IfG.CC - The Potsdam eGovernment Competence Center

When Congress recessed last week for the mid-term elections, hopes for most legislation stalled in the Senate or House of Representatives faded considerably. Notably, though, proponents for the E-Government Act of 2002, which has passed the Senate but not the House, still believe passage is possible before the end of the year. The legislation calls for a new Office of E-Government within the Office of Management and Budget (OMB) and seeks funding that increases from $45 million in 2003 to $150 million in 2006. The bill also calls for a government-wide IT manager and a board to review cutting-edge technologies that will expedite inter-agency cooperation.

In June, the Senate passed its version (S. 803) of the bill, and, in early October, the House version (H.R. 2458) was approved on a voice vote by the House Government Reform subcommittee. Differences in the bills were being negotiated between House and Senate conferees but both houses recessed before a resolution was reached.

David Marin, a spokesperson for Rep. Tom Davis (R.-Va.), who chairs the House Government Reform subcommittee, said he believes there is still an "excellent chance" the legislation will pass this year.

"There is still a possibility or two we (the House) will come back for a day or two before the elections," Marin told internetnews.com. "If not, the legislation can be handled in the lame duck session. I believe there is consensus on both sides to get this legislation done."

One of the key differences between the two versions of the legislation involves "share-in-share" contracting, where contractors provide the technology up front and are paid by the savings an agency realizes from the implementation of the technology. Davis inserted the share-in-share language in the House version.

"Share-in-share contracting allows agencies to forth with very little up front money," Marin said.

Compromise language being discussed limits share-in-share deals to IT contracts only. Another difference in the two versions is the Senate desire to confirm the proposed federal IT manager while the House does not feel that is necessary.

"The remaining obstacles are not insurmountable," marin said.

Quelle: Internetnews