Davis steps in for Horn

Rep. Tom Davis (R-Va.) — whose congressional district has witnessed a booming high-tech economy — was named Wednesday to head a subcommittee with oversight over the government's computer modernization programs and other high-tech issues.

"His knowledge of federal issues makes him an ideal chairman," said Olga Grkavac, executive vice president of the Enterprise Solutions Division of the Information Technology Association of America, a trade group that represents hundreds of IT companies.

The Government Reform Committee's Government Management, Information and Technology Subcommittee, headed by Rep. Stephen Horn (R-Calif.) in the 106th Congress, was broken into two subcommittees. Davis will head the Technology and Procurement Policy Subcommittee, and Horn will head the Government Efficiency, Financial Management and Intergovernmental Relations Subcommittee.

Although the shuffle over the chairmanships of congressional committees is not yet over, two other lawmakers were named to lead subcommittees with interests in technology.

* Rep. Steve Buyer (R-Ind.), a Persian Gulf War veteran and a graduate of the Citadel, will become chairman of the House Veterans Affairs Committee's Oversight and Investigations Subcommittee. That panel has blown the whistle on many flaws in the VA's computer security systems, among other issues.

* Rep. J.D. Hayworth (R-Ariz.) will head the Veterans Affairs Committee's Benefits Subcommittee, which has oversight of the delivery of benefits to veterans, using information systems to get the job done.