**GAO-01-1100**                      Published: Sep 28, 2001. Publicly Released: Sep 28, 2001.                  

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## Highlights

The Government Paperwork Elimination Act requires federal agencies to give the public the option by October 2003 of submitting, maintaining, and disclosing required information in electronic rather than paper format. The Office of Management and Budget (OMB) is responsible for overseeing executive branch efforts to comply with the act. Although the October 2000 implementation plans contained much useful information, GAO also found omissions and inconsistencies. Electronic options for many activities are not planned until 2003 at the earliest, and electronic options for other activities are not scheduled at all. As a result, many agencies are at risk of failing the meet the act's deadlines. The October 2000 implementation plans did not provide enough information on agencies' strategic actions, such as prioritizing conversions on the basis of achievability and net benefit, that would minimize the risk of noncompliance. Given these shortcomings, OMB's oversight efforts will be challenging. Without better information, agency progress in achieving the act's goals cannot be accurately assessed.

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## Topics

Government Operations

E-governmentElectronic data interchangeInformation technologyInternetPaperwork reductionProductivity in governmentReporting requirementsFederal agenciesDatabase management systemsElectronic signatures