32 Important considerations are the operating system versions in use, data storage standards for directories and file structure, storage media and strategy for management of files by frequency of use. The Working Group will need to relate current practices to a global view of servers in order to project future technology decisions and directions. Security The Working Group must and will be sensitive to the implications that modern system and telecommunications technologies pose for securing the confidentiality and reliability of the information and communications shared between agencies of the legislative branch, as well as with the public. In fact, numerous discussions among CapNet implementation teams have focused on the differences among the agencies both in terms of policies and missions as related to security issues. Despite these differences, it is essential that users be assured that they are receiving data that is verified and authenticated. Differences in the missions of the legislative branch organizations make issues of security particularly thorny. The degree of security required can vary among agencies. It will be necessary that the Working Group establish a subteam to work cooperatively to ensure that each design solution considered will satisfy the variety of security and access concerns that exist within the branch. The system will be designed and implemented with consideration of the unique security requirements of each Legislative Branch agency, and with consideration given to the difference in their missions. Ultimately, each legislative agency must be confident that it can protect itself to whatever level the organization requires, based on the inevitable tradeoffs between services offered and resources required. The Working Group will examine the alternatives and find reasonable compromises and/or solutions to the level of security required of the system and the institutions. SUGGESTED SCHEDULE The outline below suggests the basic tasks that must be undertaken each year. Completion of the system proposed in this plan and its general availability in all congressional offices will require several years. The schedule for the project will be significantly affected by the time required to 1) upgrade the workstations in House and Senate offices 2) develop and implement new data coding standards and procedures 3) develop all the required capabilities in the new retrieval system and 4) provide adequate security. Nevertheless, the nature of technology in use within the House and Senate and the support agencies allows for an iterative development cycle that permits the release of new features and files as soon as they are available. This means that congressional staff will be able to use each new capability as early as possible, assuming they have a workstation that will support the system, without having to wait for the entire plan to be complete. 1996 33 1. Charter and establish the Working Group. 2. Share and review current development plans. 3. Establish priorities for 1996. 4. Gather user requirements. 5. Establish data standards. 6. Establish guidelines for data coordination and system integration. 7. Approve specific development work. 8. Place emphasis on rapid prototyping, iterative development, early production use and testing. 1997 1. Collect user feedback. 2. Establish priorities for 1997 3. Continue development work. 4. Establish integrated, synchronized databases. 5. Begin retirement of legacy systems. 1998 1. Continue retirement of legacy systems. 2. Collect user feedback. 3. Establish priorities for 1998 4. Continue development. At this point items 2-4 repeat themselves. ESTIMATED COSTS AND STAFFING REQUIREMENTS At this stage of planning for the legislative information system, it is difficult to project costs with any precision. The full scope of this effort first has to be approved or further defined by the committees. The Working Group, supported by the Senior Technical Team, will then have to develop the plan in more detail with time frames for the various phases agreed upon. This effort will obviously be multi-phased over several years. The staff resources available to all of the Legislative Branch organizations that will be tasked to build this system are clearly a critical issue. For this plan, the Library has assumed that the system will have to built within existing resources approved by Congress. The time frame for completion of specific elements of the system will therefore have to be adjusted based upon the staff and financial resources available. Equally important, participating organizations will have to be able to manage their resources to allow them to fulfill their other mandated and priority mission functions. It will be a significant challenge to build the proposed legislative information system with existing, and probably declining resources. With the 34 explosive growth of information technology throughout the country, the demand for staff with the technical skills needed to build the new legislative information system for Congress has become highly competitive. These market pressures are exacerbated by the fact that some of Congress' most experienced and skilled technical staff will be eligible for retirement during the time this system is being developed. While contracting for technical support is one option, the cost of such contracting is usually higher during the near term, especially because the skills needed are in such high demand, and will almost certainly be higher for the period when the system will be built. These forces make it especially important that Congress' technical groups be able to retain their skilled staff. In addition, these staffing constraints underscore the importance of a collaborative effort to create the system. It will take an enormous effort, and it will require the experience and special talents of all of the Legislative Branch agencies working together. With respect to the Library, it should be pointed out that it is redesigning its text-based information systems for its own purposes which include enhancing support of CRS in their role in serving Congress. In undertaking to support a broader range of Congressional requirements, the Library will be leveraging its own efforts. To minimize costs, the strategy is to use shared technology whenever possible. For example, the work being done for the National Digital Library program, the replacement of SCORPIO, and the Global Legal Information Network will be based on the same technology strategy, e.g. open systems, client server, the Inquery Search Engine, Web Browsers, and the Internet. We would expect that this technology approach would be compatible with the approach of other appropriate Legislative Branch participants. NEXT STEPS As noted in the Introduction, it is important to begin the process of coordinating the separate system initiatives under way within the Legislative Branch as soon as possible. Otherwise, this rare opportunity for significantly reducing duplication of effort will be lost. The committees may well wish to obtain additional comments on this plan from other offices and agencies of the legislature and from commercial vendors through an invitation for comment or through a hearing. These additional comments will undoubtedly prove useful in considering this plan. Timing is also important, however, both to continue progress and to ensure effective coordination of effort. The Library therefore recommends that the committees determine whether they wish to approve and implement this plan in its current or in a modified form by the end of the current fiscal year. APPENDIX A: HOUSE PLANS Plans for Retirement of MIN and ISIS In fulfilling the Committee's mandate to retire MIN and ISIS by porting the data and functionality to a World Wide Web browser environment, H.I.R. will leverage its investment in these systems. H.I.R. is currently working on an overall strategy to retire MIN and ISIS services and identify migration paths to new services. The strategy involves developing and delivering services in an incremental effort, over the coming year. H.I.R. has already developed a pilot Web-based access to all of its Newswire and Periodical services. Additionally, a House Votes service has been developed and linked with extensive Bill information. The House Votes service accesses H.I.R. data sources and is linked with the Congressional Record and Full Text of Legislation in the Library of Congress THOMAS Web system. H.I.R. will continue to migrate MIN and ISIS services which can be quickly and effectively implemented via the Web. These services may not be the final answer, and as new efforts come on line, these services would merge with the new ones, or be entirely replaced by the new ones if appropriate. H.I.R. is taking this approach, because it can immediately meet the Committee on House Oversight mandates. The CyberCongress At the start of the 104th Congress, a vision was established for a CyberCongress - a shift to a new third wave paradigm built on communication, networking, and computing technologies. The essence of the vision is to remove restrictions of time and space for Members, committees and staff allowing them the flexibility to perform their work at the best time and best place. At the same time and using the same technologies, timely access to House information and activities would be available. This vision manifests itself in three areas: legislative process, constituent participation, and staff support. Key elements are: Legislative Process Focused, more productive Legislative Branch information research programs, for example: Time-sensitive legislative information such as amendment text, text of rules, and reports accompanying bills will be made accessible almost immediately. The World Wide Web "hypertext" model will be applied to legislative data allowing Members to easily navigate and drill down to the information they need. Enhanced Communication among Members and staff office, district and home, for example: Universal in-boxes can be implemented allowing access to voice, E-Mail and fax messages from any location or device. A-2 Workstations with built-in video-conferencing capabilities will allow Members to meet with each other, with constituents, and with staff; in Washington, at district offices and at home or remote locations when necessary. Electronic decision support systems for Members, committees and staff, for example: Whip counts can be taken quickly and completely using messagingbased groupware products, two-way pagers and other devices available now. Electronic decision support facilities for committee 'brainstorming' sessions. Constituent Participation Relocation of work and staff to the district, closer to the constituents. Convenient public access to the House via the Internet. Constituent participation through E-Mail, Home Pages, and electronic town meetings and surveys combining the Internet and C-SPAN in unique ways and with minimal effort. Staff Support Tracking of events, initiatives, commitments and staff assignments. Interactive multi-media based legislative and administrative training, and education at the time and place that meets the individual's needs, for example: New staffers will receive an individual multimedia training package tailored to their job and information requirements for use as both a tutorial and a reference. Paperless, workflow-directed office procedures, e.g., vouchers, service requests, even constituent correspondence, for example: Payroll transactions will be initiated electronically, authorized by "electronic signatures" and delivered, processed, and confirmed very rapidly via workflow technology. H.I.R. is taking an aggressive approach to achieving the objectives defined for the CyberCongress. As part of this effort, H.I.R has taken actions to improve the technology infrastructure, worked to help implement the new Equipment Purchase Guidelines, and assisted the Computer and Information Systems Working Group in the evaluation and recommendation of a House messaging system. One important aspect of a new Congressional Legislative Information System is the necessary technical infrastructure to support the demands and |