Electronic Government: Federal Agencies Have Made Progress Implementing the E-Government Act of 2002
Highlights
The E-Government Act (E-Gov Act) of 2002 was enacted with the general purpose of promoting better use of the Internet and other information technologies to improve government services for citizens, internal government operations, and opportunities for citizen participation in government. Among other things, the act specifically requires the establishment of the Office of Electronic Government within the Office of Management and Budget (OMB) to oversee implementation of the act's provisions and mandates a number of specific actions, such as the establishment of interagency committees, completion of several studies, submission of reports with recommendations, issuance of a variety of guidance documents, establishment of new policies, and initiation of pilot projects. Further, the act requires federal agencies to take a number of actions, such as conducting privacy impact assessments, providing public access to agency information, and allowing for electronic access to rulemaking proceedings. OMB has linked several of the act's provisions to ongoing e-government initiatives that it has sponsored. While some deadlines specified in the act have passed, many required actions do not have statutory deadlines or have deadlines that have not yet passed. This report responds to a Congressional request that we review the implementation status of major provisions from Titles I and II of the E-Gov Act.
Recommendations
Recommendations for Executive Action
| Agency Affected | Recommendation | Status |
|---|---|---|
| Office of Management and Budget | To ensure the successful implementation of the E-Government Act and its goal of promoting better use of the Internet and other information technologies to improve government services to citizens, internal government operations, and opportunities for citizen participation in government, the Director, OMB, should direct the Administrator of the Office of E-Government to ensure that the report to Congress regarding the study on enhancement of crisis response required under section 214 addresses the content specified by the act. |
Closed – Implemented
OMB took a two-phased approach in implementing GAO's recommendation. In Phase I, completed in September 2005, OMB examined opportunities for more effective use of technologies, including the management of information technology research and development opportunities to enhance crisis preparedness. Phase II addressed the development of research and provided an implementation roadmap for effective use of IT in crisis response and consequence management. In 2007, OMB and FEMA conducted the Phase II study on using information technology to enhance crisis preparedness, response, and consequence management of natural and manmade disasters, and issued a report to Congress based on that study.
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| Office of Management and Budget | To ensure the successful implementation of the E-Government Act and its goal of promoting better use of the Internet and other information technologies to improve government services to citizens, internal government operations, and opportunities for citizen participation in government, the Director, OMB, should direct the Administrator of the Office of E-Government to establish and promote a governmentwide program, as prescribed by 44 U.S.C. 3605, to encourage contractor innovation and excellence in facilitating the development and enhancement of electronic government services and processes. |
Closed – Implemented
OMB's 31 U.S.C. 720 response indicated that it has implemented this recommendation by launching a series of new initiatives (agency Lines of Business) that encourage contractor innovation and excellence. These Lines of Business allow for contractor innovation and use common approaches across agencies. In addition, through interagency taskforces, the Line of Business initiatives have developed common approaches and target architectures for processes such as grants management, human resources management, and financial management.
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| Office of Management and Budget | To ensure the successful implementation of the E-Government Act and its goal of promoting better use of the Internet and other information technologies to improve government services to citizens, internal government operations, and opportunities for citizen participation in government, the Director, OMB, should direct the Administrator of the Office of E-Government to ensure the development and maintenance of a governmentwide repository and Web site that integrates information about research and development funded by the federal government. |
Closed – Implemented
The federal government has established and is maintaining two primary repositories (RaDiUS and Science.gov) for research and development information related to Federal government funds. RaDiUS provides the public and agencies with information about federally funded research and development activities. Science.gov provides links to science websites and scientific databases so citizens can access the results of Federal research.
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