Industry Groups Urge Lawmakers to Approve $1B for Tech Modernization Under HEROES Act

Matthew Cornelius, executive director at the Alliance for Digital Innovation, has said that Congress needs to approve $1B in Technology Modernization Fund allocations in the next increment of a COVID-19 relief bill, FedScoop reported Monday.

In a hearing with the House Government Operations Subcommittee, Cornelius testified that Congress must prioritize information technology improvements across federal agencies by increasing TMF investments in Phase 4 of the Health and Economic Recovery Omnibus Emergency Solutions Act.

He noted that TMF needs to get Congress attention so agencies — including the General Services Administration and the Office of Management and Budget which oversee the fund — can “really start to transform the government’s IT.”

According to Gordon Bitko, senior vice president of policy at the Information Technology Industry Council, the government has limited expertise as well as unpredictable funding and inflexible procedures that “contribute to timelines much longer than commercial best practices.”

“At the same time the lack of multi-year modernization funding ensures legacy applications endure,” he added.