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Virginia Aims To Reform Tech Spending
by Maureen Sirhal
Virginia Gov. Mark Warner has announced a government consolidation plan aimed at closing the state's budget gap and ensuring fiscal responsibility, and the Old Dominion's information technology infrastructure could change as a result.
"We will begin this reform agenda with a series of sweeping changes in how we develop budgets and manage state finances," Warner, a Democrat, said in a Tuesday speech in Richmond, Va. "Our goal will be to ensure that our commonwealth never again plunges so deeply into shortfalls and fiscal turmoil."
One of Warner's key targets is a consolidation and reduction of IT spending over the course of the next year. He cited the need for improved management of IT programs. "Nowhere is rightsizing needed more urgently than in state information technology services," Warner said. "When I took office, no one could even tell me how much the Commonwealth spends on information technology. We now know that number is in excess of $900 million per year."
He noted, for example, that more than 2,000 IT workers support six mainframe computer systems and more than a thousand local networks. Warner said the state needs to focus on consolidating redundant IT systems and centralizing its workforce, an approach that he said could save millions of dollars in IT spending.
Warner also touted the need to consolidate Virginia's 20 workforce training programs.
Spam Patrol In The States
Lawmakers in various states are poised to return to work in January and already have begun filing measures that would bolster consumer protection. Unsolicited commercial e-mail again is emerging as a popular issue, with officials planning to pursue curbs on such spam.
In Arkansas, Rep. Mike Creekmore has filed a bill, H.B. 1008, that would force the senders of unsolicited commercial messages to label then with the letters ADV or ADV: ADULT, signaling that the content is an advertisement or includes adult-only material. The messages also would have to enable recipients to opt out of receiving the notices and give consumers the right to sue for violations of the new policies.
In California, Sen. Debra Bowen has filed legislation that would let consumers sue businesses or individuals that send spam. Current law only allows state and local prosecutors to sue spammers.
And Massachusetts Sen.-elect Jarrett Barrios has pledged to introduce a measure, at the request of Attorney General Tom Reilly, that would compel marketers and businesses to label e-mail advertisements and adult-content messages, as well as provide truthful contact information and working return e-mail addresses. The bill also would allow consumers to sue for violations.
A Transition Guide For CIOs, Governors
The National Association of State Chief Information Officers (NASCIO) late last month unveiled a handbook to aid new CIOs and governors when they take office in January. NASCIO published the handbook in consultation with the National Governors Association (NGA).
Twenty-four new governors will take office next year, creating a major transition period in nearly half of the nation's state governments. One section of the handbook provides is geared toward governors and their IT transition teams, and the other section is a guide for new CIOs.
"Information technology is critical to the operations of state governments," said Kentucky Gov. Paul Patton, the current chairman of the NGA. "The CIO plays a key role in managing how technology is implemented across the state. This handbook will be very helpful to incoming CIOs and the new administrations."
The High-Tech Fight Against Crime
Milwaukee's Police Department is launching a new system to electronically manage the agency's records. Under a $6.8 million contract with the security firm CompuDyne, the department will deploy a computerized system for dispatch and records that can be accessed remotely.
The mobile units will link to the police dispatcher and can display a computerized map to identify the locations of incidents. New devices installed in the mobile units will track the locations of police vehicles and officers, and report incidents instantly. CompuDyne also will install new biometrics systems to verify by fingerprint the identity of officers who access electronic records from new workstations at police stations.
In other news, Delaware has become the eighth state to award a contact to the biometrics provider Viisage Technologies to deploy a secure driver's license system. The five-year contract would allow Delaware's Department of Motor Vehicles to streamline the collection of driver's license data, and the company's facial-recognition technology will be used to verify license applications. The move is part of an effort in Delaware to reduce fraud and identify theft in licenses.
And police in Alexandria, Va., this week launched a database that enables people to search recent crime data in the city on a block-by-block basis, The Washington Post reported.
Tech Group Recognizes Lawmakers' Work
The North Carolina Electronics and Information Technologies Association (NCEITA) gave awards to several members of Congress as part of the group's annual awards gala, which honors member firms for their contribution to North Carolina's technology industry. The association chose four House members from North Carolina as public leaders of the year.
Democratic Bob Etheridge was honored for his commitment to education issues, influence in shaping science and technology policies as a member of the Science Committee and support for presidential trade-negotiating authority, legislation deemed crucial to the industry.
NCEITA also praised Republicans Sue Myrick for her support of free-market regulations and trade legislation, and Cass Ballenger for his efforts to lower taxes for businesses, his support for free trade and his work on the Education and the Workforce Committee.
Finally, Republican Richard Burr received an award for his work on telecommunications and privacy and for his role on the Energy and Commerce Committee, and the Intelligence Committee and its Terrorism and Homeland Security Subcommittee.
Award-winning companies included: BellSouth as Communications Company of the Year; HumanCentric Technologies as Consumer Technology Company of the Year; MDeverywhere as Health/Pharmaceutical Company of the Year; Static Control Components as Electronics Company of the Year; and TogetherSoft as Software Company of the Year.
Elsewhere, the Washington Software Alliance has named finalists for its annual achievement awards, which honor excellence in technology. The group will hold its awards dinner in February.
The competitors for Outstanding Contribution to Digital Government include the child-support division, and the Information Services and Licensing departments. The group also will pick winners in the following categories: Business Product of the Year, Consumer Product of the Year, Most Promising New Company, Most Promising New Technology, Outstanding Contribution to Community, Reinvention, and Service Provider of the Year.
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