The story so far

Here's a list of several more provisions in the E-Government Act of 2002 and the progress made so far, according to Office of Management and Budget officials:

* An Interagency Committee on Government Information has been formed, including a small steering committee with officials from OMB, National Archives and Records Administration and General Services Administration, and a larger committee with of a number of agencies and various subcommittees (Sec. 207).

Status: The committee's co-chairwoman is Commerce Department's acting deputy chief information officer Karen Hogan, and the committee recently had its first meeting, OMB officials said.

* The Office of Personnel Management should lead efforts to analyze the government's information technology workforce needs and available training (Sec. 209).

Status: OPM officials were expected to submit a report to Congress by Jan. 1, 2003, on the state of IT training programs. Although OPM officials have been working through the CIO Council on developing information for a report, no report has been issued. The work is ongoing.

* GSA should establish a framework for interoperability among agencies when using electronic signatures.

Result: A final form of e-authentication guidance is expected soon to establish the policy that defines the standards as agencies develop their e-authentication solutions (Sec.203).

* A public government Web site should include all information about that agency required to be published in the Federal Register. This includes information that gives users the basic background of an agency so they can comment on rule. It puts the rule in context, so people can use Regualtions.gov, a portal for posting and commenting on rules (Sec. 206).

Result: Agencies continue to consult with OMB as part of the Regulations.gov initiative to make sure they are giving the appropriate information for public comment on rules.

* Agencies should conduct privacy impact assessments of what identifiable information is collected, how the agency uses that information and how the information will be protected (Sec. 208).

Result: OMB released guidance for these provisions in late September, and agencies are expected to submit annual reports on their compliance to the privacy rules Dec. 15.

* The act expands agencies' authority to use share-in savings contracts, in which contractors get paid from a share of the savings their products provide (Sec. 210).

Result: Showing signs of progress in the area, the GSA plans to launch a formal outreach program for agencies in January.

* The Federal Emergency Management Agency, now part of the Homeland Security Department, should work with OMB to ensure that a study is conducted on the use of technology in crisis preparedness, response and consequence management (Sec. 214).

Result: Work on the study has started and has been integrated into two e-government initiatives are involved in this area: Disaster management and Safecom. Those two initiatives are the basis of the study, and officials are on track to deliver a report to Congress in two years.