The House will mark up the Modernizing Government Technology Act, H.R. 6004, Thursday morning with a single amendment expected to make technical changes, Rep. Will Hurd's office said Wednesday night.
The bill, a bipartisan effort that blends the Hurd (R-Texas) MOVE IT legislation and Rep. Steny Hoyer's (D-Md.) IT Modernization Act and has gained industry support, “preserves agency and CIO authority while also allowing the authorization of a centralized fund," a spokesperson from Hurd's office said in an email correspondence.
Ultimately, agencies and the federal government will be empowered to rid themselves of legacy IT systems, which account for 80 percent of the $80 billion U.S. IT budget, the spokesperson said. Eliminating legacy systems will free up dollars for government to invest in new technology and modernize its systems.
