Ideas
5 Reasons Why Clinger-Cohen Failed
The 1996 Clinger-Cohen Act, which established the chief information officer position at agencies, among other things, was signed into law this month 14 years ago. By most accounts, it hasn't lived up to expectations. In fact, many say it's a downright failure.
Ideas
Debunking the Net Generation
A lot of reports and articles -- including many on this site (<a href=http://www.nextgov.com/nextgov/ng_20100423_7313.php>here</a> and <a href=http://wiredworkplace.nextgov.com/2010/08/dot_appeals_to_gen_y_online.php>here</a>) and on Government Executive (<a href=http://www.govexec.com/story_page.cfm?filepath=/features/1109-01/1109-01adif.htm>here</a> and <a href=http://www.govexec.com/features/0707-15/0707-15s1.htm>here</a>) -- that depicts younger workers and the Internet as joined at the hip. The 'Net, and the social networking it spawned, are indispensable to the so-called Net Generation (those between the ages of 17 and 31) and they demand to have the tools at the ready at work, sociologists say.
Ideas
Privacy Advocate Schwartz Joins NIST
Ari Schwartz, a longtime advocate for protecting privacy in the age of Web-based government, is leaving his post at the Center for Democracy and Technology to press for change from within the administration at the National Institute for Standards and Technology.
Ideas
USPS' eIDEAS Gets Poor Score
The U.S. Postal Service's web-based program to collect employee ideas on customer service, productivity and revenue generation lacks transparency, leaving submissions in limbo, according to the USPS inspector general.
Ideas
Compu-Forensics Saves Stim & Devaney
Sen. John McCain, R-Ariz., at a hearing the other day criticized the head of the board overseeing stimulus spending for being unable to cite an instance where the board's analytical software prevented fraud and abuse.
Ideas
More Medicaid Systems Woes
Two years ago I <a href=http://techinsider.nextgov.com/2009/08/one_of_the_most_complicated.php>wrote</a> about how state's Medicaid claims processing systems seem to be one of the most difficult IT projects to develop. Maine, North Carolina and Indiana, just to name a few, were having difficulties building workable systems. Now it's Idaho's turn. As <a href=http://www.idahostatesman.com/2010/08/03/v-print/1289721/idaho-medicaid-providers-in-crisis.html>reported</a> by the Idaho Statesman:
Ideas
The Email Guessing Game
An obstacle I encounter regularly in this job is locating contact information for specific individuals in the federal government. Unless I've met someone directly or been given their email and phone number by a colleague, it takes a good amount of time to track them down. I regularly have to ask, "Do you know the email standard at [agency name]?"
Ideas
Less Money, More Innovation
Information technology budgets may be going down in the next few years, and chief information officers will be asked to do more with less. However, strained resources could promote innovation and efficiency, according to a state IT professionals.
Ideas
Repubs Knock Apparent FOIA Exemption
Some Republicans are disgruntled about a clause in the newly-minted financial reform law that they say allows the Securities and Exchange Commission to sidestep the Freedom of Information Act.
Ideas
O-Gov May Muck Up Agency Sites
Americans' satisfaction with online government services is slipping, according to the latest report from the quarterly e-government American Customer Satisfaction Index. Agencies during the second quarter received an aggregate score of 74.7 on a 100-point scale, down slightly from the first quarter's score of 75.1.
Ideas
Hacking Into The FOIA Process
An annual gathering of hackers in New York City last week featured a presentation on how to successfully break into government files using Freedom of Information Act requests.
Ideas
No, Not Social At All
I attended a House Oversight subcommitee hearing yesterday afternoon. As usual, I brought along my laptop, as taking notes and checking email are more easily accomplished using a full keyboard rather than pen and paper and my tiny iPhone screen.
Ideas
Census Fears Spill Over the Border
What can only be characterized as a bit of a surprise, Canada, the land of good government, is having its own debate over the nation's next census, scheduled for 2011. The debate is over the "intrusive" questions on the long form, which 20 percent of Canadians receive and are required to fill out.
Ideas
Reformatting $$$ To Fight Counterfeiters
A reformatted $100 bill that is expected to start circulating in February 2011 will include a ribbon containing images of bells that morph into 100s to thwart counterfeiters, a federal official told lawmakers this week.
Ideas