E-Government Act of 2002

As the federal government began to offer more services via the internet, more policies were needed to manage the new systems being created. The E-Government Act of 2002 (E-Gov Act) followed up on Clinger-Cohen to create new requirements around these systems, and began to codify the roles of the Chief Information Officer (CIO). It would be further expanded by The Federal Information Technology Acquisition Reform Act (FITARA)

Office of Electronic Government

One of the biggest changes in the E-Gov Act was the creation of the Office of Electronic Government, or E-Gov Office, within The Office of Management and Budget (OMB). Though it is still occasionally referred to by this title, but more commonly these days it is referred to as The Office of the Federal Chief Information Officer (OFCIO). The law also created an Administrator for this office, now generally referred to as the Federal Chief Information Officer (FCIO).

This office has responsibility for creating almost all of the information technology policy for the federal government; however it generally is required to consult with The Office of Information and Regulatory Affairs (OIRA) on all policy matters.

This law also created The Chief Information Officers Council (CIOC), with the FCIO as the chair. This council has representatives from all of the CFO Act Agencies, which work together to drive a variety of government-wide initiatives. There is a separate council for the small agencies, but it is not established by this law.

Information Technology Exchange Program

The E-Gov Act created an education program to allow federal staff to temporarily work form (or “detail to”) private sector companies and vice-versa. This was codified by The Office of Personnel Management (OPM) in 5 CFR Part 370. This authority expired in 2007, and in this time agencies were largely unsuccessful in using this authority. The Government Accountability Office (GAO) cited lack of staff with relevant skills, as well as concerns for ethics violations and potential anti-competitive advantages to participating businesses.

Federal Information Security Management Act of 2002 (FISMA)

The Federal Information Security Management Act of 2002 was passed as part of the E-Gov Act. This law set the foundation for cybersecurity practices across the federal government. See the main FISMA article for more details.

Confidential Information Protection and Statistical Efficiency Act of 2002 (CIPSEA)

The Confidential Information Protection and Statistical Efficiency Act of 2002 (CIPSEA) sets requirements on statistical agencies with regard to the confidential handling of data collected for statistical purposes. This is intended to add confidentiality requirements to things like census data. It does, however, allow for some data sharing between the Census Bureau, the Bureau of Labor Statistics, and the Bureau of Economic Analysis. This law was extended to include additional protections as part of the Evidence-Based Policymaking Act.