Government Executive - Authors - Fresia Rodriguez Cadavid

Spending bill addresses modernization, e-government

Fresia Rodriguez Cadavid — Fri, 15 Jul 2005 00:00:00 -0400

Under the bill, H.R. 3058, nearly $200 million would go toward acquisition of information technology systems for the Internal Revenue Service (IRS). That would be a decrease of about $4.4 million from fiscal 2005 and the same as the budget request from President Bush.

In the House Appropriations Committee report on the measure, lawmakers noted that the Government Accountability Office, IRS Oversight Board and inspector general for tax administration have voiced serious concerns about prior program performance.

"The committee recognizes that IRS ... scaled back the proposed ... work plan to a more manageable level and expects that each milestone for fiscal year 2006 will be met on time and within budget as a result of providing the budget request," the report said.

For the Treasury Department, meanwhile, the committee recommended $21.4 million for development and acquisition and the purchase of automatic data-processing equipment, software and services -- $3 million less than requested and $10.6 million less than provided in fiscal 2005.

According to the committee report, lawmakers were uninspired by the "department's ability to manage its IT portfolio" due to recent reports of "unrealized savings" from significant projects like the network communications system know as the Treasury Communications Enterprise. TCE was scrapped in May.

The legislation would curtail e-government efforts. It would bar e-government program funding at Treasury and HUD, and eliminate funds for Transportation's Office of the Chief Information Officer. The bill also would eliminate funding for the e-travel program, which uses e-commerce to streamline travel bookings across federal agencies.

"The latest chapter in small-business lost opportunity comes from the General Services Administration," Rep. Nydia Velazquez, D-N.Y., said on the House floor. "GSA is moving forward with an ill-conceived mega-contract called e-travel. With this contract, GSA is poised to eliminate a whole sector of the small-business community, travel agents, from working with the government."

The Information Technology Association of America (ITAA) has objected to the elimination of e-government funding and has called for the Senate to restore funding.

The measure further would provide $4.3 million for Transportation's Research and Innovation Technology Administration, which is charged with managing the Department's research portfolio and expediting the implementation of technologies. While the appropriation represents only a minor increase over fiscal 2005, the committee report said the figure represents a reduction of $1.9 million from the Bush administration's request due to inadequate justification.

"The committee is disturbed by the poor quality of the budget justification that was provided for this newly formed agency and notes the complete lack of information pertaining to specific requested increases above prior-year funding levels," the report said.

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House panel reviews progress toward paperwork reduction

Fresia Rodriguez Cadavid — Tue, 14 Jun 2005 00:00:00 -0400

Presiding over the House Government Reform Regulatory Affairs Subcommittee hearing, Chairwoman Candice Miller, R-Mich., chastised federal agencies for their implementation of the Paperwork Reduction Act, which was enacted in 1980 and amended in 1995. Excluding the Treasury Department, the federal government imposes nearly 1.6 billion hours of burden on the public, with the non-Treasury paperwork burden now exceeding 1996 levels, according to Miller.

"Federal agencies as a whole have not done an adequate job reducing burden in areas under their discretion," she said in a written opening statement. "Every hour spent by an individual or business completing paperwork for the federal government is an hour of loss productivity."

Kimberly Nelson, assistant administrator for the office of environmental information at the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), testified that EPA's paperwork burden on the public is less than 2 percent of the total federal burden and ranks the sixth-highest of all agencies. While the agency has experienced increases in the burden since 2001 primarily due to key water programs, it has implemented several reduction initiatives, she wrote in her testimony.

One such program modernized the Toxics Release Inventory (TRI) in order to increase the use of electronic reporting and data-management tools. Nelson said that for the 2003 reporting year, 93 percent of the TRI reporting community used designated software to submit data.

EPA also converted a form related to storm water into electronic format, a move designed to cut by 30 percent the time required to complete the form. "EPA is proud of the burden-reduction 'culture' that has developed over the years, even though it does not always translate into raw burden-reduction numbers," Nelson said.

Labor Department Chief Information Officer Patrick Pizzella, meanwhile, noted that since fiscal 2002, Labor has submitted 12 burden-reduction initiatives to the White House Office of Management and Budget, which oversees the law. The initiatives have resulted in some 221,751 fewer hours of paperwork, according to Pizzella.

Pizzella said the department also routinely reviews information collection and assesses how technology is being used to comply with legislation.

But Kevin Barrett, an industrial hygienist speaking on behalf of the Synthetic Organic Chemical Manufacturers Association, noted weaknesses in achieving paperwork reduction. Specifically, he highlighted the number of records and reports imposed by state and federal regulators and inaccurate calculations of the burden required by specific regulations.

"Federal regulators have made significant strides in assessing and reducing the readily identifiable burdens, but regulatory burden still weighs on the chemical industry in terms of both cost and paperwork," Barrett said. "We have picked all of the metaphorical 'low-hanging fruit' of paperwork-burden reduction and must now reach higher."

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Lawmakers offer divergent views on promoting cybersecurity

Fresia Rodriguez Cadavid — Wed, 18 May 2005 00:00:00 -0400

Rep. Zoe Lofgren, D-Calif., expressed support for creating an assistant secretary for cybersecurity at the Department of Homeland Security during a discussion on cybersecurity sponsored by George Mason University's Critical Infrastructure Protection Program. Lofgren, who sponsored a bill, H.R. 285, that would create such a position, said the issue of cyber security within the department "needs to be elevated."

Although House Government Reform Committee Chairman Tom Davis, R-Va., agreed that more must be done by the federal government in the area of cybersecurity, he disagreed that the creation of the assistant secretary post would be the best route to go.

According to Davis, cybersecurity leadership should be centrally located in the White House and the Office of Management and Budget because both "have the juice" when it comes to procurement and throughout the different cabinet departments. He also noted DHS has much to improve in its own computer network system, adding that the department received an "F" grade in the 2004 federal government computer security scorecard, released in February.

Although panelists expressed no preference for either option, they agreed the federal government needs to improve protection of its computer systems. "Do whatever it takes," Business Roundtable Public Policy Director Marian Hopkins said. "The consequences are too dire not to act."

Noting that incidents of cyber crime are directly correlated to market loss, Jody Westby, managing director of PricewaterhouseCoopers, expressed supported companies officially disclosing cybersecurity protections to the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC).

Davis expressed apprehension at imposing additional reporting requirements. "That's not what the SEC was designed to do," he said. Lofgren said she was concerned that the reporting requirement would provide a roadmap for where companies are not protected, therefore enhancing their risk of attack.

Paul Kurtz, executive director of the Virginia-based Cyber Security Industry Alliance, also disagreed with adding such a reporting requirement, saying that more time should be given to allow companies to abide by the 2002 Sarbanes-Oxley law, which mandates stricter accounting requirements for firms.

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Lawmakers introduce homeland security bills

Fresia Rodriguez Cadavid — Fri, 06 May 2005 00:00:00 -0400

Rep. Edward Markey, D-Mass., introduced legislation designed to improve air cargo security by requiring that all cargo carried on passenger and all-cargo carriers be physically inspected before being loaded onboard.

The bill, H.R. 2044, also would mandate that the Homeland Secretary Department establish systems to inspect cargo using equipment, technology and personnel that meet, at a minimum, the same standards established to inspect passenger baggage.

"Three and a half years after the 9-11 terrorist attacks [Sept. 11, 2001 terrorist attacks], it is unacceptable that freight stored in the cargo bay beneath passengers' feet is almost never inspected for bombs that could bring down the plane," Markey said in a statement.

"Passengers empty their pockets, take off their shoes, and walk through security checkpoints while cargo is placed on the very same planes without being inspected. The cargo loophole presents a dangerous opportunity for terrorists determined to strike our country, and we must take action to close it immediately."

H.R. 2101, introduced by Rep. Kendrick Meek, D-Fla., would direct Homeland Security to develop and implement a new emergency alert system to contact virtually every telephone subscriber in the United States within minutes in the event of a national emergency.

"Currently, should an emergency occur, the government is limited to TV and radio to spread potentially life-saving information. We must improve our existing emergency warning capabilities by using private sector resources like our telephone system, which is widely considered one of the best in the world," Meek said in a statement. "The technology would also work with cellular telephones. With cellular phones included, just about everyone is near a phone at all times."

Rep. Michael Castle, R-Del., introduced H.R. 2041, which was designed to enhance coordination and simplification in the homeland security grant process.

On the telecommunications front, Rep. Mike Ross, D-Ark., introduced H.Res. 230, which states that the FCC "should reconsider and revise rules governing broadband over power line systems."

According to the resolution, the FCC has not sufficiently studied potential interference and the "FCC should conduct a full and complete radio wave interference analysis involving field studies and broadband over power line test demonstration systems, to determine the actual, measured effect of broadband over power line on public safety systems, and a comprehensive interference analysis, with the participation of public safety agencies and organizations, and other interested parties."

Sen. Conrad Burns, R-Mont., introduced S. 976, which would require that the FCC report to Congress annually on competitive market conditions with respect to domestic and international satellite communications services. The legislation would modify restrictions on who can be directors or officers of successor or separate entities. The bill was approved this week by the Senate by unanimous consent, without debate.

Rep. Tom Davis, R-Va., introduced H.R. 2066, which would modernize the General Services Administration's acquisition process.

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Senate panel questions U.S. bioterrorism preparedness

Fresia Rodriguez Cadavid — Thu, 28 Apr 2005 00:00:00 -0400

At an Appropriations Homeland Security Subcommittee hearing focused on bioterrorism, Chairman Judd Gregg, R-N.H., said while progress has been made to improve national security, the country should not underestimate how far it needs to go to safeguard the country's food and vaccine supplies.

Doubts raised by Gregg came as Penrose (Parney) Albright, the assistant secretary for science and technology at the Homeland Security Department, testified specifically on the BioShield program coordinated by the Homeland Security and Health and Human Services Departments.

Signed into law last July, the program will provide $5.6 billion over 10 years for the purchase and development of countermeasures to weapons of mass destruction.

Albright testified there is not a "good way" to identify pathogens, such as anthrax and small pox coming across the border into the United States. He added that the department is focusing efforts not on prevention but rather on detection before infected populations exhibit symptoms as a result of a bioterrorism attack.

Noting that the flu can be lethal to some populations such as the elderly, Sen. Larry Craig, R-Idaho, said the country was unprepared to deal with a possible flu pandemic.

Stewart Simonson, assistant secretary in the Office of Public Health Emergency Preparedness at the Health and Human Services Department, stopped short of agreeing with Craig's assessment, but said "it would pose an enormous challenge."

Sen. Ted Stevens, R-Alaska, and Gregg also questioned if the process used by Simonson's office to award vaccine development contracts ensured open competition and delivery to prevent a vaccine shortfall.

"Are we creating the same situation with anthrax?" Gregg asked, referring to the flu vaccine shortfall last winter.

Simonson responded that the agency has negotiated a contract with California's VaxGen for 75 million doses of an anthrax vaccine and also has ordered 5 million additional doses from other suppliers to satisfy immediate needs.

Although Simonson said the different agreements show that they are "seeking not to put all our eggs in one basket," he added that he remains unsure if the contract award process is being done right.

"We're learning as we go," he said.

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Treasury budget proposals aimed at modernization

Fresia Rodriguez Cadavid — Tue, 26 Apr 2005 00:00:00 -0400

Treasury Secretary John Snow told the Senate Appropriations subcommittee with jurisdiction over the department that the president's proposal adheres to the principle that "taxpayer dollars must be spent wisely, or not at all."

But the subcommittee's ranking Democrat, Patty Murray of Washington, questioned whether the department is following this principle. The committee receives a continuing "stream of reports" from the Government Accountability Office and the inspector general regarding "projects that are way behind schedule, that cost more than they should or that are not adequately secure," she said. "When it comes to addressing the agency's physical and IT infrastructure, it's clear that Treasury needs to do a better job on how it spends the dollars it collects from taxpayers."

Bush's request of $11.6 billion for Treasury includes $236.2 million for the Financial Management Service, which manages the government's collections and payments system. Among the service's electronic initiatives are a program that converts checks to electronic debits and Pay.gov, which offers on-line electronic financial services to federal agencies.

Bush's request also calls for $199 million for continued efforts to modernize the tax system. "Business system modernization" funding for the IRS is designed to activate online e-services functionality for tax practitioners, brokerage firms and banks, facilitating speedier transactions such as e-filing. Funds also would go to support a program offering electronic filing for large corporations and tax-exempt organizations.

The department also would continue with plans to have a database of customer accounts replace an outdated system that stores tax returns. The department estimates that the data engine ultimately will hold tax information for more than 200 million tax returns each year.

Under the proposed budget, TreasuryDirect, operated by the department's Bureau of the Public Debt, would be expanded with a $179.9 million appropriation. The system allows Treasury customers to manage their investment accounts online.

An additional $7.9 million would go toward improving information technology infrastructure in the areas of financial management and combating terrorist financing.

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