Rep. Steny Hoyer (D-M.D.) has unveiled details of a bill that seeks to help update the technology systems used in government process in a move to build up federal agencies’ cybersecurity postures.
Steny wrote in an opinion piece for Mercury News published Tuesday the Information Technology Modernization Act aims to invest in technology modernization efforts in order to protect private information of the U.S. citizens.
The bill would pump $3 billion in upfront investment into an IT Modernization Fund and an independent review board will award agencies grants to implement wholesale system updates.
That board will base the grants on how the modernization effort will affect the intended service and will require agencies to adopt Silicon Valley-like practices for shared services, cloud hosting and agile development, according to Hoyer.
“In such a way, just $3 billion invested today could sustain at least $12 billion worth of upgrades by 2026 — and continue supporting modernization in perpetuity,†Hoyer wrote.
