Capital Roundup

Norman Lorentz, the federal government's first chief technology officer, will help government managers buy the right technologies, he said Jan. 18.

Lorentz stopped short of saying agencies would need his permission to purchase IT, but said, "I would have the authority to help them make the right decision."

He will focus on the Office of Management and Budget's 24 e-gov initiatives and on homeland security, but will also provide expertise in cybersecurity and the formulation of a governmentwide IT architecture. He reports to Mark Forman, OMB's associate director for information technology and e-government.Rep. Mac Thornberry, R-Texas, last month called for widespread government reorganization to improve homeland security, saying some new federal agencies should be created while others should be combined or dismantled.

The military, executive branch and Congress should reorganize to make information sharing easier and faster, Thornberry said Jan. 15 at a meeting of the Precision Strike Association in Arlington, Va. Congress should change, too, Thornberry said. At least 19 committees have jurisdiction over terrorism-related areas, which hinders effective oversight, he said. Thornberry introduced H.R. 1158 last year, which would create a cabinet department of homeland security and combine agencies responsible for border security, cyberterrorism and emergency response.An amendment that would allow accelerated depreciation of IT assets was defeated in the Senate Jan. 25.

The amendment to H.R. 622 was sponsored by Sen. Gordon Smith, R-Ore., and supported by industry groups, including the Information Technology Association of America, Arlington, Va., and Washington-based AeA.

H.R. 622, the Hope for Children Act, would amend the Internal Revenue Code in several ways, including expansion of the adoption credit. The amendment, No. 2705, would have allowed businesses a 30 percent bonus depreciation on IT products purchased in the next 36 months.