The Republican-led House has passed its own version of a bill that would cut federal funding to online platforms hosting government websites.
The bill, which passed in a 228-205 vote Thursday, would make it harder for companies to host government Web sites.
It would also limit the ability of government websites to host their own content.
The House bill, sponsored by Reps.
John Ratcliffe (R-Texas) and Don Young (R – Utah), is being considered by the Senate, where it faces an uncertain future.
It was first introduced in March, but the House has since passed its version of the legislation, which would limit funding for government websites by cutting $50 billion from the National Science Foundation and $25 billion from other federal programs.
The GOP bill would also make it more difficult for companies with a government contract to have their websites host their content, said Tom White, vice president of public policy at the Association of Private Sector Web Hosting (APSI).
The bill would require that a company with a federal contract or other contractual obligation have an active contract with the government.
The Republican bill would have been a boon to companies hosting government Web pages, according to White, who is also an attorney.
He said it would have made it harder to get federal funds for hosting websites.
It has also created a regulatory environment where it’s difficult to do business with private companies, he said.
“The idea of this bill is it makes it harder, not easier, for companies that want to do government Web hosting,” White said.APSI has been working to promote government Web hostship through an online platform called the Government-Hosted Web Services Association, which has about 1,200 members and serves about 1 million government sites.
The company says it has more than 5,000 members and is helping government sites host their sites and provide the information needed to host sites on the Web.
The bill passed the House by a vote of 227-198.
House Speaker Paul Ryan (R.-Wis.) said in a statement that the House bill “has the support of the entire House of Representatives.
It will provide the Congress with a strong tool to ensure the best possible Web site hosting for the American people.
The bipartisan legislation will also allow Congress to strengthen and protect the nation’s cybersecurity.”
The Associated Press contributed to this report.