WASHINGTON – A leading technology publication and an independent panel of judges have chosen Governmental Affairs Committee Ranking member Joe Lieberman, D-Conn., as a recipient of the 14th annual “Federal 100” award for his extensive work on information technology initiatives.
“I am grateful for this honor, and am proud to be involved in these cutting edge issues,” said Lieberman. “In the 21st century, information technology is the single most important vehicle for news, knowledge, communication, advocacy, and security, and I’m committed to driving the vehicle forward. One of the greatest opportunities afforded by IT is for the public to participate more fully in the decision-making of its government.”
The “Federal 100” award, sponsored by Federal Computer Week magazine, is awarded each year to the 100 leaders who made the most significant difference in federal information technology. The award recognizes “bold thinking and actions” by “individuals in government and industry who played pivotal roles in the federal world in 2002.”
Among Lieberman’s major 2002 achievements in information technology are passing legislation to bring the federal government more fully into the technology age, ensuring that the new Department of Homeland Security respects personal privacy and government security, and helping to reauthorize the Government Information Security Reform Statute.
The Electronic Government Act : Senator Lieberman’s E-Government Act, signed into law Dec. 17, will improve citizen access to government information and services, the privacy of personal information held by the government, and the management of the government’s information technology. It establishes an OMB Office of Electronic Government, requires agencies to engage in on-line rulemaking, and mandates that courts post judicial opinions.
Homeland Security: Homeland security legislation that Lieberman initiated, and which was signed into law Nov. 25, 2002, recognized the need to protect the nation’s information systems as a vital component of enhanced homeland defenses. It established a Directorate of Information Analysis and Infrastructure Protection, charged with carrying out comprehensive assessments of the vulnerabilities of key resources and critical infrastructure – including the nation’s cyber and communications resources, developing a comprehensive plan for securing them, and recommending protective measures in coordination with other federal agencies, state and local governments, the private sector and other entities. Government Information Security Reform: Lieberman’s E-Government legislation reauthorized the Government Information Security Reform which he had originally coauthored in 2000. This statute requires each federal agency to establish a security program for all of its computer systems and practices and to undergo an independent security evaluation each year. The law enables OMB and Congress to demand that computer security be improved an individual agencies and government-wide. Winners of the “Federal 100” award were nominated by Federal Computer Week readers and selected by an independent panel of judges for “their contributions to the development, acquisition or management of federal IT.”
Nominees broke ground by shaping key trends, events and ideas that directed federal IT management and procurement. The awards will be presented in March.