Bush asks for $5M for e-gov fund

The proposed fiscal 2008 budget requests $5 million for the E-Government Fund and again proposes the use of surplus Acquisition Services Fund (ASF) money to help pay for the initiatives, according to the budget, which was released today.The General Services Administration, which largely institutes the e-government initiatives, wants its administrator to retain as much as $40 million in surplus funds in any fiscal year generated by the operation of the ASF for the initiatives, the budget states.The Bush administration also requested $5 million for e-government initiatives in fiscal 2007. The House decreased the fund to $3 million. The Senate would have raised the spending ceiling again to $5 million, but it did not pass the appropriations bill. The fund is now operating under a continuing resolution.GSA’s chief financial officer, Kathleen Turco, said the E-Government Fund is breaking even.The proposal to use money in the ASF for e-government requires legislative action before the GSA administrator can draw from it, according to the budget. No such law has been passed.E-government funding supports interagency projects that develop and apply innovative uses of the Internet and other electronic technologies to offer simpler and updated access to federal information, benefits and business opportunities, according to the proposal.