FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

For Immediate Release

Contact: Ari Schwartz
202-637-9800
ari@cdt.org

Tuesday, May 1, 2001 - The Center of Democracy and Technology today announced support for the "E-Government Act of 2001," a bill intended to fundamentally change the way the federal government uses information technology to interact with citizens. Introduced by Senator Joseph Lieberman (D-CT) along with the Congressional Internet Caucus Co-Chairs Senator Conrad Burns (R-MT) and Senator Patrick Leahy (D-VT), the bill would require the government, for the first time ever, to systematically plan its enormous expenditures for computer systems in ways that will make government information and services more accessible to ordinary citizens.

"Incredible as it may seem, this is the first bill ever to comprehensively require the federal government to use the Internet to serve citizens," CDT Senior Policy Analyst Ari Schwartz said. "Lieberman and Burns are breaking new ground with this legislation."

The bill requires the federal government to act strategically in two areas:

1. Policy Guidance
   • Accessibility - Federal government agencies would be required to utilize recent technology developments to make information more accessible to, and useable by, ordinary citizens.
   • Privacy - Agencies would be required to provide better notice of what personal data they collect and to take privacy concerns into consideration in designing, purchasing and creating new databases and computer systems.
2. Resource Development
   • Leadership - A federal Chief Information Officer would be created within the Office of Management and Budget ensuring that technology policy issues are a priority, but still tied to budget and regulatory functions.
   • Funding - An Interagency Information Technology Fund would be created to support the use of new technologies to redesign government services across the traditional constraints of the federal bureaucracy.
   • Workforce - The severe shortage in skilled IT professionals in the federal workplace would become a priority issue for the government.

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