HSPD-12 deadline nears

OMB plans meeting to gauge compliance

• By Rob Thormeyer
• Oct 18, 2006

With the deadline for agencies to begin issuing new identity cards literally days away, the Office of Management and Budget is preparing to take the pulse of where agencies stand.

OMB deputy director Clay Johnson will meet with a collection of high-ranking agency officials responsible for implementing Homeland Security Presidential Directive-12 next week, OMB spokeswoman Andrea Wuebker said.

The meeting will focus on how agencies are progressing on their ability to issue smart cards by Oct. 27, as OMB has mandated, Wuebker said.

'We have made significant progress meeting our goals to strengthen homeland security,' she said. 'In those areas where challenges still exist, we are focusing special attention.'

Under HSPD-12, signed in August 2004, agencies must be capable of issuing smart ID cards compliant with government standards to new employees and contractors by Oct. 27. The cards must be issued to all government employees by October 2008.

OMB has encouraged agencies to use shared-services providers ' either the General Services Administration or the Interior Department's National Business Center.

While several have taken that route, a number of agencies, including the Labor, Health and Human Services, and State departments, are planning on meeting the deadline on their own.