Press Releases

Today, the House Committee on Oversight and Reform advanced two pieces of legislation authored by Congressman Gerry Connolly, Chairman of the Government Operations Subcommittee.

H.R. 3941, the Federal Risk and Authorization Management Program (FedRAMP) Authorization Act, would codify the existing FedRAMP Program at the General Services Administration (GSA). “FedRAMP was established in 2011 to provide a standardized government-wide approach to security assessment, authorization, and continuous monitoring of cloud computing services. The program reduces the redundancies of federal cloud migration for both the federal government and for cloud service providers,” Connolly said. “Unfortunately, the current state of cloud adoption in the federal government involves various agency-specific processes, making it complicated for agencies to issue an authorization to operate for cloud services, even when a cloud service provider has already been authorized for use at other agencies.”

“Our bipartisan bill will streamline the FedRAMP process and reduce the redundancies in federal cloud migration, so federal agencies can modernize their IT and realize cost-efficiencies,” Connolly added.

H.R. 3883, the Restore the Partnership Act, revives the concept of the defunct Advisory Committee on Intergovernmental Relations (ACIR) by creating the Commission on Intergovernmental Relations. The commission, an independent commission composed of 31 federal, state, local and tribal representatives, would be authorized to provide a forum for critical deliberations on issues of great intergovernmental import and will serve to collect and share best practices for effective collaboration, provide needed technical assistance, and recommend solutions that lead to more appropriate delegations of governmental functions.

“As a former member and Chairman of the Fairfax County Board of Supervisors, I know firsthand how crucial it is for our local governments to have the cooperation and support of their federal, state, and tribal partners,” said Connolly. “America’s federated system of government relies on collaboration across all levels of government to ensure the reliable administration of public services and the protection of the public welfare. Only with earned trust and open channels of communication can all governments in the United States truly work together to reduce overlap and actually do the business of improving people’s lives.”

“I would like to one again thank my partner on this legislation, Rep. Rob Bishop of Utah. This process has been bipartisan, transparent, and effective and I look forward to future opportunities to work on such critical legislation,” Connolly added.