IT Reform Act Could Hitch A Ride On Major Defense Bill

The bipartisan team sponsoring a complete reboot of how the government buys information technology introduced a version of its bill as an amendment to the National Defense Authorization Act on Tuesday.

Packaging separate legislation inside a major policy bill such as the Defense Authorization Act can speed passage because lawmakers are wary of jeopardizing the full bill based on opposition to a minor part. 

The House Rules Committee will consider amendments to the defense bill during a meeting on Wednesday afternoon.

The Federal Information Technology Acquisition Reform Act won approval from the House Oversight and Government Reform Committee in March and is awaiting action on the House floor. The bill was sponsored by Committee Chairman Rep. Darrell Issa, R-Calif., and Rep. Gerry Connolly, D-Va., ranking member of the committee’s government operations panel.