********************************************************** SUMMARY OF ELECTRONIC PUBLIC INFORMATION NEWSLETTER VOL. 5, NO. 13; June 30, 1995 ********************************************************** INDEX: 1. HOUSE COMMITTEE COMES UNDER ATTACK FOR LACK OF HEARINGS 2. SEN. BILL COHEN FILES BILL TO REVAMP FEDERAL IRM POLICY 3. NTIA STUDY SHOWS PUBLIC INSTITUTIONS TRAILING **************************************************************** For more information on the complete ELECTRONIC PUBLIC INFORMATION NEWSLETTER or to receive a FREE sample of the complete printed copy send an email message to EPIN Publishing at epin@access.digex.net. Include your snail mail address. ***************************************************************** 1. HOUSE COMMITTEE COMES UNDER ATTACK FOR LACK OF HEARINGS: The House Appropriations Committee is coming under attack for setting fundamental information policy under the guise of budget cutting. Government officials and others have noted that the Committee approved changes in the Government Printing Office's (GPO) Federal Depository Library Program (DLP) without holding hearings or consulting with those most affected by the change. J. Timothy Sprehe, a Washington information consultant, when commenting this week in a newspaper column stated on the Committee action, stated, þPerhaps the most disturbing thing in this little tale is that some fundamental questions in federal information policy are getting decided as byproducts of budget cutting.þ 2. SEN. BILL COHEN FILES BILL TO REVAMP FEDERAL IRM POLICY: The Chair of the Senate Government Management Oversight Subcommittee introduced (6/20) a bill to reform the procurement and management of information technology by the Executive Branch. Sen. William S. Cohen, R-ME, stated on introducing the "Federal Information Technology Management Act of 1955" (S. 946), that the purpose of the bill is to establish the mechanism for the þefficient and effective acquisition and uses of modern information technology" by the executive agencies. He predicted that its adoption would "save an estimated $175 billion through the year 2000, cut from 49 to 18 months the time it takes the government to buy information technology, and generally modernize the government's computer base." The measure is co-sponsored by Carl Levin, D-MI, the Subcommittee's ranking minority members. 3. NTIA STUDY SHOWS PUBLIC INSTITUTIONS TRAILING: A new report by the National Telecommunications and Information Administration (NTIA) shows that the Clinton administration has a long way to go if it is to reach its goal of connecting "every classroom, library, hospital and clinic" to the National Information Infrastructure (NII) by the year 2000. Using connection to the Internet as its benchmark, the study-þ"Connecting the Nation: Classrooms, Libraries, and Health Care Organizations in the Information Age"þ- found that although public institutions are beginning to use information technology, "many still remain unconnected, especially those that serve Americans most at risk to become information `have nots'." *************************************************************** ARCHIVE: EPIN Summaries are being archived on the Electronic Frontier Foundation system. To access past summaries, use the following addresses: ftp.eff.org, /pub/Publications/E-journals/EPIN/ gopher.eff.org, 1/Publications/E-journals/EPIN gopher://gopher.eff.org/hh/Publications/E-journals/EPIN/ http://www.eff.org/pub/Publications/E-journals/EPIN/ ***************************************************************** James McDonough, Editor Electronic Public Information Newsletter epin@access.digex.net; Tel:/Fax: (301) 365-3621