2002 congress passed the E-Government Act. It mandated that the approximately 300 federal entities that can make rules expose those rules in a modernized way and also specified that regulations in draft will be exposed so comments can be solicited.
The government's response: OMB and CIO's from throughout the government established an eRulemaking solution that required extensive IT planning, engineering and the fielding of a new IT system. The eRulemaking Initiative's Federal Docket Management System (FDMS) was created to provide an online public docket and comment system which expands public access to read and comment on Federal Agency rulemaking. Although it is a centralized system, agencies were given an ability to manage content and workflow related to their own regulations. Scalable web-based solutions that enable users in government and also citizens to find and read proposed legislation and supporting documents was provided.
And they did this in a way that was way under budget and delivered on time. And its functionality exceeded all expectations. Which is GREAT!
As an IT professional, this is the really neat part that bears repeating. This project, which is very complex and IT intensive, was delivered under budget and on time. Additionally, its capabilities far
exceeded the expectations of everyone involved.
If you haven't heard of FDMS, maybe it is because it was widely successful. To frequently the only programs that make news are those that don't deliver on expectations. That means IT heros, like Pat Micielli of EPA who led this program, frequently don't get the recognition they deserve for the great things they do.
I hope I've gotten your curiosity up a bit on what Pat accomplished. If you are a citizen of the US you should be very proud of this one. So check out http://regulations.gov for a first hand look. You will see a single interface into approximately 1.5 million documents. Don't worry, there is a way you can navigate through these without looking at each individual record. Just dive in and give it a try. Search for a term like "data center energy"and view the results or narrow them down by agency. Or click on those in the range of comment period you are interested in. which ever selection you pick, notice how all the other facets of the search change as you do. See how you can guide through the results and how the results keep giving you options for refining results? After you try it this way, can you imagine doing it any other way?
Government users are giving more access (there are nearly 4 million records accessible only by federal agency users on FDMS.gov).
Overall, as a CTO and an admirer of technologists at the large agencies, I enjoy pointing this out and really admire what these folks have done. Great Job! And as a citizen-- Thanks!
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