GAO Recommends Fixes to Federal Response to Tech Diversity, Cybersecurity, AV Planning

GAO released a trio of reports Thursday critical of agencies' tech policy-related practices, calling for the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission and the Department of Labor’s Office of Federal Contract Compliance Programs to take further steps to enforce equal employment opportunity and affirmative action in the sector. The report, sought by Rep. Bobby Scott, D-Va., found EEOC and Labor made progress in enforcing those goals but need to go further. GAO reported the percentage of Hispanic workers in tech remains low and that of black employees hasn't risen in a “statistically significant” way. The report recommended the OFCCP require more specific placement goals for racial minorities and women by qualifying contractors. “Without taking steps to address these issues, OFCCP may miss opportunities to hold contractors responsible for complying with affirmative action and nondiscrimination requirements,” the report said. EEOC neither agreed nor disagreed with the recommendations, and OFCCP said there need to be regulatory changes for it to push further improvements. The Department of Transportation should “develop a comprehensive plan to better manage departmental initiatives related to automated vehicles,” said another report. The department has made some progress in this area, including issuing voluntary guidance in September that suggests a framework for industry-led safety testing, the report said: Without a comprehensive plan, “it is unclear whether DOT’s efforts are adequately tackling automated vehicle challenges.” DOT agreed with the recommendation. Meanwhile, DOD should update its cyber incident coordination training and maintain a list of officials trained in the National Incident Management System, said in a third report. That's necessary given President Donald Trump's decision to elevate the U.S. Cyber Command to a unified combatant command, GAO said. It will help DOD as it continues to plan how to support civil authorities in responding to cyber incidents, the report said.