The Hill
Issa preps IT reform legislation
- By Matthew Weigelt
- Oct 19, 2012
Rep. Darrell Issa (R-Calif.) is readying a bill that would put more responsibility onto agency CIOs.
The chairman of the House Oversight and Government Reform Committee is expected to introduce IT procurement reform legislation in January, a staff member said Oct. 18.
Richard Beutel, senior counsel for procurement at the committee, said Chairman Darrell Issa (R-Calif.) plans to hold at least a subcommittee hearing and a full committee hearing before the end of this Congress to get feedback on how the Federal Information Technology Acquisition Reform Act could change the government marketplace. Issa also intends to reach out over the next three months to gather more input from industry on its provisions and the direction in which the legislation would take procurement.
Based on a draft version, the bill is likely to give more power to agency CIOs. The draft, which Issa released on Sept. 20, would require CIOs to approve agency spending on IT and the hiring of employees with IT responsibilities in the agency. It also would limit agencies to one CIO for the whole agency; bureaus, offices or subordinate agency organizations could not have their own CIOs.
Resources
Read the September draft bill
Article: New bill would grant CIOs greater authority
The committee is also working to build support in the Senate for a companion bill, Beutel said.
As currently written, the bill would also push for strategic sourcing and building cadres of IT acquisition professionals.
About the Author
Matthew Weigelt is a former FCW senior writer who covered acquisition and procurement.