GSA pushing e-gov, security initiatives
The General Services Administration is embarking on a set of initiatives to implement President Bush's agenda to enhance e-government services and boost agencies' computer security.
In addition to the $10 million requested for anti-terrorism activities at GSA and $9.5 million for the maintenance and enhancement of the FirstGov.gov Web portal, GSA has requested $45 million specifically for the E-Gov Fund -- a presidential initiative overseen by the White House Office of Management and Budget and managed by GSA.
Bush's Management Council has tasked OMB to spearhead 24 e-government initiatives and is asking for $50 million overall for them. E-government is one of four parts of the president's management agenda, aimed at reducing government paperwork and increasing efficiency.
During a House Appropriations Subcommittee on Treasury, Postal Service and General Government hearing Wednesday on GSA's fiscal 2003 budget, subcommittee Chairman Ernest Istook, R-Okla., noted that the proposed e-government funding is an 800 percent increase from the previous year. He added that GSA continues to stress its commitment to becoming more citizen-oriented, but that many different GSA entities will participate in and support e-government initiatives.
"It's interesting that the new GSA focus on 'citizen services' involves consolidation while 'electronic government' is fully dispersed," Istook said.
GSA is playing a large part in aiding OMB's implementation of the president's e-government agenda. GSA is a managing partner for five of the 24 initiatives, including the e-authentication initiative, which aims to establish an identification verification system for people trying to obtain information and services from the federal government.
"The modest spending increases are requested in support of our strategic goals, particularly, asset management and the e-government component of the president's management agenda, and to ensure our assets and building occupants are safe and secure," said GSA Administrator Stephen Perry in prepared remarks.
Perry said GSA is establishing the Office of Citizen Services to spearhead GSA's part of the e-government effort and to provide access to federal, state and local government information for citizens and businesses though FirstGov.gov. It previously was the responsibility of the Office of Governmentwide Policy and the Federal Consumer Information Center.
Perry said the funding is necessary given the government's recent push to implement e-government.
Istook also expressed concern with the agency's computer security. GSA did not request an increase for computer-security funding, but "computer security remains a concern," Istook said. He also questioned how GSA's computer-security efforts meshed with other federal computer- and homeland-security programs.
Perry noted that the more than $247 million requested in operating appropriations includes critical infrastructure protection efforts. That amount is $53 million above fiscal year 2002 levels. The increase includes $900,000 for a Cyber Warning Information Network, plus the e-government and FirstGov.gov funding.
Perry said that GSA chiefs would meet with department heads each quarter to receive updates on progress. He said GSA soon will introduce technology that will keep these performance results in a database.