[Congressional Record Volume 162, Number 144 (Thursday, September 22, 2016)]
[House]
[Pages H5830-H5833]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




             MODERNIZING GOVERNMENT TECHNOLOGY ACT OF 2016

  Mr. HURD of Texas. Mr. Speaker, I move to suspend the rules and pass 
the bill (H.R. 6004) to modernize Government information technology, 
and for other purposes, as amended.
  The Clerk read the title of the bill.
  The text of the bill is as follows:

                               H.R. 6004

       Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representatives of 
     the United States of America in Congress assembled,

     SECTION 1. SHORT TITLE.

       This Act may be cited as the ``Modernizing Government 
     Technology Act of 2016'' or the ``MGT Act''.

     SEC. 2. FINDINGS; PURPOSES.

       (a) Findings.--The Congress finds the following:
       (1) The Federal Government spends nearly 75 percent of its 
     annual information technology funding on operating and 
     maintaining existing, legacy information technology systems. 
     These systems can pose operational risks, including rising 
     costs and inability to meet mission requirements. These 
     systems also pose security risks, including the inability to 
     use current security best practices, such as data encryption 
     and multi-factor authentication, making these systems 
     particularly vulnerable to malicious cyber activity.
       (2) In 2015, the Government Accountability Office (GAO) 
     designated Improving the Management of IT Acquisitions and 
     Operations to its biannual High Risk List and identified as a 
     particular concern the increasing level of information 
     technology spending on Operations and Maintenance making less 
     funding available for development or modernization. The GAO 
     also found the Government has spent billions on failed and 
     poorly performing IT investments due to a lack of effective 
     oversight.
       (3) The Federal Government must modernize Federal IT 
     systems to mitigate existing operational and security risks.
       (4) The efficiencies, cost savings, and greater computing 
     power, offered by modernized solutions, such as cloud 
     computing, have the potential to--
       (A) eliminate inappropriate duplication and reduce costs;
       (B) address the critical need for cyber security by design; 
     and
       (C) move the Federal Government into a broad, digital-
     services delivery model that will transform the Federal 
     Government's ability to meet mission requirements and deliver 
     services to the American people.
       (b) Purposes.--The purposes of this Act are the following:
       (1) Assist the Federal Government in modernized Federal 
     information technology to mitigate current operational and 
     security risks.
       (2) Incentivize cost savings in Federal information 
     technology through modernization.
       (3) Accelerate the acquisition and deployment of modernized 
     information technology solutions, such as cloud computing, by 
     addressing impediments in the areas of funding, development, 
     and acquisition practices.

     SEC. 3. ESTABLISHMENT OF AGENCY INFORMATION TECHNOLOGY 
                   SYSTEMS MODERNIZATION AND WORKING CAPITAL 
                   FUNDS.

       (a) Information Technology System Modernization and Working 
     Capital Funds.--
       (1) Establishment.--There is established in each covered 
     agency an information technology system modernization and 
     working capital fund (in this section referred to as the ``IT 
     working capital fund'') for necessary expenses for the agency 
     described in paragraph (3).
       (2) Source of funds.--Amounts may be deposited into an IT 
     working capital fund as follows:
       (A) Reprogramming of funds, including reprogramming of any 
     funds available on the date of the enactment of this Act for 
     the operation and maintenance of legacy information 
     technology systems, in compliance with any applicable 
     reprogramming law or guidelines of the Committees on 
     Appropriations of the House of Representatives and the 
     Senate.
       (B) Transfer of funds, including transfer of any funds 
     available on the date of the enactment of this Act for the 
     operation and maintenance of legacy information technology 
     systems, but only if transfer authority is specifically 
     provided for by law.
       (C) Amounts made available through discretionary 
     appropriations.
       (3) Use of funds.--An IT working capital fund established 
     under paragraph (1) may be used, subject to the availability 
     of appropriations, only for the following:
       (A) To improve, retire, or replace existing information 
     technology systems to improve efficiency and effectiveness.
       (B) To transition to cloud computing and innovative 
     platforms and technologies.
       (C) To assist and support covered agency efforts to provide 
     adequate, risk-based, and cost-effective information 
     technology capabilities that address evolving threats to 
     information security.
       (D) Reimbursement of funds transferred from the Information 
     Technology Modernization Fund established under section 4, 
     with the approval of the agency Chief Information Officer.
       (4) Existing funds.--An IT working capital fund may not be 
     used to supplant funds provided for the operation and 
     maintenance of any system already within an appropriation for 
     the covered agency at the time of establishment of the IT 
     working capital fund.
       (5) Reprogramming and transfer of funds.--The head of each 
     covered agency shall prioritize funds within the IT working 
     capital fund to be used initially for cost savings activities 
     approved by the covered agency Chief Information Officer, in 
     consultation with the Administrator of the Office of 
     Electronic Government. The head of each covered agency may--
       (A) reprogram any amounts saved as a direct result of such 
     activities for deposit into the applicable IT working capital 
     fund, consistent with paragraph (2)(A); and
       (B) transfer any amounts saved as a direct result of such 
     activities for deposit into the applicable IT working capital 
     fund, consistent with paragraph (2)(B).
       (6) Return of funds.--Any funds deposited into an IT 
     working capital fund shall be available for obligation for 3 
     years after the date of such deposit.
       (7) Agency cio responsibilities.--In evaluating projects to 
     be funded from the IT working capital fund, the covered 
     agency Chief Information Officer shall consider, to the 
     extent applicable, guidance established pursuant to section 
     4(a)(1) to evaluate applications for funding from the 
     Information Technology Modernization Fund that include 
     factors such as a strong business case, technical design, 
     procurement strategy (including adequate use of incremental 
     software development practices), and program management.
       (b) Reporting Requirement.--
       (1) In general.--Not later than one year after the date of 
     the enactment of this Act, and every 6 months thereafter, the 
     head of each covered agency shall submit to the Director the 
     following, with respect to the IT working capital fund for 
     that covered agency:
       (A) A list of each information technology investment funded 
     with estimated cost and completion date for each such 
     investment.
       (B) A summary by fiscal year of the obligations, 
     expenditures, and unused balances.
       (2) Public availability.--The Director shall make the 
     information required pursuant to paragraph (1) publicly 
     available on a website.
       (c) Covered Agency Defined.--In this section, the term 
     ``covered agency'' means each agency listed in section 901(b) 
     of title 31, United States Code.

     SEC. 4. ESTABLISHMENT OF INFORMATION TECHNOLOGY MODERNIZATION 
                   FUND AND BOARD.

       (a) Information Technology Modernization Fund.--
       (1) Establishment.--There is established in the Treasury an 
     Information Technology Modernization Fund (in this section 
     referred to as the ``Fund'') for technology related 
     activities, to improve information technology, to enhance 
     cybersecurity across the Federal Government, and to be 
     administered in accordance with guidance established by the 
     Director of the Office of Management of Budget.
       (2) Administration of fund.--The Administrator of General 
     Services, in consultation with the Chief Information Officers 
     Council and with the concurrence of the Director, shall 
     administer the Fund in accordance with this subsection.
       (3) Use of funds.--The Administrator of General Services 
     shall, in accordance with the recommendations of the 
     Information Technology Modernization Board established under 
     subsection (b), use amounts in the Fund for the following 
     purposes:
       (A) To transfer such amounts, to remain available until 
     expended, to the head of an agency to improve, retire, or 
     replace existing information technology systems to enhance 
     cybersecurity and improve efficiency and effectiveness.
       (B) For the development, operation, and procurement of 
     information technology products, services, and acquisition 
     vehicles for use by agencies to improve Governmentwide 
     efficiency and cybersecurity in accordance with the 
     requirements of the agencies.

[[Page H5831]]

       (C) To provide services or work performed in support of the 
     activities described under subparagraph (A) or (B).
       (4) Credits; availability of funds.--
       (A) Credits.--In addition to any funds otherwise 
     appropriated, the Fund shall be credited with all 
     reimbursements, advances, or refunds or recoveries relating 
     to information technology or services provided through the 
     Fund.
       (B) Availability of funds.--Amounts deposited, credited, or 
     otherwise made available to the Fund shall be available, as 
     provided in appropriations Acts, until expended for the 
     purposes described in paragraph (3).
       (5) Reimbursement.--
       (A) Payment by agency.--For a product or service developed 
     under paragraph (3), the head of an agency that uses such 
     product or service shall pay an amount fixed by the 
     Administrator of General Services in accordance with this 
     subsection.
       (B) Reimbursement by agency.--The head of an agency shall 
     reimburse the Fund for any transfer made under paragraph 
     (3)(A) in accordance with the terms established in the 
     written agreement described in paragraph (6). Notwithstanding 
     any other provision of law, an agency may make a 
     reimbursement required by this subparagraph from any 
     appropriation available for information technology 
     activities. An obligation to make a payment under an 
     agreement described in paragraph (6) in a future fiscal year 
     shall be recorded pursuant to section 1501 of title 31, 
     United States Code, in the fiscal year in which the payment 
     is due.
       (C) Prices fixed by administrator of general services.--The 
     Administrator of General Services, in consultation with the 
     Director, shall establish amounts to be paid by an agency and 
     terms of repayment for use of a product or service developed 
     under paragraph (3) at levels sufficient to ensure the 
     solvency of the Fund, including operating expenses. Before 
     making any changes to the established amounts and terms of 
     repayment, the Administrator of General Services shall 
     conduct a review and obtain approval from the Director.
       (D) Failure to make timely reimbursement.--The 
     Administrator of General Services may obtain reimbursement by 
     the issuance of transfer and counterwarrants, or other lawful 
     transfer documents, supported by itemized bills, if payment 
     is not made by an agency--
       (i) within 90 days after the expiration of a repayment 
     period described in the written agreement described in 
     paragraph (6)(A); or
       (ii) within 45 days after the expiration of the time period 
     to make a payment under a payment schedule for a product or 
     service developed under paragraph (3).
       (6) Written agreement.--
       (A) In general.--Before the transfer of funds to an agency 
     under paragraph (3)(A), the Administrator of General Services 
     (in consultation with the Director) and the head of the 
     requisitioning agency shall enter into a written agreement 
     documenting the purpose for which the funds will be used and 
     the terms of repayment. An agreement made pursuant to this 
     subparagraph shall be recorded as an obligation as provided 
     in paragraph (5)(B).
       (B) Requirement for use of incremental development 
     practices.--For any funds transferred to an agency under 
     paragraph (3)(A), in the absence of compelling circumstances 
     documented by the Administrator of General Services at the 
     time of transfer, such funds shall be transferred only on an 
     incremental basis, tied to metric-based development 
     milestones achieved by the agency, to be described in the 
     written agreement required pursuant to subparagraph (A).
       (7) Reporting requirement.--Not later than 6 months after 
     the date of the enactment of this Act, the Director shall 
     publish and maintain a list of each project funded by the 
     Fund on a public website to be updated not less than 
     quarterly, that includes a description of the project, 
     project status (including any schedule delay and cost 
     overruns), and financial expenditure data related to the 
     project.
       (b) Information Technology Modernization Board.--
       (1) Establishment.--There is established an Information 
     Technology Modernization Board (in this section referred to 
     as the ``Board'') which shall evaluate proposals submitted by 
     agencies for funding authorized under the Fund.
       (2) Responsibilities.--The responsibilities of the Board 
     are the following:
       (A) Provide input to the Director for the development of 
     processes for agencies to submit modernization proposals to 
     the Board and to establish the criteria by which such 
     proposals are evaluated, which shall include addressing the 
     greatest security and operational risks, having the greatest 
     Governmentwide impact, and having a high probability of 
     success based on factors such as a strong business case, 
     technical design, procurement strategy (including adequate 
     use of incremental software development practices), and 
     program management.
       (B) Make recommendations to the Administrator of General 
     Services to assist agencies in the further development and 
     refinement of select submitted modernization proposals, based 
     on an initial evaluation performed with the assistance of the 
     Administrator of General Services.
       (C) review and prioritize, with the assistance of the 
     Administrator of General Services and the Director, 
     modernization proposals based on criteria established 
     pursuant to subparagraph (A).
       (D) Identify, with the assistance of the Administrator of 
     General Services, opportunities to improve or replace 
     multiple information technology systems with a smaller number 
     of information technology systems common to multiple 
     agencies.
       (E) Recommend the funding of modernization projects, in 
     accordance with the uses described in subsection (a)(3), to 
     the Administrator of General Services.
       (F) Monitor, in consultation with the Administrator of 
     General Services, progress and performance in executing 
     approved projects and, if necessary, recommend the suspension 
     or termination of funding for projects based on factors such 
     as failure to meet the terms of the written agreement 
     described in subsection (a)(6).
       (G) Monitor operating costs of the Fund.
       (3) Membership.--The Board shall consist of 8 voting 
     members.
       (4) Chair.--The Chair of the Board shall be the 
     Administrator of the Office of Electronic Government.
       (5) Permanent members.--The permanent members of the Board 
     shall be the following:
       (A) The Administrator of the Office of Electronic 
     Government.
       (B) A senior official from the General Services 
     Administration, who shall be appointed by the Administrator 
     of General Services.
       (6) Additional members of the board.--
       (A) Appointment.--The other members of the Board shall be 
     appointed as follows:
       (i) One employee of the National Institute of Standards and 
     Technology of the Department of Commerce, appointed by the 
     Secretary of Commerce.
       (ii) One employee of the National Protection and Programs 
     Directorate of the Department of Homeland Security, appointed 
     by the Secretary of Homeland Security.
       (iii) One employee of the Department of Defense, appointed 
     by the Secretary of Defense.
       (iv) Three Federal employees primarily having technical 
     expertise in information technology development, financial 
     management, cybersecurity and privacy, and acquisition, 
     appointed by the Director.
       (B) Term.--Each member of the Board described in paragraph 
     (A) shall serve a term of one year, which shall be renewable 
     up to three times, at the discretion of the appointing 
     Secretary or Director, as applicable.
       (7) Prohibition on compensation.--Members of the Board may 
     not receive additional pay, allowances, or benefits by reason 
     of their service on the Board.
       (8) Staff.--Upon request of the Chair of the Board, the 
     Director and the Administrator of General Services may 
     detail, on a nonreimbursable basis, any of the personnel of 
     the Office of Management and Budget or the General Services 
     Administration (as the case may be) to the Board to assist it 
     in carrying out its functions under this Act.
       (c) Responsibilities of the Administrator of General 
     Services.--
       (1) In general.--In addition to the responsibilities 
     described in subsection (a), the Administrator of General 
     Services shall support the activities of the Board and 
     provide technical support to, and, with the concurrence of 
     the Director, oversight of, agencies that receive transfers 
     from the Fund.
       (2) Responsibilities.--The responsibilities of the 
     Administrator of General Services are to--
       (A) provide direct technical support in the form of 
     personnel services or otherwise to agencies transferred 
     amounts under subsection (a)(3)(A) and for products, 
     services, and acquisition vehicles funded under subsection 
     (a)(3)(B);
       (B) assist the Board with the evaluation, prioritization, 
     and development of agency modernization proposals;
       (C) perform regular project oversight and monitoring of 
     approved agency modernization projects, in consultation with 
     the Board and the Director, to increase the likelihood of 
     successful implementation and reduce waste; and
       (D) provide the Director with information necessary to meet 
     the requirements of subsection (a)(7).
       (d) Agency Defined.--In this section, the term ``agency'' 
     has the meaning given that term in section 551 of title 5, 
     United States Code.

     SEC. 5. DEFINITIONS.

       In this Act:
       (1) Cloud computing.--The term ``cloud computing'' has the 
     meaning given that term by the National Institute of 
     Standards and Technology in NIST Special Publication 800-145 
     and any amendatory or superseding document thereto.
       (2) Director.--The term ``Director'' means the Director of 
     the Office of Management and Budget.
       (3) Information technology.--The term ``information 
     technology'' has the meaning given that term in section 3502 
     of title 44, United States Code.
       (4) Legacy information technology system.--The term 
     ``legacy information technology system'' means an outdated or 
     obsolete system of information technology.

  The SPEAKER pro tempore. Pursuant to the rule, the gentleman from 
Texas (Mr. Hurd) and the gentleman from Virginia (Mr. Connolly) each 
will control 20 minutes.
  The Chair recognizes the gentleman from Texas.

[[Page H5832]]

  



                             General Leave

  Mr. HURD of Texas. Mr. Speaker, I ask unanimous consent that all 
Members may have 5 legislative days in which to revise and extend their 
remarks and include extraneous material on the bill under 
consideration.
  The SPEAKER pro tempore. Is there objection to the request of the 
gentleman from Texas?
  There was no objection.
  Mr. HURD of Texas. Mr. Speaker, I yield myself such time as I may 
consume.
  Mr. Speaker, I rise today in support of my bill, H.R. 6004, the 
Modernizing Government Technology Act of 2016. At the beginning of this 
month, we released an extensive report detailing how the Office of 
Personnel Management allowed the sensitive and personal information of 
over 22 million Americans to be stolen, thereby jeopardizing our 
national security for more than a generation of people.
  The yearlong investigation produced many findings, including the 
identification of a pressing need for Federal agencies to modernize 
legacy IT in order to mitigate the cybersecurity threat inherent in 
unsupported end-of-life IT systems and application. We had too many old 
things on our network. In other words, a reliance on legacy IT can 
result in security vulnerabilities where old software or operating 
systems are no longer supported by vendors, and aging IT infrastructure 
becomes difficult and expensive to secure.
  We saw this firsthand with the OPM data breach where sensitive 
information was stored on technology so old it was difficult, and in 
some cases impossible, to implement security best practices like data 
encryption.
  OPM is not alone. It is common throughout the Federal Government for 
agencies to struggle with legacy IT. For example, the Department of 
Labor had to buy spare parts on eBay because they were no longer 
available from the original vendor. Consider another example that our 
committee learned about during a hearing that highlighted a GAO report 
on legacy IT.
  We learned DOD's Strategic Automated Command and Control System is 50 
years ago old and runs on a 1970s IBM Series One computer that uses an 
8-inch floppy disk. By comparison, it would take 3.2 million floppy 
disks to equal the memory of one flash drive.
  Numerous other agencies still use Windows 3.0, which was last 
supported by the vendor in 2001; Windows NT, which last supported in 
2004; and Windows 95, which was last supported by the vendor in 2001. 
The recently issued OPM report demonstrates the security risk of such 
legacy IT and recommends Congress consider new tools to incentivize the 
transition from legacy to modernized IT solutions across the Federal 
Government.
  I am happy to say this bipartisan bill follows up on that 
recommendation. The MGT Act builds on bills introduced by myself and 
Minority Whip Steny Hoyer and ideas from Federal CIO Tony Scott based 
on his experience in the private sector.
  Mr. Speaker, the MGT Act is a key first step in beginning to 
modernize the Federal Government's outdated and insecure IT 
infrastructure. I urge my colleagues to support H.R. 6004.
  I would like to thank a number of folks that worked hard for the past 
few months to bring the best ideas forward in this one bill. I want to 
thank Chairman Chaffetz and Ranking Member Cummings for their 
leadership on this issue. I want to thank my colleague, Mr. Connolly, 
who was the lead Democratic cosponsor.
  As I said before, key portions of Mr. Hoyer's bill on the ITMF 
legislation were included into the MGT Act. Of course, I would like to 
thank my dear friend and ranking member of my subcommittee, Ms. Robin 
Kelly of Illinois, along with Mr. Ted Lieu of California, and 
especially Majority Leader Kevin McCarthy. His Innovation Initiative is 
a key reason that we are able to talk about this significant piece of 
legislation today.
  Again, I would like to urge my colleagues to support H.R. 6004.
  Mr. Speaker, I reserve the balance of my time.
  Mr. CONNOLLY. Mr. Speaker, I yield myself such time as I may consume.
  Mr. Speaker, I rise in support of H.R. 6004, the Modernizing 
Government Technology Act of 2016.
  Let me also thank my good friend and coauthor of this bill, Mr. Hurd 
of Texas, for his leadership in shepherding this bill through our 
committee and now on to the floor. Sometimes, deservedly, Congress gets 
dinged on for not being able to get anything done. But the fact of the 
matter is that, below the surface, lots of things can and do get done 
with leadership, collaboration, and partnership. Mr. Hurd of Texas 
epitomizes that, and my hat is off to him for his contribution on this 
whole front of IT modernization and helping to bring the Federal 
Government into the 21st century when it comes to the use of 
technology.
  Every day Federal agencies endure cyber attacks that have the 
potential to cause incalculable damage to national security and the 
privacy of all Americans. While the Federal Government does its best to 
protect our critical computer networks, our efforts are often stymied 
by the outdated legacy information technologies in Federal agencies. 
Agencies spend nearly 75 percent of their IT budgets simply trying to 
maintain these outdated systems. Let me repeat that: in an $82 billion 
program for IT acquisition procurement and management, 75 percent of 
that budget is not spent in updating the Federal Government in cutting-
edge technologies. It is spent maintaining what we have got, and in 
some cases, those legacy systems go back 40 and 50 years.
  I am proud to lead the Modernizing Government Technology Act of 2016 
with Mr. Hurd of Texas to help our cyber defenders protect our most 
important digital resources. When you are dealing with outmoded 
technology, legacy systems oftentimes can't be protected. They can't be 
encrypted, and that makes them terribly vulnerable--low hanging fruit 
to those who would do harm to our country and would compromise the data 
of millions of Americans.
  This bill in front of us marries the IT Modernization Act and the 
MOVE IT Act by establishing a clear role for both of these pieces of 
legislation in this improvement process for Federal IT systems.
  The MGT Act lays the foundation for the future of IT modernization 
funding in the Federal Government. This bipartisan legislation will 
provide a mechanism for agencies to get ahead of the curve and help 
reduce the fiscal challenges facing every agency chief information 
officer, or CIO. The MGT Act will authorize a significant upfront 
investment to retire those vulnerable large-scale legacy systems 
affecting multiple agencies.
  Under the guidance of an Information Technology Modernization Board, 
agencies will be able now to request funds to facilitate those 
modernization efforts--something that would absolutely be the practice 
in the private sector, as I know my friend, Mr. Hurd of Texas, knows. 
If approved, those funds will be repaid through savings realized by the 
implementation of the more modern IT systems. The bill places an 
emphasis on following the practice of private industry and moving 
toward cloud computing solutions.
  The MGT Act will allow agencies to invest savings generated through 
the Federal Information Technology Acquisition Reform Act, or FITARA 
for short, and other reforms to make investments in cloud transition.
  I was delighted to be a coauthor of the FITARA Act along with Darrell 
Issa of California.
  The MGT Act will establish working capital funds that will allow 
those agencies to use savings from new, secure systems and to reinvest 
in themselves, including in the movement toward the cloud. This creates 
incentives for agencies to find those savings and reinvest internally 
in themselves, creating a virtuous cycle.
  The Modernizing Government Technology Act is supported by industry 
experts and incorporates the same sort of mechanisms the private sector 
often uses to secure its networks.
  It is important for agencies to know that Congress not only expects 
agencies to implement robust, modern cyber safeguards, but that it is 
here to help them confront these challenges. This reform has the 
potential to significantly speed up the Federal Government's move to 
the 21st century technologies.
  Mr. Speaker, I reserve the balance of my time.

[[Page H5833]]

  

  Mr. HURD of Texas. Mr. Speaker, I yield myself such time as I may 
consume.
  As the distinguished gentleman from Virginia (Mr. Connolly), my 
friend, pointed out, the GAO has identified that millions of taxpayer 
dollars can be saved through consolidating data centers and modernizing 
IT systems.

                              {time}  1415

  To date, agencies have closed over 3,000 data centers out of over 
10,000, resulting in a savings of $2.8 billion.
  This bill authorizes agency-level working capital funds, as well as a 
centralized IT modernization fund within Treasury and overseen by OMB. 
These funds will accelerate our transition to modernize IT systems and 
will save American taxpayers millions of dollars. In other words, 
welcome to the 21st century, Federal Government. It is about time you 
got here.
  The Modernizing Government Technology Act does not appropriate any 
new money, but, instead, builds on the successes of FITARA, which Mr. 
Connolly was instrumental in making happen. It also invests savings in 
retiring these data systems and accelerating our transition to the 
cloud.
  Folks recognize that sometimes up here in Washington, D.C., it can be 
a circus, but there are times when folks working together can actually 
solve major problems. This is one example of being in a partisan part 
of our election cycle where people working together can solve a big 
problem and do it to make sure that we are using American taxpayer 
dollars wisely and eventually, hopefully, making sure they keep some of 
that at home.
  I reserve the balance of my time.
  Mr. CONNOLLY. Mr. Speaker, I yield myself such time as I may consume.
  I thank my good friend from Texas. He is always gracious and has 
always been a wonderful partner in this enterprise.
  In closing, the United States Government must come into the 21st 
century. We owe it to the people we serve to protect the systems that 
operate within the 24 Federal agencies we are particularly concerned 
about.
  We need to streamline management of IT assets; we need to make 
strategic and wise investments; we need to have a schedule of 
replacement for most of those legacy systems; and we need to encrypt 
and protect against cyber attacks for the sake of the American people. 
I think Mr. Hurd and I share that as a critical mission not only for 
this Congress, but for the United States Government as a whole.
  I am proud, again, to be an original coauthor and cosponsor of this 
legislation, working with Mr. Hurd. I know we have other initiatives we 
are going to be working on as well.
  Mr. Speaker, I yield back the balance of my time.
  Mr. HURD of Texas. Mr. Speaker, I urge adoption of this bill.
  I yield back the balance of my time.
  The SPEAKER pro tempore. The question is on the motion offered by the 
gentleman from Texas (Mr. Hurd) that the House suspend the rules and 
pass the bill, H.R. 6004, as amended.
  The question was taken; and (two-thirds being in the affirmative) the 
rules were suspended and the bill, as amended, was passed.
  A motion to reconsider was laid on the table.

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