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STATEMENT: 21st Century IDEA Bill Marked-up and Passed by House Oversight and Government Reform Committee

October 2, 2018

Washington, DC – Rep. Ro Khanna released the below statement following the House OGR committee mark up and passage of the 21st Century Integrated Digital Experience Act (IDEA). This bipartisan bill will lower federal costs and increase efficiency by digitizing government processes through establishing minimum standards for federal websites, digitizing agency forms and promoting electronic signatures. Additionally, the Senate Homeland Security & Governmental Affairs Committee favorably passed companion legislation introduced by Sen. Portman. The bill was reported by OGR committee to the full House for further consideration.

"The 21st Century IDEA will help modernize government agencies and save the taxpayer money. It's time our government agencies adopt the innovative technologies of the 21st Century," Rep. Khanna said. "Government exists to serve citizens, and this bill ensures our government agencies leverage new technology to provide the cohesive, user-friendly online service that all Americans expect and deserve. I'm proud of the support my bill gained as it moved forward. I'd like to thank Rep. Trey Gowdy—OGR full Committee Chair, Rep. Elijah Cummings—OGR full Committee Ranking Member, Rep. Will Hurd—OGR Internet Technology Subcommittee Chair, Rep. Robin Kelly— OGR Internet Technology Subcommittee Ranking Member, Senator Portman, and Rep. Ratcliffe for their support of this legislation."

Additional Statements of Support:

Lead Cosponsor, Rep. Ratcliffe (TX-04):

"Bringing our government into the digital age is a long-overdue step forward that will save the precious time of people seeking assistance from federal agencies, while greatly reducing the cost to taxpayers. The commonsense 21st Century IDEA implements critical online upgrades that are often standard in the private sector, which will allow us to better serve the American people. I'm grateful this bill has passed out of committee, and I'm hopeful it will be brought up soon for a vote before the full House of Representatives."

Adobe Public Sector CTO, John Landwehr:

"The 21st Century Integrated Digital Experience Act (IDEA) will help modernize agency websites, services and forms to create better experiences for citizens and cost savings for tax payers. We thank Reps. Khanna and Ratcliffe for their leadership to accelerate the paper-to digital transformation across government and urge Congress to pass this important bipartisan, bicameral digital government legislation by the end of the year."

BSA | The Software Alliance, Vice President of Legislative Strategy, Craig Albright:

"In today's connected age, IT and software are critical to ensuring government services benefit all Americans. The 21st Century IDEA Act would help modernize those services by improving federal agency websites, supporting the increased use of mobile devices, and transitioning away from paper-based forms in favor of e-transactions. In short, the IDEA Act would modernize the digital government experience. Thank you Representatives Khanna and Ratcliffe for your leadership."

ServiceNow, Director of Federal Strategy, Michael McCalip:

"As a leading provider of cloud services to the federal government we applaud the House Oversight and Government Reform Committee for passing H.R. 5759, the 21st Century IDEA out of committee last week. This bill, once enacted, will greatly improve the delivery of service to citizens by leveraging proven commercial technology and bringing 21st Century consumer experiences to government. We look forward to working with Reps. Khanna and Ratcliffe, as well as Sens. Portman and McCaskill, sponsors of the Senate counterpart, to get this important legislation signed into law this year."