The Modernizing Government Technology Act, which was passed by Congress, has been praised by Chairwoman Nancy Mace (R-S.C.) of the Subcommittee on Cybersecurity, Information Technology, and Government Innovation. The purpose of the act is to enhance transparency and accountability in managing federal IT systems by returning to the original intent of the Technology Modernization Fund (TMF).
The TMF was initially authorized by Congress as a revolving fund to upgrade or replace outdated legacy IT systems that are inefficient and vulnerable to cyberattacks. However, the act aims to ensure the financial stability of the TMF by requiring proper reimbursement of project costs and creating a federal legacy IT inventory to guide the fund’s focus on its core mission.
The Modernizing Government Technology Act also revitalizes and reauthorizes the TMF and its governing board, the Technology Modernization Board (TMB), which were established under the bipartisan Modernizing Government Technology Act of 2017 (P.L. 115-91). The bill implements various measures to enhance the management of the TMF and ensure that program operations align with the original purpose set by Congress.
TFM awards will now need to be reimbursed at an appropriate level to ensure the fund’s sustainability, and agencies must also reimburse administrative fees. The establishment of a Federal Legacy IT Inventory will serve as a new oversight tool for evaluating agency and government-wide priorities for legacy IT modernization and assessing the effectiveness of the TMF in funding these projects. The bill further reauthorizes the TMF and TMB and establishes a sunset date of December 2031 for these entities.
Chairwoman Mace commended her colleague Rep. Gerry Connolly (D-Va.) for their work on this important legislation that she introduced with him. “I am proud that we have been able to come together on this issue,” said Chairwoman Mace, “and I believe that this reform act will greatly benefit our nation’s technology infrastructure.”