Senate passes bill to create e-government office

The Senate on Thursday unanimously passed a measure that aims to boost initiatives to make government information more accessible online.

The measure is co-sponsored by Sens. Joseph Lieberman of Connecticut and Fred Thompson of Tennessee, the chairman and ranking Republican of the Governmental Affairs Committee, and Montana Republican Conrad Burns. The bill, S. 803, aims to create a systematic approach to managing technology in the federal government, both for online services to citizens and in using technology to enhance business practices.

The legislation would create an office of electronic government under the White House Office of Management and Budget and authorize $345 million for the office and its e-government initiatives.

"Today we come a step closer to achieving the important goal of providing Americans the same 24-7 access to government information and services that is now available to them from the private sector," Lieberman said in a statement Thursday.

The proposed e-government office also would act as a clearinghouse for related matters, such as security and privacy of federal Web sites and online initiatives. It also would call upon federal entities, such as the courts, to post certain documents on the Web. And it would establish a fund for innovative interagency projects, proposing funding of $45 million in fiscal 2003 and increasing to $150 million by fiscal 2006.

"The e-government bill's guiding philosophy is a simple and practical one," Burns said in a statement. "The federal government should take advantage of the tremendous opportunities offered by information technology to better serve its constituents. The passing of this bill is a major milestone toward this goal."

In addition, the measure would provide a statutory foundation for the federal Chief Information Officers Council, which is composed of various agency CIOs. The council would serve as the "principal interagency forum" for improving the management of government technology.

The bill also would lift the sunset provisions of the 2000 Government Information Security Reform Act, which outlines strategies for protecting government computer security and incorporates provisions to address privacy concerns and workforce-development issues.

The Center for Democracy and Technology praised the measure, calling it the first federal mandate to offer government services via the Internet. The measure now heads to the House.