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Anybody Got A CIO To Spare?
by Liza Porteus
Louisiana is accepting applications for the job of chief information officer (CIO) until Monday. The CIO will head the state's Office of Information Technology (OIT), which was created under a March executive order by Gov. Mike Foster. Foster also signed into law a bill, S.B. 455, that solidifies the duties and staff requirements for the position and OIT.
Former Louisiana CIO Jim DuBos resigned earlier this summer, saying that computer lobbyists have too much influence over state legislators. DuBos was credited with saving the state $100 million on computer purchases.
"The lobby community is rampant in the information technology arena," DuBos said in his resignation letter. "They influence the [legislature] in preparing legislation, which benefits their clients" and protects the status quo, he added.
OIT spokeswoman Sarah Kracke said DuBos "just came under a lot of political pressure and special interests. ... He felt as though he was going to be thwarted every time" he tried to accomplish something.
The state Department of Economic Development is reorganizing and looking to hire nine professionals, one who will specialize on IT issues, and is keeping an eye out for potential CIO candidates, Kracke said.
"Our goal is to hire a new CIO by Sept. 1. We are on track at the moment," Kracke said, adding that OIT has been "overwhelmed" with applications. Some of the applicants include industry executives who are quick to note that although they have ties to the tech industry, they will not let those ties affect the CIO job, Kracke said. She said candidates would not be disregarded because of close ties to the tech sector.
In other Pelican State news, the state Treasury Department went online to accept competitive bids on $24.6 million worth of certificates of deposit (CDs). The department awarded CDs to 13 banks that had placed the highest bids using BidLouisiana, an electronic auction house similar to commercial auction Web sites.
Meanwhile, the state legislature cleared, and Foster signed into law, several tech-related bills before its session ended in June. The bills include:
- S.B.335, which allows birth, death, marriage, divorce and other records maintained by the Department of Health and Hospitals to be accepted via electronic transmissions.
- S.B. 345, which makes it illegal to harass or threaten someone via electronic transmission. Such cyber stalking is punishable by a $1,000 fine and imprisonment.
- S.B. 592, which allows the government to keep secret any documents about the security features of their computer and telecommunications equipment.
- S.B. 956, which allows certain state agencies to accept payment for items like licensing fees and stamps by credit card, debit card and other electronic means.
- S.B. 973, which allows state agencies to implement the use of e-signatures.
- H.B. 363, which applies probation fees paid by sex offenders toward the costs of maintaining a database on sex offenders.
- H.B. 669, which criminalizes computer tampering.
- H.B. 888, which enacts the Uniform Electronic Transactions Act, a model law for giving e-signatures legal status at the state level.
- H.B. 988, which calls for the electronic filing of tax returns.
- H.B. 994, which allows Louisiana to enter into an agreement on sales and use taxes with other states in an attempt to streamline state tax systems and tax online transactions.
- H.B. 1196, which authorizes an electronic bid system for certain state projects.
- H.B. 1391, which expands current law on mobile telecommunications to cover technologies such as personal digital assistants.
- H.B. 1736, which prohibits the registration of a domain name using another living person's name without consent.
- H.B. 1899, which allows electronic records to be used as evidence.
Zoellick To Visit Iowa
U.S. Trade Representative Robert Zoellick will visit the Iowa State Fair next week as part of a five-day international trade tour led by Sen. Charles Grassley, R-Iowa, to promote presidential trade-negotiating authority. Agricultural negotiator Allen Johnson also will travel to Des Moines.
Grassley will hold a news conference with Zoellick Monday afternoon. During the tour, Grassley will take ambassadors and diplomats from 53 countries to Iowa. Last year, Iowa exported $3.26 billion worth of merchandise.
Meanwhile, the U.S. Chamber of Commerce and the Detroit Regional Chamber are cosponsoring a Detroit Regional Trade Forum on Monday to highlight the importance of free trade to Michigan's economic growth. Rep. Joe Knollenberg, R-Mich., will be among the speakers.
Study Ranks States For Online Services
The Center for Digital Government on Monday released a study ranking the 50 states for the return on their technology investments in the areas of revenue/taxation and e-commerce/business regulation.
Indiana and North Carolina ranked No.1 for their technology utilization in delivering tax and revenue services. Other top finishers included Illinois, Kansas, Wisconsin, New York, North Dakota, Delaware, Nebraska and Texas.
Maryland captured the top spot as the most progressive state for technology use in the business sector. It was the only state to score 100 percent in the category. The other top finishers were Maine, Arizona, Florida, Illinois, Pennsylvania, Washington, Alaska, Indiana, Nevada, New Jersey, Ohio, Utah and Virginia.
The study shows that of the 49 states responding, all offer online forms that can be downloaded by businesses and citizens, 48 offer tax forms online, 36 allow citizens to pay taxes online and 42 have electronic storage and retrieval systems for tax and revenue data, according to Government Technology.
Gubernatorial Faces And Places
Michigan Gov. John Engler became chairman of the National Governors Association (NGA) on Tuesday, and Kentucky Gov. Paul Patton became vice chairman at NGA's summer meeting in Providence, R.I.
The governors also tapped Alabama Gov. Don Siegelman and Nebraska Gov. Mike Johanns as chairman and vice chairman of the Committee on Economic Development. And Missouri Gov. Bob Holden and Wyoming Gov. Jim Geringer will lead the e-Governance task force, while Patton and Massachusetts Gov. Jane Swift will take charge of the postsecondary education task force.
Meanwhile, members of the Western Governors' Association are preparing for their annual meeting in Coeur d'Alene, Idaho, beginning Saturday. Among other things, the governors will discuss new opportunities for using technology in the classroom, barriers to implementing technology programs and methods to improve educational assessment and student learning. Mary Cullinane of Microsoft, Jim Dolan of Wireless Information Networks and Cathy Lipe of Hewlett-Packard will participate in that forum.
Midwest Legislators Adopt Election-Reform Policy
The Midwestern Legislative Conference ended its annual meeting in Lincoln, Neb., this week. The meeting featured discussions on higher education, workforce development and technology-led economic development.
The conference also adopted a resolution recognizing that election administration should remain principally a function of state and local governments, and that urges Congress to refrain from mandating election procedures. The resolution also says the best way the federal government can aid states in reform is by providing funding.
Pending legislation that seeks to impose more federal mandates "would only jeopardize the ability of state and local election administrators to effectively address election issues," reads the resolution. Copies will be sent to Congress and the Bush administration.
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