Needed by Congress: Content Management 101

Today, Jan/Feb 2007 by Bolita, Dan

First some background

Stuart W. Bowen has a demanding job. Mr. Bowen serves as the Special Inspector General for Iraq Reconstruction (SIGIR). Bowen's mission includes the oversight of more than $22 billion that comprise the Iraq Relief and Reconstruction Fund (IRRF). The IRRF was established by our U.S. Congress to rebuild Iraq's infrastructure. (If TAWPI ever enjoys a budget exceeding $20 billion, the members might reasonably expect to have someone in Mr. Bowen's capacity making sure the funds were being spent wisely).

Mr. Bowen, it seems, is more than a watchdog, he is a bulldog. As a result of the efforts of his team, many instances of corruption have been exposed, and there have been several convictions for fraud. Sadly, government contractors are apparently not all as honest as we might hope. (Details of some of the more flagrant abuses can be found in the audit reports available at www.sigir.mil).

For his efforts, Bowen's office was awarded the Better Government Award "for demonstrating integrity, determination, and courage in providing independent oversight and unbiased review of the U.S. reconstruction efforts in Iraq." The award states that, "SIGIR's efforts greatly increased the public's confidence in government by detecting fraud, waste, and abuse..." (I didn't know there was a "Better Government Award" maybe they don't get a chance to bestow it very often).

Imagine their surprise

Despite the fact that Mr. Bowen has proven to be more than diligent in discovering misuses of taxpayer funds, his office faces premature termination. A provision was quietly added to the defense bill Congress approved in September, (a week before the recent election) which eliminates Bowen's office on October 1,2007. According to Senator Susan Collins (R-Maine) the provision was "slipped in without notice." Published reports have named staffers of Representative Duncan Hunter (R-California) as the source.

To her credit, Senator Collins has been actively working to file bills that would reverse the now-pending termination. It seems quite probable that by the time this issue goes to press, Mr. Bowen's office will have been restored. Such is the value of public scrutiny.

However, back to the "slipped in without notice" part... Whaaaaat? Don't our lawmakers have audit trails, version controls, or any of a number of other readily available content management systems? Don't they read the bills they sign into law? What else is getting slipped in? And, come to think of it, who gets to slip these things in anyway? Are our pending laws just lying around on desks at night where anyone with a pen can come along and jot in a few changes?

Of course, these concerns need not only apply to the U.S. Congress. The problem of document access, version control, and audit trails exist in any organization. Perhaps we should view the follies of our elected officials as early warning systems for our own information shortcomings.

Dan Bolita, ICP

TODAY Editor