Washington,
D.C.
— TechNet, the national, bipartisan network of innovation
economy CEOs and senior executives, welcomed today’s House passage of the 2018 National Defense Authorization Act
(NDAA) conference report, which contains the Modernizing Government Technology (MGT) Act.

The MGT Act authorizes funding to
improve, retire, or replace current federal government technology systems,
accelerate the transition to cloud computing platforms, and procure IT products
and services to strengthen the federal government’s cybersecurity defenses. The House unanimously passed its version of
the MGT Act in May, which was authored by Representative Will Hurd (R-TX). Senators Jerry Moran (R-KS) and Tom Udall
(D-NM) have led the efforts on the Senate version of the bill, which they were
able to include in that chamber’s version of the NDAA.

The conference report also excludes a
proposal originally included in the Senate-passed NDAA that would have required
companies to provide their proprietary source code to the Department of Defense
as a condition of doing business with the federal government. TechNet successfully advocated for the
removal of that provision during conference committee negotiations.

The following statement is attributable
to Linda Moore, President & CEO of TechNet:

“The
current state of the federal government’s IT systems poses significant
cybersecurity risks, wastes taxpayer dollars, and too often leads to easily avoidable
mistakes that shortchange veterans and other people seeking assistance from the
government. Congress’ passage of the Modernizing Government Technology Act will
help put an end to the federal government spending 80 percent of its $80
billion annual IT budget on maintaining aging, insecure, and expensive legacy
systems, and help us implement the modern IT systems we need in the 21st
century.

“TechNet
thanks Majority Leader Kevin McCarthy, Minority Whip Steny Hoyer, Representatives
Will Hurd and Robin Kelly, Senators Jerry Moran and Tom Udall, and the White
House’s Office of American Innovation for their laser-like focus all year in
getting this important bill passed. Our
work is not done, and we urge Congress to ensure the MGT Act is fully funded so
we can begin implementing it immediately and usher in a new era of better
government services through secure, efficient, and cost-effective government
technology.

“Additionally,
we thank Representative Doug Lamborn and others in the NDAA conference
committee who worked to secure the removal of the concerning source code
provision in the Senate’s initial NDAA bill.
As this process winds down for the year, we thank Congress for working
with TechNet and our members and partners to ensure our nation’s defense
policies allow America’s technology sector to continue being a trusted partner
and solution provider in support of our military and its missions.”

About TechNet

TechNet
is the national, bipartisan network of technology CEOs and senior executives
that promotes the growth of the innovation economy by advocating a targeted
policy agenda at the federal and 50-state level. TechNet’s diverse membership includes dynamic
startups and the most iconic companies on the planet and represents three
million employees and countless customers in the fields of information
technology, e-commerce, the sharing and gig economies, advanced energy,
cybersecurity, biotechnology, venture capital, and finance. TechNet has offices in Washington, D.C.,
Silicon Valley, San Francisco, Sacramento, Austin, Boston, Olympia, Albany, and
Tallahassee.