From the highest levels of leadership, Enterprise Architecture (EA) is recognized as a key in developing a responsive, efficient and effective Federal Government.

Below is a list of laws and policies that mandate or influence the use of EA in the Federal government.

CPIC is a systematic approach to selecting, managing, and evaluating information technology investments. CPIC is mandated by the Clinger Cohen Act of 1996(see this link for details), which requires federal agencies to focus more on the results achieved through information technology (IT) investments while streamlining the federal IT procurement process.

Additional information regarding this Departmental Regulation can be found here: USDA Information and Technology Transformation.

Requires Federal Government to provide electronic and information technology that is accessible to assistive technology. Procurement of IT and IT services must follow the technical standards and provide accessible documentation. System development must adhere to legislation from initial design phase and the testing process should be followed throughout the development phase.

More details can be found on the Section 508 wiki page (internal use only).

The ESS environment is a strategic component of both USDA's Enterprise Architecture and its vision of business transformation. ESS provides a common technical infrastructure to support the development, delivery and management of Web-based information and services, and USDA documents and records. It includes, but is not limited to: the Enterprise Portal; Web Content, Collaboration and Document/Records Management tools; Taxonomy; Common Employee Database; the "Google" search engine; and Web presentation standards.

Additional information regarding this Departmental Regulation can be found here: USDA Enterprise Shared Services (ESS).

The USDA eAuthentication Service is a strategic component of USDA’s eGovernment vision and USDA's Enterprise Architecture to provide common authentication and authorization services for Web-based applications. USDA agencies will use the USDA eAuthentication Service to implement authentication and authorization capabilities for all Web-based applications. This policy applies only to Web-based applications. Additional information can be found at the eAuthentication Integration Services Support site (internal users only).

The USDA Web Style Guide defines guidelines and standards for look, feel and navigation to promote consistency while also improving the overall user experience. The guide will help reinforce and protect the integrity of the USDA brand. Therefore, it is critical that designers and developers use this guide to better understand how to apply the new USDA Web standards to all public-facing agency and staff office Web sites and Web-based applications. Additional information can be found at USDA Style Guide.

Additional information regarding this Departmental Regulation can be found here: Web Site Development and Maintenance.

The USDA Electronic Learning (eLearning) Initiative is a strategic component of USDA's eGovernment vision and USDA's Enterprise Architecture to provide a common learning management system and related services. This Departmental Regulation documents USDA's eLearning policy, framework, roles and responsibilities. Policies in this Departmental Regulation are defined around USDA's enterprise architecture and investment strategies.

Additional information regarding this Departmental Regulation can be found here: USDA eLearning Services, Courseware and Content.

The purpose of the Act is to minimize the paperwork burden the Federal Government places on the public and to improve the quality and use of Federal information.

The Act also requires each Federal Agency to seek and obtain OMB's approval before requesting information from ten (10) or more persons. Furthermore, any reporting, recordkeeping or disclosure requirement contained in a rule is deemed to involve ten (10) or more persons.

OMB approval is also needed to continue a collection for which OMB's approval and the validity of the OMB Control Number are about to expire. OMB usually approves a collection for a maximum of three (3) years.

Additional information and forms can be found here: Paperwork Reduction Act

Defined EA and requires that it be integrated with IT Capital Planning and Security. Gives the Office of Management and Budget (OMB) responsibilities for the Federal Enterprise Architecture.

Defines information security responsibilities for Federal Government departments.

An executive strategy for improving the management of government, which includes a variety of E-Government initiatives.

Federal budget apportionment regulation that includes requirements for EA.

Federal policy on the management and stewardship of information by Federal Government departments.

A tool to assess and improve the EA efforts of Federal Government departments.

The USDA SDLC mandates the use of an SDLC that meets the departmental framework it defines. The FSA SDLC has been demonstrated to meet these requirements.

Refer to the OMB web site for more information.