The House Oversight and Reform Committee on May 25 approved by voice vote a bill introduced last month that would make sure that Federal agency CIOs – along with chief data, financial, and human capital officers – are involved in the process of how agency leaders form performance plans for their departments.
The bill – which now heads to the full House for consideration – received unanimous approval at a committee markup session. The measure is sponsored by House Government Operations Subcommittee Chairman Gerry Connolly, D-Va., and the subcommittee’s ranking member, Rep. Jody Hice, R-Ga.
If the bill becomes law, it would require Federal agency performance plans to detail numerous technological considerations necessary to accomplish a performance plan, including descriptions of technology modernization investments, system upgrades, staff technology skills and expertise, and stakeholder input and feedback.
Rep. Connolly said last month that the legislation ties in with one of the grading categories in the committee’s semiannual FITARA Scorecard – making sure that CIOs report directly to Federal agency secretaries or deputy secretaries so that they have proper influence in agency planning and programs.
The congressman said CIOs have to be involved in planning for the needs of their agencies, including on such items as “resources required to accomplish the mission,” and whether agency systems, software, and hardware are outdated and need upgrading.
