By unanimous consent, the U.S. Senate passed the E-Government Act of 2002 (S. 803) June 27.
The American Library Association’s Washington Office notes that the legislation contains a number of changes from the version introduced by Sen. Joseph Lieberman (D-Ct.) in May 2001, some of which were proposed by ALA, the American Association of Law Libraries, and the Association of Research Libraries.
According to the Washington Office, “The legislation creates a number of new opportunities for the public, libraries, and others concerned with information access to participate in the legislative and governmental processes. The bill also contains important provisions regarding the privacy implications of government information systems, digital divide concerns, and community technology centers.” It calls for the U.S. government to establish a federal Chief Information Officer (CIO) and an advisory council to maximize government effectiveness in using information technology.
A companion measure, H.R. 2458, was introduced in the House by Rep. Jim Turner (D-Tex.) last year.
Posted July 22, 2002.