WASHINGTON – ITI, the global voice of the tech sector, and its public sector division the IT Alliance for the Public Sector (ITAPS), announced their strong support today for the Modernizing Government Technology (MGT) Act ahead of a vote scheduled on the legislation before the U.S. House of Representatives on May 17, 2017. In a letter to members of Congress, ITI emphasized the importance of modernizing vulnerable federal computer systems and allowing the government to adopt new, cutting-edge technologies. ITAPS has previously advocated for the MGT Act before congressional hearings as one of its top legislative priorities.

ITI scores votes that are key priorities for the technology sector. The following is text of the letter sent to senators announcing the tech organization’s intention to key vote the legislation:

May 16, 2017

The Honorable Paul Ryan
Speaker of the House

The Honorable Nancy Pelosi
Democratic Leader

Dear Speaker Ryan and Leader Pelosi:

On behalf of the IT Alliance for Public Sector (ITAPS) and its parent association, the Information Technology Industry Council (ITI), I write to express our strong support for H.R. 2227, the Modernizing Government Technology Act of 2017 (MGT Act), and commend your efforts to bring it to the House floor for debate and vote. Given the importance of federal information technology (IT) acquisition reform to the technology sector and to the country, we will consider scoring votes in support of the MGT Act in our 115th Congress Tech Voting Guide.

The time is ripe to transform the way the federal government acquires IT, and this bipartisan legislation is a substantial step toward that transformation. The MGT Act would enable new and much needed methods of providing both IT solutions, including for IT modernization efforts, and funding flexibility to permit the federal government to better keep pace with IT innovation. The MGT Act would also help federal agencies adopt new technologies, like cloud computing and other innovative technologies, as well as strengthen their cybersecurity capabilities. In short, the MGT ACT would help to bring the federal government into the 21st century with the aim of serving more Americans more effectively.

Today, the federal government spends about $60 billion dollars annually just to sustain its existing IT infrastructure. The MGT Act would provide federal agencies with new options and flexibility to modernize their IT capabilities for the digital era.

ITAPS companies are the leading providers of information and communications technology (ICT) hardware, software, services, and solutions to the public sector, and ITI is the premier advocacy and policy organization for the world’s leading ICT companies, including hardware and software, internet services, and wireless networking companies. Our members contribute to making the U.S. ICT industry and the federal government the strongest in the world, leading domestically and globally in innovative ICT practices and solutions.

I thank you for your leadership on modernizing federal IT acquisition as well as the House Committee on Oversight and Government Reform for quickly approving this legislation. On behalf of our member companies, we urge you and your colleagues to support H.R. 2227 when it comes to the House floor.

Sincerely,

Dean C. Garfield
President & CEO

cc: Members of the House of Representatives

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