Hurd Takes Lead on Federal IT Reform

Bipartisan compromise will reduce wasteful spending Texas Insider Report: WASHINGTON D.C.U.S. Representative Will Hurds federal IT reform initiative gained traction in the House after twenty-one months of fact-finding and advocacy. As a follow up to Hurds previously introduced MOVE IT Act Hurd worked with a number of leaders and authors of similar legislation including House Minority Whip Steny Hoyer (D-MD) to develop a comprehensive IT reform package that saves taxpayer dollars and modernizes government IT. In a display of true bipartisanship Hurd partnered with thought-leaders on both sides of the aisle to best accomplish this goal including Representatives Gerry Connolly (D-VA) Jason Chaffetz (R-UT) Elijah Cummings (D-MD) Robin Kelly (D-IL) Ted Lieu (D-CA) Majority Leader Kevin McCarthy (R-CA) and Minority Whip Steny Hoyer (D-MD) to introduce the Modernizing Government Technology (MGT) Act. The bipartisan legislation would reduce wasteful spending on outdated IT and enhance information security by accelerating the federal governments transition to cloud computing.

Last year the federal government spent $80 billion on IT systems 80 percent of which was spent maintaining outdated legacy systems. We dont have to be stuck in the Stone Age said Rep. Hurd. A move to growing technologies like the cloud can help keep our information secure while saving billions of dollars. Its time to stop wasting tax dollars and move government into the 21^st Century. The Modernizing Government Technology Act is another piece in the puzzle we are putting together to move federal IT systems into the 21st century. It will build on the success of FITARA by investing savings in retiring dated legacy systems and accelerating our transition to the cloud. I am glad to partner with Rep. Hurd on this effort and look forward to this bill hitting the Presidents desk post haste said Rep. Connolly. We compliment Chairman Hurd Mr. Connolly and all of the members who have worked diligently to produce this strong bipartisan push to help modernize our federal information technology resources said David Berteau President and CEO of the Professional Services Council the leading national association of the technology and professional services industry. The bipartisan bill reforms the way we fund government information technology (IT) solutions to better keep pace with innovation said IT Alliance for the Public Sector (ITAPS) Senior Vice President Trey Hodgkins. We commend Rep. Hurd and the committee for creating an environment where government agencies can effectively fund their technology needs for cloud computing IT modernization cybersecurity and future technology development.

The MGT Act received committee approval today and next heads to the House floor for a vote.