Release Date: July 2002

Newly-Designed FirstGov.gov Named One of Top 50 Most Useful Web Sites

Site Noted as Biggest Surprise Addition for 2002

WASHINGTON, D.C. - The government portal FirstGov.gov is one of the "50 Most Incredibly Useful Web sites" according to the July 2002 edition of Yahoo Internet Life released Monday. The FirstGov.gov Web site can be found at www.firstgov.gov, or through links at the White House homepage (www.whitehouse.gov) and the new OMB Web site (www.omb.gov).

"FirstGov.gov is a big part of President's vision to make the government more accessible and responsive to citizens, and it's just the beginning," said Mark Forman, Associate Director for Information Technology and E-Government at the Office of Management and Budget (OMB).

Yahoo Internet Life cited FirstGov.gov as the most surprising addition to the year's list of top Web sites and praises the site for the availability and accessibility of government information. "It's now a cinch to get passport applications, birth and marriage certificates, change of address forms and online tax payment information, right from the homepage," the article noted.

A United Nations report last month announced the United States as the world leader in using the Internet to deliver information and services to citizens. According to the report, "No government offers greater online access to official information than the United States."

Less than four months ago on February 27, 2002, the Vice President re-launched the FirstGov Web site as an interagency initiative administered by the General Services Administration (GSA). FirstGov.gov, an official gateway to U.S government information, grants access to more than 26 million web pages from federal and state governments.

E-Government is an integral part of the President's Management Agenda to make it easier for citizens and businesses to interact with the government, save taxpayer dollars and streamline citizen-to-government transactions. This vision aims to provide access to online government services and information within three clicks of a mouse making government more citizen-centric and results oriented.

# # # #

Executive Office of the President
Office of Management and Budget
Washington DC 20503

2002-38

Return to Feature Releases