Legislation would make security key in federal IT purchases

A key House lawmaker Tuesday introduced an amendment to a law that established requirements for government procurement of information technology in order to explicitly include security as a requirement.

Bob Dix, staff director to Government Reform Technology Subcommittee Chairman Adam Putnam, R-Fla., said the so-called Clinger-Cohen law currently governs decisions on IT acquisitions by federal agencies and the White House Office of Management and Budget, but it does not explicitly state security as a requirement. Dix said Putnam wants to add information security as a "critical element of the IT investment decision-making and strategic planning process." The measure would give OMB greater strength in setting budget guidelines, Dix said.

Putnam also has scheduled a Wednesday hearing on information security among small businesses and home users.

"With the many threats out there today, it is vital that we factor in security when making our IT management decisions," Putnam said. "Clinger-Cohen was written before the federal government had a large web presence. It is essential that Clinger-Cohen be modernized to keep pace with these changing threats."