WASHINGTON – U.S. Senators Jerry Moran (R-Kan.) and Tom Udall (D-N.M.) applauded the inclusion and passage of their Modernizing Government Technology (MGT) Act as part of the conference report on the National Defense Authorization Act (NDAA) for FY2018. In September, Sen. Moran successfully included the MGT Act as an amendment to the NDAA for FY2018. This bipartisan legislation will encourage federal agencies to cut wasteful spending and modernize and strengthen government information technology (IT) and security. The MGT Act now heads to the President’s desk for signature.

“This bipartisan legislation will propel our inefficient, outdated federal IT systems into the 21st century to promote productivity and strengthen cybersecurity,” said Sen. Moran. “Passing the landmark MGT Act will modernize our federal IT infrastructure by incentivizing federal agencies to expeditiously upgrade their systems – with strong built-in oversight by Congress – to continuously evolve and protect against cybersecurity threats at home and around the globe. In addition, nearly 75 percent of the $80 billion we are spending annually on federal IT systems is going toward maintaining and operating legacy IT rather than making lasting improvements. These improved efficiencies will end that practice and ultimately save billions of taxpayer dollars by reducing long-term spending. I’m pleased my colleagues on both sides of the aisle agree that IT investment reforms are an important step toward a more efficient, effective and secure government.”

“Passage of the bipartisan MGT Act will save taxpayers many millions of dollars and strengthen our cybersecurity,” said Sen. Udall. “This major legislation will finally bring the federal government’s grossly outdated IT systems into the 21st century. As it stands, the federal government spends over $80 billion on IT – but 75 percent of that money is being spent to maintain old and legacy systems that date back to the time of dial-up modems and dot-matrix printers. The oldest were created in the 1960s. The MGT Act’s flexible funding options will allow us to break out of that cycle, enabling federal agencies to move forward with long-overdue projects to replace these legacy systems, providing better services at lower cost. These upgrades will also enable federal agencies to tackle dangerous cyber vulnerabilities and better protect Americans’ data from cyberattacks. This bipartisan, common-sense effort will help ensure that we’re getting better service at a better value for the American people.” 

“The fact that our federal government continues to waste billions of hard-earned taxpayer dollars each year maintaining outdated, legacy IT systems is absolutely outrageous. It’s 2017. The American people deserve better from their government,” said Rep. Hurd. “Our federal agencies will finally have the motivation to catch up with the 21^st Century and embrace emerging technologies so that we can leave behind these antiquated legacy IT systems that have plagued our government for decades. Instead, we can look forward to providing more efficient, transparent services for the American people and safeguard our systems from cyberattacks. I applaud my colleagues in the House and Senate for working to get MGT across the finish line.”

Items to Note:

• In September, the MGT Act cleared the Senate with Sen. Moran’s amendment to the National Defense Authorization Act (NDAA) for Fiscal Year 2018 (FY18) on an 89-8 vote. 

• In April, Sen. Moran and Sen. Udall – both members of the Senate Commerce and Appropriations Committees – introduced the Modernizing Government Technology (MGT) Act (S. 990/H.R. 2227) with the support of their colleagues Sen. Steve Daines (R-Mont.) and Sen. Mark Warner (D-Va.). U.S. Representatives Will Hurd (R-Texas) and Gerry Connolly (D-Va.) – chairman and member, respectively, of the House Subcommittee on Information Technology – introduced the House companion legislation.

• The bill is supported by a number of IT industry stakeholders and trade associations including the U.S. Chamber of Commerce, the IT Alliance for the Public Sector (ITAPS), Professional Services Council (PSC), TechNet, Amazon Web Service, Cisco, Adobe, BMC, Brocade, Intel, Microsoft, Business Roundtable, CA Technologies, Compuware, CSRA, Level 3, Unisys and others.

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