[House Report 115-406]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office]


115th Congress    }                                     {       Report
                        HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES
 1st Session      }                                     {      115-406

======================================================================



 
                        CONNECTED GOVERNMENT ACT

                                _______
                                

 November 13, 2017.--Committed to the Committee of the Whole House on 
            the State of the Union and ordered to be printed

                                _______
                                

   Mr. Gowdy, from the Committee on Oversight and Government Reform, 
                        submitted the following

                              R E P O R T

                        [To accompany H.R. 2331]

      [Including cost estimate of the Congressional Budget Office]

    The Committee on Oversight and Government Reform, to whom 
was referred the bill (H.R. 2331) to require a new or updated 
Federal website that is intended for use by the public to be 
mobile friendly, and for other purposes, having considered the 
same, report favorably thereon with an amendment and recommend 
that the bill as amended do pass.

                                CONTENTS

                                                                   Page
Committee Statement and Views....................................     2
Section-by-Section...............................................     3
Explanation of Amendments........................................     3
Committee Consideration..........................................     3
Roll Call Votes..................................................     3
Application of Law to the Legislative Branch.....................     3
Statement of Oversight Findings and Recommendations of the 
  Committee......................................................     3
Statement of General Performance Goals and Objectives............     3
Duplication of Federal Programs..................................     4
Disclosure of Directed Rule Makings..............................     4
Federal Advisory Committee Act...................................     4
Unfunded Mandates Statement......................................     4
Earmark Identification...........................................     4
Committee Estimate...............................................     4
Budget Authority and Congressional Budget Office Cost Estimate...     4

    The amendment is as follows:
  Strike all after the enacting clause and insert the 
following:

SEC. 1. SHORT TITLE.

  This Act may be cited as the ``Connected Government Act''.

SEC. 2. FEDERAL WEBSITES REQUIRED TO BE MOBILE FRIENDLY.

  (a) In General.--If, on or after the date that is 6 months after the 
date of the enactment of this Act, an agency creates a website that is 
intended for use by the public or updates a website that is intended 
for use by the public, the agency shall ensure that the website is 
mobile friendly.
  (b) OMB Report.--Not later than 18 months after the date of the 
enactment of this Act, the Director of the Office of Management and 
Budget, in consultation with the Administrator of General Services, 
shall make publicly available and submit to Congress a report that 
describes the implementation of the requirement described under 
subsection (a) and assesses the compliance of each agency with such 
requirement.
  (c) Definitions.--In this section:
          (1) Agency.--The term ``agency'' has the meaning given that 
        term in section 551 of title 5, United States Code.
          (2) Mobile friendly.--The term ``mobile friendly'' means, 
        with respect to a website, that the website is configured in 
        such a way that the website may be easily navigated and viewed 
        on a smartphone, tablet computer, or similar mobile device.

                     Committee Statement and Views


                          PURPOSE AND SUMMARY

    H.R. 2331, the Connected Government Act, codifies an 
existing Office of Management and Budget (OMB) rule (OMB 
Memorandum M-17-06) requiring federal agencies to ensure any 
new or updated website intended for public use is mobile 
friendly.\1\
---------------------------------------------------------------------------
    \1\Office of Mgmt. & Budget, M-17-06, Policies for Federal Agency 
Public Websites and Digital Services (2016).
---------------------------------------------------------------------------

                  BACKGROUND AND NEED FOR LEGISLATION

    H.R. 2331 ensures that federal agencies take necessary 
steps to provide the public with convenient access to 
government services. In 2016, the OMB issued a rule requiring 
public-facing agency websites to be mobile friendly.\2\ 
However, a study conducted this year found that an estimated 40 
percent of all government websites are not accessible or are 
difficult to access on a mobile device.\3\ H.R. 2331 directs 
federal agencies to implement the mobile friendly requirement 
for all public-facing websites updated or created after 
enactment. This requirement is not intended to apply to minor 
or technical updates. H.R. 2331 also requires OMB to conduct a 
government-wide review of the implementation of the bill to 
ensure that agencies are complying with the mobile friendly 
requirement.
---------------------------------------------------------------------------
    \2\Id.
    \3\Alan McQuinn & Daniel Castro, Info. Tech. & Innovation Found., 
Benchmarking U.S. Government Websites 2 (2017).
---------------------------------------------------------------------------
    H.R. 2331 is an important step in the effort to modernize 
the information technology infrastructure of the federal 
government.

                          LEGISLATIVE HISTORY

    On May 3, 2017, Representative Robin Kelly (D-IL) 
introduced H.R. 2331, the Connected Government Act, with 
Representative Frank Pallone (D-NJ). H.R. 2331 was referred to 
the Committee on Oversight and Government Reform. The Committee 
considered H.R. 2331 at a business meeting on September 13, 
2017, and ordered the bill reported favorably, as amended, by 
voice vote.

                           Section-by-Section


Section 1. Short title

    Section 1 establishes the short title of the bill.

Section 2. Federal websites required to be mobile friendly

    Section 2 codifies an existing OMB requirement (OMB 
Memorandum M-17-06) requiring federal agencies to ensure any 
website intended for use by the public is mobile friendly. Any 
website that is created or updated more than six months after 
the bill's enactment must implement mobile friendly website 
configuration.
    Section 2 also requires an OMB report on each agency's 
implementation and compliance with the bill.

                       Explanation of Amendments

    During Full Committee consideration of the bill, 
Representative Robin Kelly offered an amendment in the nature 
of a substitute to remove the provision that required the 
Federal Communications Commission to submit a mobile friendly 
compliance report to four specific Committees. The amendment 
instead requires OMB to conduct the government-wide review and 
submit a report to Congress. The Kelly amendment was adopted by 
voice vote.

                        Committee Consideration

    On September 13, 2017, the Committee met in open session 
and, with a quorum being present, ordered the bill favorably 
reported, as amended, by voice vote.

                            Roll Call Votes

    There were no roll call votes requested or conducted during 
Full Committee consideration of H.R. 2331.

              Application of Law to the Legislative Branch

    Section 102(b)(3) of Public Law 104-1 requires a 
description of the application of this bill to the legislative 
branch where the bill relates to the terms and conditions of 
employment or access to public services and accommodations. 
This bill requires each new or updated Federal website intended 
for use by the public to be mobile friendly. As such, this bill 
does not relate to employment or access to public services and 
accommodations.

  Statement of Oversight Findings and Recommendations of the Committee

    In compliance with clause 3(c)(1) of rule XIII and clause 
(2)(b)(1) of rule X of the Rules of the House of 
Representatives, the Committee's oversight findings and 
recommendations are reflected in the descriptive portions of 
this report.

         Statement of General Performance Goals and Objectives

    In accordance with clause 3(c)(4) of rule XIII of the Rules 
of the House of Representatives, the Committee's performance 
goal or objective of this bill is to require a new or updated 
Federal website that is intended for use by the public to be 
mobile friendly.

                    Duplication of Federal Programs

    In accordance with clause 2(c)(5) of rule XIII no provision 
of this bill establishes or reauthorizes a program of the 
Federal Government known to be duplicative of another Federal 
program, a program that was included in any report from the 
Government Accountability Office to Congress pursuant to 
section 21 of Public Law 111-139, or a program related to a 
program identified in the most recent Catalog of Federal 
Domestic Assistance.

                  Disclosure of Directed Rule Makings

    This bill does not direct the completion of any specific 
rule makings within the meaning of section 551 of title 5, 
United States Code.

                     Federal Advisory Committee Act

    The Committee finds that the legislation does not establish 
or authorize the establishment of an advisory committee within 
the definition of Section 5(b) of the appendix to title 5, 
United States Code.

                      Unfunded Mandates Statement

    Pursuant to section 423 of the Congressional Budget and 
Impoundment Control Act (Pub. L. 113-67) the Committee has 
included a letter received from the Congressional Budget Office 
below.

                         Earmark Identification

    This bill does not include any congressional earmarks, 
limited tax benefits, or limited tariff benefits as defined in 
clause 9 of rule XXI of the House of Representatives.

                           Committee Estimate

    Pursuant to clause 3(d)(2)(B) of rule XIII of the Rules of 
the House of Representatives, the Committee includes below a 
cost estimate of the bill prepared by the Director of the 
Congressional Budget Office under section 402 of the 
Congressional Budget Act of 1974.

   New Budget Authority and Congressional Budget Office Cost Estimate

    Pursuant to clause 3(c)(3) of rule XIII of the House of 
Representatives, the cost estimate prepared by the 
Congressional Budget Office and submitted pursuant to section 
402 of the Congressional Budget Act of 1974 is as follows:

                                     U.S. Congress,
                               Congressional Budget Office,
                                Washington, DC, September 22, 2017.
Hon. Trey Gowdy,
Chairman, Committee on Oversight and Government Reform,
House of Representatives, Washington, DC.
    Dear Mr. Chairman: The Congressional Budget Office has 
prepared the enclosed cost estimate for H.R. 2331, the 
Connected Government Act.
    If you wish further details on this estimate, we will be 
pleased to provide them. The CBO staff contact is Matthew 
Pickford.
            Sincerely,
                                                        Keith Hall.
    Enclosure.

H.R. 2331--Connected Government Act

    H.R. 2331 would require all federal agencies that create or 
update a website intended for use by the public to ensure that 
the website is mobile friendly. A mobile friendly website is 
defined as one that is configured in such a way that it may be 
easily navigated and viewed on a smartphone, tablet computer, 
or similar mobile device. In addition, the Office of Management 
and Budget (OMB), in consultation with the General Services 
Administration (GSA), would report on the implementation of 
these requirements within 18 months.
    Under current executive branch guidance (see OMB Memorandum 
M-17-06, which was issued on November 8, 2016) all new or 
redesigned federal websites must allow for access by mobile 
devices. In addition, GSA's Digital Government Division works 
with agencies to help them provide electronic information and 
services to the public in any digital form. Because of those 
ongoing efforts, CBO estimates that implementing H.R. 2331 
would have no significant cost.
    Enacting H.R. 2331 would not affect direct spending or 
revenues; therefore, pay-as-you-go procedures do not apply.
    CBO estimates that enacting H.R. 2331 would not increase 
direct spending or on-budget deficits in any of the four 
consecutive 10-year periods beginning in 2028.
    H.R. 2331 contains no intergovernmental or private-sector 
mandates as defined in the Unfunded Mandates Reform Act and 
would impose no costs on state, local, or tribal governments.
    The CBO staff contact for this estimate is Matthew 
Pickford. This estimate was approved by H. Samuel Papenfuss, 
Deputy Assistant Director for Budget Analysis.

                                  [all]