It won't surprise any IT manager in this social networking age that the 1995 Paperwork Reduction Act is an obstacle to transparent government. And many support the need for a rewrite.

"The emergence of social media tools has called attention to the need for more updated language in the PRA," said Linda Travers, acting CIO for the Environmental Protection Agency. "There needs to be a federalwide process to identify the issues and make recommendations so ultimately the PRA can either be amended, or revisions made to its interpretive guidance."

The law has many hoops to jump through. For example, there are rules to collecting public feedback through online polls and surveys. It's a cumbersome process that is likely to hurt the president's goal of using the Internet to seek input from citizens, consultants told nextgov.com.

The bottom line, according to the Federal Web Managers Council, is that the Office of Management and Budget should issue exceptions to the PRA, such as how to use online surveys to gauge public opinion.

For more on revising the Paperwork Reduction Act:
- check out this nextgov.com article