Portman applauds House approval of bill to update federal agencies’ use of technology

The U.S. House of Representatives on Sept. 30 passed its version of a bipartisan bill supported by U.S. Sen. Rob Portman (R-OH) that would hasten federal agencies’ adoption of advanced technologies.

“I applaud the House for passing this bill and call on the Senate to act on our bipartisan legislation to ensure our government agencies have the insight and resources they need to better understand the benefits and pitfalls of this technology,” said Sen. Portman, co-founder and co-chair of his chamber’s Artificial Intelligence Caucus.

The House by voice vote approved the Information Technology Modernization Centers of Excellence Program Act, H.R. 5901, introduced in February by U.S. Reps. Ro Khanna (D-CA) and Mark Meadows (R-NC). It requires the General Service Administration’s Technology Transformation Services to establish a Modernization Centers of Excellence Program that would facilitate modern technology adoption by executive agencies. Sen. Portman, on July 2, sponsored the U.S. Senate version, the same-named S. 4200, with lead cosponsor U.S. Sen. Maggie Hassan (D-NH).

The bill expands upon Sen. Portman’s bipartisan, bicameral Artificial Intelligence (AI) in Government Act of 2019, S 1363 / H.R. 2575, which he introduced in May 2019 with U.S. Sen. Brian Schatz (D-HI) to codify an AI Center of Excellence within the GSA to provide technical expertise to government agencies; advise agencies on the procurement of AI technology; and promote U.S. competitiveness through agency and industry cooperation. The House approved its version on Sept. 15 and sent it to the Senate, which placed its version on the Senate calendar for action in June. 

Inspired by Sen. Portman’s legislation, the GSA last year created the AI Center of Excellence (CoE) and the Information Technology Modernization Centers of Excellence Program Act would detail the responsibilities for all of GSA’s CoEs and would align their roles to bolster the government’s technology expertise beyond just AI, according to the lawmaker’s office.

“As technology continues to change and advance, it’s important that the federal government understands the significant impacts it will have on our country, economy, and society,” Sen. Portman said. “Ensuring that our government has the capabilities and expertise to help navigate the impacts of the latest technology will be important in the coming years and decades.”