Udall and Moran's Bipartisan MGT Act Clears the Senate in FY18 National Defense Authorization Act

Category: Non-Local News Releases Non-Local News Releases
Published: 19 September 2017 19 September 2017

WASHINGTON – Monday, U.S. Senators Tom Udall (D-N.M.) and Jerry Moran (R-Kan.) applauded the inclusion of their Modernizing Government Technology (MGT) Act as part of the final National Defense Authorization Act (NDAA) for fiscal year 2018 (FY18). Their bipartisan legislation was introduced as an amendment (#1006) to the FY18 NDAA to modernize government information technology (IT), eliminate wasteful spending and strengthen cybersecurity.

"The MGT Act is a perfect example of what we can accomplish when we seek common-sense solutions in a bipartisan way," Udall said. "This major legislation to modernize the federal government's grossly outdated IT systems will strengthen our national security and save taxpayers millions. The federal government currently spends over $80 billion on IT, but 75 percent of that money goes to maintaining old and out of date legacy systems. With the MGT Act's flexible funding options, we can break that cycle andbring the federal government into the modern era — tackling dangerous cyber vulnerabilities and protecting the American people from increasingly severe cyberattacks, and empowering agencies to move forward with long-overdue projects to streamline how the federal government operates. I thank Senator Moran and my colleagues on both sides of the aisle in the House and the Senate for their tireless work to ensure the government is getting better service at a better value for the American people."

"In light of the numerous data security issues that continue to threaten our federal government and American businesses, I'm pleased the Senate acted to prioritize the modernization of our alarmingly outdated federal IT systems," Moran said. "The MGT Act is a critical step toward bringing our federal IT systems into the 21st century. The improved efficiencies included in the legislation will strengthen our cybersecurity capabilities and reduce long-term wasteful spending. Thank you to Sen. Udall, Sen. Daines and Sen. Warner for their continued support of this bipartisan legislation; I also appreciate the diligence and support of the Senate Committees on Armed Services, Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs and Appropriations."

Items to Note:

  • In April, Udall and Moran – both members of the Senate Commerce and Appropriations Committees – introduced the Modernizing Government Technology (MGT) Act (S. 990/H.R. 2227) with the support of their colleagues Sen. Steve Daines (R-Mont.) and Sen. Mark Warner (D-Va.). U.S. Reps. Will Hurd (R-Texas) and Gerry Connolly (D-Va.) – chairman and member, respectively, of the House Subcommittee on Information Technology – introduced the House companion legislation.
  • The MGT Act would establish IT working capital funds at 24 federal government agencies and allow them to use savings obtained through streamlining IT systems, replacing legacy products and transitioning to cloud computing for up to three years for further modernization efforts. The bill also sets up a separate centralized modernization fund within the Department of the Treasury for the head of the General Services Administration (GSA) to administer across the federal government in consultation with a federal IT expert board.
  • The bill is supported by a number of IT industry stakeholders and trade associations including the U.S. Chamber of Commerce, the IT Alliance for the Public Sector (ITAPS), Professional Services Council (PSC), TechNet, Amazon Web Service, Cisco, Adobe, BMC, Brocade, Intel, Microsoft, Business Roundtable, CA Technologies, Compuware, CSRA, Level 3, Unisys and others.

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