 | |
| |
TechnologyDaily Mobile
The State Tech Policy Agenda In 2007
by Michael Martinez
The past year has been a busy one on the technology front for state lawmakers, and it already appears that tech-related issues will continue to occupy crucial time when legislators head back to work next year.
Technology Daily reported earlier this fall on a few issues that will play prominently in several states in upcoming legislative sessions, including new rules for video franchises and the push to comply with a federal mandate for standardized driver's licenses. Here are other debates to watch for in 2006.
America Votes: Paper Or Pixels -- Or Both?
Balloting troubles in several states this year, particularly during the primaries, means that e-voting will stay on the radar for the foreseeable future. About two dozens states already have laws that require e-voting machines to produce voter-verified paper trails for confirming ballots, and some observers want a national mandate.
A legal dispute over a hotly contested congressional race in Florida is likely to inspire lawmakers in states that do not yet require paper trails to consider such bills. In that race, Democrat Christine Jennings sued for a new election after she lost to Republican Vern Buchanan by just 369 votes. Her suit claims that the Nov. 7 election was marred by machine malfunctions. Election officials in Sarasota County have not yet been able to explain an 18,000-vote discrepancy between those tallied in the congressional race and others on the ballot last month.
Doug Chapin of Electionline.org said the race will have a significant impact on the thinking of election officials and lawmakers in other states. "The Florida situation certainly has made paper trails the 'cause celebre,'" Chapin said. "Somebody might drop a bill in every state that doesn't already have a law."
Lawmakers in Georgia already are examining the issue. The state currently operates on a fleet of direct-recording electronic machines, but voters in three jurisdictions tested a system that produced paper records. State Rep. Tim Bearden last month introduced a bill to require all of his state's machines to do the same. Public hearings are scheduled throughout Georgia this month.
In Texas, meanwhile, state Reps. David Liebowitz and Aaron Pena have pre-filed proposals that lawmakers will examine next session. Pena authored a similar bill last session that died at the committee level.
"It's sad because we had $3.9 billion that was sent to the states for the upgrading of the old punch-ballot system," he said in an interview earlier this year with the Capitol Annex, a Web log.
The issue also is likely to gain traction in Florida. Voters in Sarasota County approved a ballot measure Nov. 7 to require that machines there produce paper trails. Pressure already is being put on the legislature for a statewide solution.
"There's a legitimate question about how could 18,000 votes vanish or not be recorded," incoming state House Speaker Marc Rubio told The Miami Herald last month. "We should be in favor of any measures we can take to make sure that never happens again, and that people have faith in the elections system."
The Battle Over Explicit Videogames
State lawmakers also have attempted to ban children's access to violent and sexually explicit videogames, and despite a string of court rulings that have overturned such statutes, lawmakers are likely to continue to push bills next year.
Last week, courts overturned laws in Illinois and Louisiana that would have prohibited sales of restricted games to children. The videogame industry thus far is undefeated in its legal battles against such statutes. In the past two years, laws also have been blocked in California, Minnesota, Michigan and Oklahoma.
But legislators are undeterred. Earlier this fall, Utah lawmakers approved in committee a bill that would make selling restricted games to children punishable by up to five years in jail.
State Rep. Scott Wyatt, the bill's sponsor, told The Deseret News that the bill has been tailored narrowly enough to withstand constitutional scrutiny. Others have questioned whether it is worth picking another legal fight with the videogame industry.
"I certainly applaud the efforts and the sentiment to protect our kids. I think that is absolutely valid and an honorable goal," state Sen. Scott McCoy, a Democrat, told the same newspaper. "But I think it is incumbent on us to at least acknowledge that there are some high legal hurdles that stand in our way. ... Is this the way that we want to spend taxpayers' money?"
State Sen. Julia Boseman, the sponsor of a videogame bill in North Carolina, also intends to push it again when legislative business resumes in the Tar Heel State. Her staff said last week that she is modifying the measure in light of court battles. And this week, city lawmakers in the District of Columbia are expected to vote on a videogames measure authored by Mayor-elect Adrian Fenty.
Other Blips On The Tech Policy Radar
Lawmakers also are likely to address various other tech-related issues. Some policymakers already are sharing their ideas for when they return to work. In Florida, Rubio has been advertising a book of 100 ideas generated by his Republican colleagues as the launching pad for his tenure as Speaker. The book was released last month.
The ideas include measures to deny registered sex offenders access to social-networking Web sites, boost consumer protections against identity theft and enhance laws against child pornography. The last item calls for the establishment of nationwide online "idea bank" to help policymakers track the successes and failures of their respective initiatives.
At a press conference to unveil 20 of the proposals last month, Rubio said he and his colleagues tried to craft solutions to problems "real people worry about over the water cooler, over the dinner table, on the way to work."
Other lawmakers are turning to their federal colleagues for inspiration. In Oklahoma, state Sen. Randy Brogdon and Rep. Paul Wesselhoft are pushing a bill to build a statewide spending database. It is similar to a new law authored by U.S. Sen. Tom Coburn, R-Okla., to allow the online tracking of federal spending.
"Transparency will reduce misuse of state funds and ultimately increase taxpayer trust in the government," Wesselhoft said in a statement. "When citizens can go to a Web site and see exactly how their tax money is being spent, it can only serve to eliminate waste and increase public trust."
NEW FEATURE
-Advertisement-
-Advertisement-
-Advertisement-
