E-Gov Hits a Snag.

This article reports on the development of an electronic government reform plan in the U.S. as of April 1, 2005. Some experts worry that when it comes to a digital government that could save money and streamline operations, there exists a decided lack of direction and interest. The American Customer Satisfaction Index E-Gov Report, released by ForeSee Results in December 2004, revealed that satisfaction of U.S. citizens with government Web sites showed a steady increase from the third quarter to the fourth quarter of 2004. The Office of Management and Budget declared in its Expanding E-Government report that the federal government is delivering results through expansion and adoption of electronic government principles. The U.S. Government Accountability Office issued a statement concluding that federal agencies had met the requirements of the E-Gov Act of 2002. Market research company Input released a report saying that spending on e-government would increase from $4 billion in fiscal 2004 to nearly $6 billion in fiscal 2009. The E-Gov Act of 2002 called for $345 million over the next five years. Yet U.S. Congress delivered only $5 million in fiscal 2003, $3 million in fiscal 2004 and just $5 million in fiscal 2005.