President Bush signed legislation on December 17 that pushes the federal government to provide greater Internet access to information and services, authorizing $345 million over the next four years for an e-government fund. The bill, spearheaded by Sen. Joseph Lieberman (D-CT), marks the first comprehensive effort aimed directly at dealing with electronic information, covering a wide range of issues from information security and disaster preparedness to the digital divide and government employee training to information management and dissemination. Click here for a complete summary. Of particular interest, the bill requires the Office of Management and Budget (OMB) to designate up to five pilot projects to "integrate data elements." At least one of these projects must eliminate duplicative data collection and integrate databases maintained by multiple agencies to facilitate public access -- something OMB Watch has long advocated. The administration, which is responsible for implementation, must be vigilant if the E-Government Act is to be successful. The legislation is a positive step, but only a first step, which could yield very little without presidential commitment. Days after the bill’s signing, the General Accounting Office released a report questioning the administration’s implementation of its own e-government plan, which includes 24 initiatives selected by an OMB task force. "Especially now that the E-Government Act has passed, I hope that OMB will evaluate its programs more carefully, and consult closely with Congress, to ensure that its initiatives realize e-government’s true potential," Lieberman responded in a press release announcing the report.