Two Of Rep. Nancy Mace's Bills To End Wasteful IT Spending And Modernize Cybersecurity Hiring Pass Committee Unanimously

WASHINGTON, D.C. (Feb. 4, 2026) – Today, Congresswoman Nancy Mace, Chairwoman of the Subcommittee on Cybersecurity, Information Technology, and Government Innovation, announced two of her bipartisan bills to modernize and strengthen federal technology and the cybersecurity workforce passed unanimously out of the House Oversight Committee.

The Modernizing Government Technology Reform Act (H.R. 2985) and the Cybersecurity Hiring Modernization Act (H.R. 5000) are crucial steps to bring the federal government's outdated technology and cybersecurity workforce into the 21st century.

"For too long, the federal government has relied on obsolete IT systems which waste taxpayer dollars and create security risks, while also missing out on talented cybersecurity professionals due to outdated hiring requirements," said Congresswoman Mace. "These bipartisan bills will bring much-needed accountability, identify outdated technology and update our technology systems, and modernize our hiring practices to recruit the best talent based on skills, not credentials."

The Modernizing Government Technology Reform Act reforms and reauthorizes the Technology Modernization Fund (TMF) and its governing board, the Technology Modernization Board (TMB). The bill includes several measures to improve the administration of the TMF and ensure program operations adhere to original congressional intent. The bill requires TMF awards to be reimbursed at the level needed to ensure the Fund is operational until it sunsets in December 2032 and creates a new requirement agencies reimburse administrative fees. The bill also requires each agency to create an inventory of its legacy IT systems, a new oversight tool which will allow Congress to evaluate agency and government-wide priority items for legacy IT modernization and to assess how well the TMF does in funding these projects. Finally, this bill reauthorizes the TMF and TMB and establishes a December 2032 sunset. Read more HERE.

The Cybersecurity Hiring Modernization Act prohibits the use of mandatory education requirements in hiring for federal cyber security-related positions, except when legally required to perform the job in the State or locality where it is located. The bill also narrows the ability of federal agencies to use a candidates’ education credentials alone to satisfy minimum qualifications for a federal cybersecurity jobs and requires OPM annually publish online changes to education qualification standards for federal cybersecurity jobs, and information about the education level of new hires to these jobs. Read moreHERE. 

The legislation will advance to the House floor for consideration.

###