TEXT

A Government that works better and costs less requires efficient
and effective information systems.  The Paperwork Reduction Act
of 1995 and the Information Technology Management Reform Act of
1996 provide the opportunity to improve significantly the way the
Federal Government acquires and manages information technology. 
Agencies now have the clear authority and responsibility to make
measurable improvements in mission performance and service
delivery to the public through the strategic application of
information technology.  A coordinated approach that builds on
existing structures and successful practices is needed to provide
maximum benefit across the Federal Government from this
technology.

Accordingly, by the authority vested in me as President by the
Constitution and the laws of the United States of America, it is
hereby ordered as follows:

Section 1. Policy. It shall be the policy of the United States
Government that executive agencies shall: (a) significantly
improve the management of their information systems, including
the acquisition of information technology, by implementing the
relevant provisions of the Paperwork Reduction Act of 1995
(Public Law 104-13), the Information Technology Management Reform
Act of 1996 (Division E of Public Law 104-106) ("Information
Technology Act"), and the Government Performance and Results Act
of 1993 (Public Law 103-62);
     (b) refocus information technology management to support
directly their strategic missions, implement an investment review
process that drives budget formulation and execution for
information system, and rethink and restructure the way they
perform their functions before investing in information
technology to support that work;
     (c) establish clear accountability for information resources
management activities by creating Chief Information Officers
(CIOs) with the visibility and management responsibilities
necessary to advise the agency head on the design, development,
and implementation of those information systems.  These
responsibilities include: (1) participating in the investment
review process for information systems; (2) monitoring and
evaluating the performance of those information systems on the
basis of applicable performance measures; and, (3) as necessary,
advising the agency head to modify or terminate those systems;
     (d) cooperate in the use of information technology to
improve the productivity of Federal programs and to promote a
coordinated, interoperable, secure, and shared Governmentwide
infrastructure that is provided and supported by a diversity of
private sector suppliers and a well-trained corps of information
technology professionals; and
     (e) establish an interagency support that builds on existing
successful interagency efforts and shall provide expertise and
advice to agencies; expand the skill and career development
opportunities of information technology professionals; improve
the management and use of information technology within and among
agencies by developing information technology procedures and
standards and by identifying and sharing experiences, ideas, and
promising practices; and provide innovative, multi-disciplinary,
project-specific support to agencies to enhance interoperability,
minimize unnecessary duplication of effort, and capitalize on
agency successes.

Sec. 2. Responsibilities of Agency Heads.  The head of each
executive agency shall: (a) effectively use information
technology to improve mission performance and service to the
public;
     (b) strengthen the quality of decisions about the employment
of information resources to meet mission needs through integrated
analysis, planning, budgeting, and evaluation processes,
including:

  (1) determining, before making investments in new information
systems, whether the Government should be performing the
function, if the private sector or another agency should support
the function, and if the function needs to be or has been
appropriately redesigned to improve its efficiency;

  (2) establishing mission-based performance measures for
information systems investments, aligned with agency performance
plans prepared pursuant to the Government Performance and Results
Act of 1993 (Public Law 103-62);

  (3) establishing agency-wide and protect-level management
structures and processes responsible and accountable for
managing, selecting, controlling, and evaluating investments in
information systems, with authority for terminating information
systems when appropriate;

  (4) supporting appropriate training of personnel; and

  (5) seeking the advice of, participating in, and supporting the
interagency support structure set forth in this order;

     (c) select CIOs with the experience and skills necessary to
accomplish the duties set out in law and policy, including this
order, and involve the CIO at the highest level of the agency in
the processes and decisions set out in this section;

     (d) ensure that the information security policies,
procedures, and practices of the executive agency are adequate;

     (e) where appropriate, and in accordance with the Federal
Acquisition Regulation and guidance to be issued by the Office of
Management and Budget (OMB), structure major information systems
investments into manageable projects as narrow in scope and brief
in duration as practicable, consistent with the Information
Technology Act, to reduce risk, promote flexibility and
interoperability, increase accountability, and better correlate
mission need with current technology and market conditions; and

     (f) to the extent permitted by law, enter into a contract
that provides for multiagency acquisitions of information
technology as an executive agent for the Government, if and in
the manner that the Director of OMB considers it advantageous to
do so.

Sec. 3. Chief Information Officers Council. (a) Purpose and
Functions.  A Chief Information Officers Council ("CIO Council")
is established as the principal interagency forum to improve
agency practices on such matters as the design, modernization,
use, sharing, and performance of agency information resources. 
The Council shall:

  (1) develop recommendations for overall Federal information
technology management policy, procedures, and standards;

  (2) share experiences, ideas, and promising practices,
including work process redesign and the development of
performance measures, to improve the management of information
resources;

  (3) identify opportunities, make recommendations for, and
sponsor cooperation in using information resources;

  (4) assess and address the hiring, training, classification,
and professional development needs of the Federal Government with
respect to information resources management;

  (5) make recommendations and provide advice to appropriate
executive agencies and organizations including advice to OMB on
the Governmentwide strategic plan required by the Paperwork
Reduction Act of 1995; and

  (6) seek the views of the Chief Financial Officers Council,
Government Information Technology Services Board Information
Technology Resources Board, Federal Procurement Council, industry
academia, and State and local governments on matters of concern
to the Council as appropriate.

     (b) Membership.  The CIO Council shall be composed of the
CIOs and Deputy CIOs of the following executive agencies plus two
representatives from other agencies:

     1. Department of State;
     2. Department of the Treasury;
     3. Department of Defense;
     4. Department of Justice;
     5. Department of the Interior;
     6. Department of Agriculture;
     7. Department of Commerce;
     8. Department of Labor;
     9. Department of Health and Human Services;
    10. Department of Housing and Urban Development;
    11. Department of Transportation;
    12. Department of Energy;
    13. Department of Education;
    14. Department of Veterans Affairs;
    15. Environmental Protection Agency;
    16. Federal Emergency Management Agency;
    17. Central Intelligence Agency;
    18. Small Business Administration;
    19. Social Security Administration;
    20. Department of the Army;
    21. Department of the Navy;
    22. Department of the Air Force;
    23. National Aeronautics and Space Administration;
    24. Agency for International Development;
    25. General Services Administration;
    26. National Science Foundation;
    27. Nuclear Regulatory Commission; and
    28. Office of Personnel Management

The Administrator of the Office of Information and Regulatory
Affairs of OMB, the Controller of the Office of Federal Financial
Management of OMB, the Administrator of the Office of Federal
Procurement Policy of OMB, a senior Representative of the Office
of Science and Technology Policy, the Chair of the Government
Information Technology Services Board, and the Chair of the
Information Technology Resources Board shall also be members. 
The CIO Council shall be chaired by the Deputy Director for
Management of OMB.  The Vice Chair, elected by the CIO Council on
a rotating basis, shall be an agency CIO.

Sec. 4. Government Information Technology Services Board.
  (a) Purpose and Functions.  A Government Information Technology
Services Board ("Services Board") is established to ensure
continued implementation of the information technology
recommendations of the National Performance Review and to
identify and promote the development Review and to identify and
promote the development of innovative technologies, standards,
and practices among agencies and State and local governments and
the private sector.  It shall seek the view of experts from
industry, academia, and State and local governments on matters of
concern to the Services Board as appropriate.  The Services Board
shall also make recommendations to the agencies, the CIO Council,
OMB, and others as appropriate, and assist in the following:

  (1) creating opportunities for cross-agency cooperation and
intergovernmental approaches in using information resources to
support common operational areas and to develop and provide
shared governmentwide infrastructure services;

  (2) developing shared governmentwide information infrastructure
services to be used for innovative, multiagency information
technology projects;

  (3) creating and utilizing affinity groups fore particular
business or technology areas; and 

  (4) developing with the National Institute of Standards and
Technology and with established standards bodies, standards and
guidelines pertaining to Federal information systems, consistent
with the limitations contained in the Computer Security Act of
1987 (40 U.S.C. 759 note), as amended by the Information
Technology Act.

     (b) Membership.  The Services Board shall be composed of
individuals from agencies based on their proven expertise or
accomplishments in fields necessary to achieve its goals.  Major
government mission area such as electronic benefits, electronic
commerce, law enforcement, environmental protection, national
defense, and health care may be represented on the Services Board
to provide a program operations perspective.  Initial selection
of members will be made by OMB in consultation with other
agencies as appropriate.  The CIO Council may nominate two
members.  The Services Board shall recommend new members to OMB
for consideration.  The Chair will be elected by the Services
Board.

Sec. 5. Information Technology Resources Board.
  (a) Purpose and Functions.  An Information Technology Resources
Board ("Resources Board") is established to provide independent
assessments to assist in the development, acquisition, and
management of selected major information systems and to provide
recommendations to agency heads and OMB as appropriate.  The
Resources Board shall:

  (1) review, at the request of an agency and OMB, specific
information systems proposed or under development and make
recommendations to the agency and OMB regarding the status of
systems or next steps;

  (2) publicize lessons learned and promising practices based on
information systems reviewed by the Board; and 

  (3) seek the views of experts from industry, academia, and
State and local governments on matters of concern to the
Resources Board, as appropriate.

  (b) Membership.  The Resources Board shall be composed of
individuals from executive branch agencies based on their
knowledge of information technology, program, or acquisition
management within Federal agencies.  Selection of members shall
be made by OMB in consultation with other agencies as
appropriate.  The Chair will be elected by the Resources Board. 
The Resources Board may call upon the department or agency whose
project is being reviewed, or any other department or agency to
provide knowledgeable representative(s) to the Board whose
guidance and expertise will assist in focusing on the primary
issue(s) presented by a specific system.

Sec. 6. Office of Management and Budget.  The Director of OMB
shall:
  (1) evaluate agency information resources management practices
and, as part of the budget process, analyze, track and evaluate
the risks and results of all major capital investments for
information systems;

  (2) notify an agency if it believes that a major information
system requires outside assistance;

  (3) provide guidance on the implementation of this order and on
the management of information resources to the executive agencies
and to the Boards established by this order; and

  (4) evaluate the effectiveness of the management structure set
out in this order after 3 years and make recommendations for any
appropriate changes.

Sec. 7. General Services Administration.  Under the direction of
OMB, the Administrator of General Services shall:
  (1) continue to manage the FTS2000 program and coordinate the
follow-on to that program, on behalf of and with the advice of
customer agencies; 

  (2) develop, maintain, and disseminate for the use of the
Federal community, as requested by OMB or the agencies,
recommended methods and strategies for the development and
acquisition of information technology; 

  (3) conduct and manage outreach programs in cooperation with
agency managers;

  (4) be a focal point for liaison on information resources
management, including Federal information technology, with State
and local governments, and with nongovernmental international
organizations subject to prior consultation with the Secretary of
State to ensure such liaison would be consistent with and support
overall United States foreign policy objectives;

  (5) support the activities of the Secretary of State for
liaison, consultation, and negotiation with intergovernmental
organizations in information resources management matters;

  (6) assist OMB, as required in evaluating agencies'
performance-based management tracking systems and agencies'
achievement of cost, schedule, and performance goals; and 

  (7) provide support and assistance to the interagency groups
established in this order.

Sec. 8. Department of Commerce.  The Secretary of Commerce shall
carry out the standards responsibilities under the Computer
Security Act of 1987, as amended by the Information Technology
Act, taking into consideration the recommendations of the
agencies, the CIO Council, and the Services Board.

Sec. 9. Department of State. (a) The Secretary of State shall be
responsible for liaison, consultation, and negotiation with
foreign governments and intergovernmental organizations on all
matters related to information resources management, including
Federal information technology.  The Secretary shall further
ensure, in consultation with the Secretary of Commerce, that the
United States is represented in the development of international
standards and recommendations affecting information technology. 
In the exercise of these responsibilities, the Secretary shall
consult, as appropriate, with affected domestic agencies,
organizations, and other members of the public.
  (b) The Secretary of State shall advise the Director on the
development of United States positions and policies on
international information policy and technology issues affecting
Federal Government activities and the development of
international information technology standards.

Sec. 10. Definitions. (a) "Executive agency" has the meaning
given to that term in section 4(1) of the Office of Federal
Procurement Policy Act (41 U.S.C. 403(1)).
  (b) "Information Technology" has the meaning given that term in
section 5002 of the Information Technology Act.

  (c) "Information resources" has the meaning given that term in
section 3502(6) of title 44, United States Code.

  (d) "Information resources management" has the meaning given
that term in section 3502(7) of title 44, United States Code.

  (e) "Information system" has the meaning given that term in
section 3502(8) of title 44, United States Code.

  (f) "Affinity group" means any interagency group focussed on a
business or technology area with common information technology or
customer requirements.  The functions of an affinity group can
include identifying common program goals and requirements;
identifying opportunities for sharing information to improve
quality and effectiveness; reducing costs and burden on the
public; and recommending protocols and other standards, including
security standards, to the National Institute of Standards and
Technology for Governmentwide applicability, for action in
accordance with the Computer Security Act of 1987, as amended by
the Information Technology Act.

  (g) "National security system" means any telecommunications or
information system operated by the United States Government, the
function, operation, or use of which (1) involves intelligence
activities; (2) involves cryptologic activities related to
national security; (3) involves command and control of military
forces; (4) involves equipment that is an integral part of a
weapon or weapons system; or (5) is critical to the direct
fulfillment of military or intelligence missions, but excluding
any system that is to be used for routine administrative and
business applications (including payroll, finance, logistics, and
personnel management applications).

Sec. 11. Applicability to National Security Systems.

The heads of executive agencies shall apply the policies and
procedures established in this order to national security systems
in a manner consistent with the applicability and related
limitations regarding such systems set out in the Information
Technology Act.

Sec. 12. Judicial Review.  Nothing in this Executive order shall
affect any otherwise available judicial review of agency action. 
This Executive order is intended only to improve the internal
management to the executive branch and does not create any right
or benefit, substantive or procedural, enforceable at law or
equity by a party against the United States its agencies or
instrumentalities, its officers or employees, or any other
person.

                         /s/William J. Clinton


THE WHITE HOUSE,
July 16, 1996.