CBO Scores the 21st Century IDEA (HR 5759)

The 21st Century IDEA (HR 5759) would require agencies to update their websites, increase the use of electronic forms, implement the use of e-signatures, standardize information technology (IT) throughout the federal government, and improve the overall government IT experience for users. From Congressional Budget Office’s review of the current federal digital environment, it is not clear that agencies would take any extra steps to implement HR 5759 beyond those measures already under way or planned. In CBO’s view, implementing HR 5759 would not lead to additional costs beyond those already expected. If agencies did respond to the legislation with greater efforts to expand electronic forms and signatures and generally enhance IT services, those efforts would probably involve discretionary costs of at least $100 million over the next five years. An expenditure of that scale evenly distributed across 20 major federal department and agencies would average $1 million per year for five years for each department or agency.