Chairwoman Nancy Mace of the Subcommittee on Cybersecurity, Information Technology, and Government Innovation praised the passing of the Modernizing Government Technology Reform Act (H.R. 5527), a bill she co-introduced with Rep. Gerry Connolly. The Act aims to enhance transparency and accountability in federal IT system management by reinforcing the original purpose of the Technology Modernization Fund (TMF) as a revolving fund to support the upgrade or replacement of outdated IT systems that are inefficient and susceptible to cyber threats.
Chairwoman Mace highlighted that the MGT Reform Act will secure the financial sustainability of the TMF by ensuring full reimbursement of project costs. It will also establish an inventory of federal legacy IT systems to guide the fund’s focus on its core mission. The Act seeks to guarantee that the TMF operates in alignment with its initial congressional vision and effectively supports the modernization of legacy IT systems across federal agencies.
The Modernizing Government Technology Act will overhaul and reauthorize the TMF and its overseeing body, the Technology Modernization Board. These entities were initially established through the Modernizing Government Technology Act of 2017 to drive IT modernization within federal agencies. The new bill implements various measures to enhance TMF management and mandate that agencies reimburse project costs adequately. It also introduces a requirement for agencies to repay administrative fees associated with TMF projects.
Additionally, the Act introduces a Federal Legacy IT Inventory, a monitoring tool that allows Congress to assess agency and government-wide priorities for legacy IT modernization. It also evaluates how effectively the TMF is allocating funds for these initiatives. The bill reauthorizes the TMF and Technology Modernization Board while establishing a sunset provision in December 2031 to ensure ongoing oversight and accountability.