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FOR
IMMEDIATE RELEASE
March
21, 2002
E-GOVERNMENT BILL HEADS TO
FULL SENATE
Bill Would Improve Access of
Citizens to Government Services and Information
WASHINGTON - The Senate Governmental Affairs
Committee Thursday unanimously approved a proposal authored by
Chairman Joe Lieberman, D-Conn., and Ranking Member Fred
Thompson, R-Tenn., that would help bring the federal
government more fully into the electronic age by improving
citizen access to government information and services.
The amendment, in the form of a substitute
to the E-Government Act of 2001, (S.803), would
maximize the organization, efficiency, accessibility and
quantity of the federal government’s online resources, while
reducing overall cost.
"Americans have every right to expect
the same 24-7 access to government information and services
now available to them from the private sector," Lieberman
said. "The hope is that electronic government will
improve the delivery of information and services to the
public, improve the efficiency and effectiveness of
government, and ultimately, transform the way government
operates."
"The bill we approved today improves
the management of electronic government programs and promotes
the use of the Internet to provide better information and
services to the public," Thompson said. "Also, the
bill goes a long way toward ensuring the security of
information systems used in electronic government programs by
making permanent the Government Information Security Reform
Act."
The measure would:establish an Office
of Electronic Government, headed by a Senate-confirmed
administrator within the Office of Management and
Budget.
authorize $345 million over four years
for an e-government fund to support interagency
e-government projects.
improve upon the centralized online
portal; establish an online directory of Federal web
sites
require federal courts to post
opinions online.
fund a federal training center to
recruit and train information technology professionals
The bill contains a variety of other
provisions that would require agencies to establish online
rule-making, encourage compatibility of electronic signatures
and provide strong new privacy protections. In addition, it
lifts the sunset on the Thompson-Lieberman Government
Information Security Reform Act, which provides a new
management framework for protecting the security of government
computers.
"The private sector has benefitted
tremendously from the application of information
technology," Lieberman said. "Now it’s government’s
turn. We must take full advantage of the Internet and other
technologies to overcome arbitrary boundaries between
agencies, so government can provide the public with seamless,
secure online services."
The underlying bill is co-sponsored by
Senators Conrad Burns, R-Mont., Jeff Bingaman, D-N.M., Peter
Fitzgerald, R-Ill., Thomas Daschle, D-S.D., John McCain, R-Ariz.,
Thomas Carper D-Del., Richard Durbin, D-Ill., Tim Johnson, D-S.D.,
John Kerry, D-Mass., Patrick Leahy, D-Vt., Carl Levin, D-Mich..
Max Cleland, D-Ga., Mark Dayton, D-Minn., and Deborah Stabenow,
D-Mich.
To read the bill, please visit www.senate.gov/~lieberman
or www.senate.gov/~gov_affairs
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