News Releases
WASHINGTON – U.S. Senator Jerry Moran (R-Kan.) and U.S. Representative Will Hurd (TX-23) today applauded the inclusion of funding for their bipartisan legislation, the Modernizing Government Technology (MGT) Act, in the FY2018 omnibus.
“As we continue our work to eliminate waste in our federal government, the MGT Act will bring welcome change to our information technology systems, eliminating unnecessary spending in addition to strengthening our nation’s cybersecurity practices,” said Sen. Moran. “A startling 75 percent of the $80 billion our federal government spends annually on IT is used to fix and maintain archaic systems. The MGT Act will incentivize federal agencies to upgrade their systems through the establishment of IT working capital funds that reward agencies for making security improvements and transitioning to cloud computing, rather than spending money maintaining outdated legacy systems. The inclusion of the funding for MGT Act in the omnibus will further implement this legislation and help bring our federal agencies into the 21st century.”
“After the last two years of falling victim to multiple cyberattacks, it’s time for the United States Government to secure its digital information and infrastructure, and move government into the 21st century,” said Rep. Hurd. “Securing funding for the MGT Act in the FY18 Omnibus is reflective of the overwhelming bipartisan support the bill received in both Chambers of Congress throughout the multi-year initiative to make this a reality. I am grateful for my colleagues who recognized not only extensive security risks, but also the tremendous opportunity we have to make government more efficient and reliable to taxpayers. I will continue to fight to make government more innovative, secure, and cost-effective for Americans. ”
The bipartisan MGT Act, which was led in the Senate by Sen. Moran and Sen. Tom Udall (D-N.M.) and in the House by Rep. Hurd and Rep. Gerry Connolly (VA-11), was signed into law in December 2017. The bill establishes IT working capital funds at 24 federal government agencies and allows them to use savings obtained through streamlining IT systems, replacing legacy products and transitioning to cloud computing for up to three years for further modernization efforts. The bill also sets up a separate centralized modernization fund within the Department of the Treasury for the head of the General Services Administration (GSA) to administer across the federal government in consultation with a federal IT expert board. Language in the FY2018 omnibus authorizing $100 million for the centralized fund for federal agencies can be found on page 558.
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