IT employee exchange program between public- and private-sector organizations

  • Allow share-in-savings IT contracting and give OMB nine months to revise the FAR to include such contracts

  • Authorize state and local governments to buy goods
    and services through GSA IT Schedule contracts

  • Require the development of common protocols for collection and use of geographic information

  • Authorize OMB to continue overseeing information security policies and practices and to coordinate with NIST on the development of governmentwide IT security standards.
  • 'This will be a big lever to get things going,' the Council for Excellence in Government's Dave McClure says.

    Henrik G. DeGyor

    'The fact that we have a bill endorses and validates the way we have been working with OMB over the last year,' Interior's W. Hord Tipton says.

    OMB's Mark Forman calls the act the most sweeping IT legislation since the Clinger-Cohen Act.

    Agency CIOs and IT managers want the E-Government Act of 2002 to help the Office of Management and Budget see the e-government forest for the 25 Quicksilver trees.




    Many observers expected HR 2458, which is awaiting President Bush's signature, to create a new level of visibility for all e-government projects, not just the highly publicized 25 Quicksilver initiatives.




    'A lot of good has come out of the 25 e-government projects, but having a bill and having Congress more involved will create a more balanced approach in some ways than what we've seen before,' said a government official who requested anonymity. 'From the beginning, my concern has been that too much attention has been paid to the e-government projects, many of which are not all that well thought-out or developed. OMB has been too narrowly focused in many ways.'




    [IMGCAP(2)]
    The bill codifies much of what has been OMB's approach over the past 18 months to help agencies integrate IT with their business processes, collaborate on projects and measure success.




    Formal role for OMB




    Kevin Landy, counsel for Sen. Joseph I. Lieberman (D-Conn.), the bill's sponsor, said one of the main goals of the bill has been to promote better management of e-government.




    And, maybe more importantly, it also formalizes OMB's role in the application of e-government across the government, federal officials said.




    'The fact that we have a bill endorses and validates the way we have been working with OMB over the last year,' said W. Hord Tipton, CIO of the Interior Department. 'This will sustain and maintain e-government to make sure this isn't just this current administration's initiative.'
    Mark Forman, OMB's associate director for IT and e-government, called the act the most sweeping IT bill since the Clinger-Cohen Act.




    The bill will affect all agencies. The measure's creation of an Office of E-Government will formalize much of what Forman and OMB have been doing, and the office's director will become the de facto federal CIO.




    Landy said the authorization of a $345 million e-government fund, along with the security, privacy and work force training provisions, will affect agencies significantly right away.




    [IMGCAP(3)]
    Dave McClure, former director of IT management issues for the General Accounting Office and now vice president for e-government at the Council for Excellence in Government, said the bill builds on the momentum of Clinger-Cohen.




    'The legislation legitimizes e-government within OMB,' McClure said. 'This legislation and the outcome of the studies the bill calls for will accelerate e-government more than the Government Paperwork Elimination Act ever did.'




    That boost to e-government will give agencies another angle to look for direction from OMB, the government official said.




    Money helps




    Tom Hughes, CIO of the Social Security Administration, said the funding for e-government will help agencies change the way they do business.




    'Where there is money, agencies will want to participate effectively,' Hughes said. 'It is a statement that there will be a greater emphasis on e-service to the public.'




    McClure also said a number of provisions in the bill, such as those regarding privacy, data sharing, records management and geospatial standards, could produce significant policy decisions to help solidify e-government efforts.




    'This will be a big lever to get things going,' McClure said. 'It adds dimensions to the e-government agenda that has not been there before.'


    X
    This website uses cookies to enhance user experience and to analyze performance and traffic on our website. We also share information about your use of our site with our social media, advertising and analytics partners. Learn More / Do Not Sell My Personal Information
    Accept Cookies
    X
    Cookie Preferences Cookie List

    Do Not Sell My Personal Information

    When you visit our website, we store cookies on your browser to collect information. The information collected might relate to you, your preferences or your device, and is mostly used to make the site work as you expect it to and to provide a more personalized web experience. However, you can choose not to allow certain types of cookies, which may impact your experience of the site and the services we are able to offer. Click on the different category headings to find out more and change our default settings according to your preference. You cannot opt-out of our First Party Strictly Necessary Cookies as they are deployed in order to ensure the proper functioning of our website (such as prompting the cookie banner and remembering your settings, to log into your account, to redirect you when you log out, etc.). For more information about the First and Third Party Cookies used please follow this link.

    Allow All Cookies

    Manage Consent Preferences

    Strictly Necessary Cookies - Always Active

    We do not allow you to opt-out of our certain cookies, as they are necessary to ensure the proper functioning of our website (such as prompting our cookie banner and remembering your privacy choices) and/or to monitor site performance. These cookies are not used in a way that constitutes a “sale” of your data under the CCPA. You can set your browser to block or alert you about these cookies, but some parts of the site will not work as intended if you do so. You can usually find these settings in the Options or Preferences menu of your browser. Visit www.allaboutcookies.org to learn more.

    Sale of Personal Data, Targeting & Social Media Cookies

    Under the California Consumer Privacy Act, you have the right to opt-out of the sale of your personal information to third parties. These cookies collect information for analytics and to personalize your experience with targeted ads. You may exercise your right to opt out of the sale of personal information by using this toggle switch. If you opt out we will not be able to offer you personalised ads and will not hand over your personal information to any third parties. Additionally, you may contact our legal department for further clarification about your rights as a California consumer by using this Exercise My Rights link

    If you have enabled privacy controls on your browser (such as a plugin), we have to take that as a valid request to opt-out. Therefore we would not be able to track your activity through the web. This may affect our ability to personalize ads according to your preferences.

    Targeting cookies may be set through our site by our advertising partners. They may be used by those companies to build a profile of your interests and show you relevant adverts on other sites. They do not store directly personal information, but are based on uniquely identifying your browser and internet device. If you do not allow these cookies, you will experience less targeted advertising.

    Social media cookies are set by a range of social media services that we have added to the site to enable you to share our content with your friends and networks. They are capable of tracking your browser across other sites and building up a profile of your interests. This may impact the content and messages you see on other websites you visit. If you do not allow these cookies you may not be able to use or see these sharing tools.

    If you want to opt out of all of our lead reports and lists, please submit a privacy request at our Do Not Sell page.

    Save Settings
    Cookie Preferences Cookie List

    Cookie List

    A cookie is a small piece of data (text file) that a website – when visited by a user – asks your browser to store on your device in order to remember information about you, such as your language preference or login information. Those cookies are set by us and called first-party cookies. We also use third-party cookies – which are cookies from a domain different than the domain of the website you are visiting – for our advertising and marketing efforts. More specifically, we use cookies and other tracking technologies for the following purposes:

    Strictly Necessary Cookies

    We do not allow you to opt-out of our certain cookies, as they are necessary to ensure the proper functioning of our website (such as prompting our cookie banner and remembering your privacy choices) and/or to monitor site performance. These cookies are not used in a way that constitutes a “sale” of your data under the CCPA. You can set your browser to block or alert you about these cookies, but some parts of the site will not work as intended if you do so. You can usually find these settings in the Options or Preferences menu of your browser. Visit www.allaboutcookies.org to learn more.

    Functional Cookies

    We do not allow you to opt-out of our certain cookies, as they are necessary to ensure the proper functioning of our website (such as prompting our cookie banner and remembering your privacy choices) and/or to monitor site performance. These cookies are not used in a way that constitutes a “sale” of your data under the CCPA. You can set your browser to block or alert you about these cookies, but some parts of the site will not work as intended if you do so. You can usually find these settings in the Options or Preferences menu of your browser. Visit www.allaboutcookies.org to learn more.

    Performance Cookies

    We do not allow you to opt-out of our certain cookies, as they are necessary to ensure the proper functioning of our website (such as prompting our cookie banner and remembering your privacy choices) and/or to monitor site performance. These cookies are not used in a way that constitutes a “sale” of your data under the CCPA. You can set your browser to block or alert you about these cookies, but some parts of the site will not work as intended if you do so. You can usually find these settings in the Options or Preferences menu of your browser. Visit www.allaboutcookies.org to learn more.

    Sale of Personal Data

    We also use cookies to personalize your experience on our websites, including by determining the most relevant content and advertisements to show you, and to monitor site traffic and performance, so that we may improve our websites and your experience. You may opt out of our use of such cookies (and the associated “sale” of your Personal Information) by using this toggle switch. You will still see some advertising, regardless of your selection. Because we do not track you across different devices, browsers and GEMG properties, your selection will take effect only on this browser, this device and this website.

    Social Media Cookies

    We also use cookies to personalize your experience on our websites, including by determining the most relevant content and advertisements to show you, and to monitor site traffic and performance, so that we may improve our websites and your experience. You may opt out of our use of such cookies (and the associated “sale” of your Personal Information) by using this toggle switch. You will still see some advertising, regardless of your selection. Because we do not track you across different devices, browsers and GEMG properties, your selection will take effect only on this browser, this device and this website.

    Targeting Cookies

    We also use cookies to personalize your experience on our websites, including by determining the most relevant content and advertisements to show you, and to monitor site traffic and performance, so that we may improve our websites and your experience. You may opt out of our use of such cookies (and the associated “sale” of your Personal Information) by using this toggle switch. You will still see some advertising, regardless of your selection. Because we do not track you across different devices, browsers and GEMG properties, your selection will take effect only on this browser, this device and this website.