 | |
| |
TechnologyDaily Mobile
Hawaii Says Aloha To Open Procurement
by Maureen Sirhal
Hawaii has finalized a major overhaul of its procurement system in an effort to create a more competitive and transparent government contracting system.
Gov. Linda Lingle last week signed into law a bill, S.B. 1262, that directs an independent committee to publicly evaluate and award state contracts for professional services on the basis of broad criteria. The measure is modeled in part on a federal law.
Under the Hawaii law, parties for the first time will be able to review contract specifications and seek clarification on their expected performance before submitting final bids, and losing bidders may participate in a "debriefing session" to learn why they did not win a contract.
Supporters of the statute say that it will resolve growing concerns over the unfair advantage that out-of-state contractors have enjoyed over the years, as well as relieve engineers, architects and other service firms from pressure to make political contributions in order to obtain contracts.
Roy Yamashiro, president of the American Council of Engineering Contractors of Hawaii, hailed the act. "In the past, we have strongly lobbied for a revision of the procurement code to reflect a more open, transparent and accountable qualifications-based system," he said in a statement. The law "will help eliminate the perceived connection between the awarding of government contracts and political contributions for engineering and architectural services."
The law "will allow for better control over how public money is spent when hiring contractors and thereby help restore the public's trust in how government contracts are awarded," Lingle said in a signing ceremony last week. "In particular, it will help to sever the link that many believe has existed between government contracting and political fundraising."
Lingle also signed a measure, S.B. 1261 H.D. 2, that will allow government agencies to purchase goods and services with state-approved procurement cards. The move is aimed at providing state employees with more flexibility when they make small purchases.
The 'Cyber Hall Of Shame' For Taxpayers
Colorado Gov. Bill Owens last week signed into law a measure to enable the state's Revenue Department to post the names of delinquent taxpayers on the agency's Internet site.
Under the bill, H.B. 1210, the department must list those taxpayers who owe more than $20,000 for a six-month period from the time the taxes were assessed. The state will post the names, addresses, type of taxes and amounts owed by delinquent taxpayers. If a business is behind in its tax payments, the name of the firm and its owner or president will be listed.
Connecticut, Illinois, North Carolina and other states have similar systems in place.
"Scofflaws who have doggedly refused to pay their taxes, especially those who owe in excess of $20,000, deserve to be in this cyber hall of shame," Owens said in a statement. "More importantly, this tactic may make tax evaders think twice about their actions and increase compliance with our tax laws."
Owens also signed the following measures into law:
- H.B. 1191, which aims to curtail the dissemination of indecent material to children via computers. Anyone who uses a computer to contact a child for purposes of engaging in sexual conduct will be liable for civil penalties under the statute.
- H.B. 1024, which updates the state's AMBER Alert system for abducted and missing children so it can become part of the national system. The system, which involves bulletins via Internet and other means, is named after 9-year-old Amber Hagerman, who was abducted in Arlington, Texas, and later murdered.
Mapping Mississippi
Mississippi Gov. Ronnie Musgrove has signed into law a bill that would create a new council to oversee among state agencies the implementation of remote sensing and geographic information systems that are used to obtain, analyze and display information about the earth's surface.
The bill, H.B. 861, creates the Mississippi Coordinating Council for Remote Sensing and Geographic Information Systems, which will help manage a digital land-base computer model of the state at the Environmental Quality Department. The council will make policies and create standards for sharing the technology among state agencies.
"Using these types of technologies to generate scientific data, we can make better and quicker decisions," said Charles Chisolm, executive director of the department.
Last month, meanwhile, Musgrove signed a measure, S.B. 2445, that authorizes the creation of a "do not call" registry to try to curtail telemarketing calls. Under the measure, the state Public Service Commission will maintain a list that state residents can sign to block unwanted sales calls. Telemarketers will have to register with the commission before they can do business in the state, and violators of the law will face civil penalties.
Anti-Piracy Bill Stalls In Texas
Opponents of an anti-piracy measure in Texas succeeded in delaying action on the bill this week. Lawmakers on Monday defeated on technical grounds a bill that would extend laws banning the theft of cable television signals to new content services offered over the Internet.
Although the state's legislative session ended this week, opponents of the measure, H.B. 2121, said the language could be added to unrelated legislation. Those foes of the bill include the Electronic Frontier Foundation and the American Civil Liberties Union. Hollywood studios back the legislation and are pushing similar bills in other states.
The Texas Senate has cleared a companion measure, S.B. 1116.
The Motion Picture Association of America argues that such state laws are necessary to protect new Internet services, such as on-demand music and videos. Provisions of the bill seek to stop the sale and development of devices that could be used solely to pirate new services. But high-tech groups fear that the legislation is worded so broadly that it could kill technology innovation and even hinder the development of certain cyber-security products.
The Price Of Broadband Deployment In Utah
Some telecommunications companies want the Utah Transportation Department to change the fees it imposes for accessing rights-of-way along interstate highways, arguing that the fees pose a barrier to the deployment of high-speed Internet pipelines in the state.
The Deseret News reports that the firms, including AT&T and XO Communications, told the Public Utilities and Technology Interim Committee in a hearing last week that the fees must be altered to allow the laying of fiber-optic lines along highways in order to speed the delivery of broadband Internet and telecom services. The fees range from $800 to $12,400 per mile.
Rex Knowles of XO Communications said his firm tried to expand its fiber network by adding a line from Salt Lake City to Ogden in early 2001, but laying the fiber along the interstate would have added $2.8 million in fees to the project's price tag.
The Transportation Department plans to review the rate structure next year. The committee plans to study the issue and will hold more hearings over the next few months.
NEW FEATURE
-Advertisement-
-Advertisement-
-Advertisement-
