As most Nextgov readers know by now, Rep. Darrell Issa, R-Calif., and Rep. Gerry Connolly, D-Va., have co-sponsored a bill that would dramatically overhaul the way federal agencies buy information technology. Today, the House Oversight and Government Reform Committee unanimously passed the Federal Information Technology Acquisition Reform Act. Among other things, the bill would dramatically cut the number of feds carrying the CIO title and it would give those who do hold the title significantly more budget authority than they currently have.
When Issa first floated a draft of the legislation last fall, a lot of tech companies weren’t too happy with it. Some thought it gave open source software preferential standing over custom software; others thought it could weaken the power of the General Services Administration’s schedules program -- the menus of technology products and services GSA negotiates on behalf of agencies.
The bill Issa and Connolly introduced today looks quite different from that early draft after they took those and other concerns into consideration. But it’s still a work in progress, Issa said. If you want to offer feedback on the bill as it goes to the House floor, please visit this site our developers have created in cooperation with the committee staff. You can register to submit comments using the software tool Madison.
Katherine McIntire Peters
Katherine Peters leads editorial strategy and operations for Nextgov. She previously was a senior correspondent for Government Executive magazine, where she covered defense, homeland security and energy. Prior to joining Government Executive in 1995, she covered U.S. military operations and training for Army Times. She also worked as a writer and technical editor at both IDC Washington and EDS. She holds a B.A. in English from Elizabethtown College and an M.A. in Journalism from American University.
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