OMB: 2004 was a good year for e-gov

The Office of Management and Budget is studying how to effectively use technology to enhance crisis management.In a report due Sept. 30, OMB will look at R&D opportunities and how to speed conversion of prototype technology to operational systems.Under the E-Government Act of 2002, OMB must conduct the study and a host of other tasks, ranging from work on establishing privacy policies to setting IT workforce development plans. The administration earlier this month detailed the government’s accomplishments in its annual report to Congress about implementing the E-Gov Act.In the report, OMB outlined 12 accomplishments from last year, including raising the security of IT systems, expanding the FirstGov portal and increasing agencies’ use of enterprise architectures to improve IT investments.The administration will issue policies by December for adopting standards for categorizing and indexing government information and, along with the National Archives and Records Administration, will issue an electronic records management policy.To read the full E-Gov Act report, go to and enter 393 in the Quickfind box.