Reps. Robin Kelly, D-Ill., and Will Hurd, R-Texas, reintroduced a bill that would alter the chain of command for the federal chief information officer and make both that position, along with the federal CISO, to be filled by presidential appointment.
The job changes were suggested in the Federal CIO Authorization Act of 2018, which was originally introduced by Hurd and Kelly, and was passed by the House of Representatives in November, but not acted upon by the Senate before its session ended at the end of the year. The federal CIO oversees the digital infrastructure across the federal government.
If passed the federal CIO would report directly to the director of the Office of Management and Budget, currently the position reports to the deputy director. In addition, to becoming presidential appointed position the federal CISO would report directly to the federal CIO.
Other changes would have the federal CIO submit a proposal for streamlining IT across and renaming the Office of E-Government as the Office of the Federal Chief Information Officer (CIO).
“This bill helps keep the vast information stored by the federal government secure from hackers by making clear that the Federal CIO is in charge of the security of our data across the government. I am proud to introduce this bill with my friend Rep. Robin Kelly so we can continue to work toward finally catching our federal government up with the 21st century,” Hurd said.
