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Governors Tout Tech Ideas In Annual Speeches
by Michael Martinez
Governors around the country continued this week to roll out their annual agendas, touting several technology-related proposals in annual speeches before their state legislatures.
Maryland Gov. Martin O'Malley reaffirmed his commitment this year to a slim but significant agenda in his State of the State address. His technology-related priorities included expanding the state's DNA-fingerprinting database so that law enforcers can solve crimes more quickly.
"Given the level of violent crime in our state, there is no justifiable reason that Maryland should not be in the forefront of using this modern crime-solving tool, rather than lagging behind," the Democrat said.
O'Malley also advocated finding more ways to use global-positioning technologies to monitor at-risk young offenders in violent neighborhoods. He said modern tracking applications will help to keep tabs on young people and rescue them from "the clutches of hit men and drug dealers."
O'Malley also discussed health information technology and homeland security. He specifically noted that he wants to enhance his state's use of health IT applications.
Wisconsin Gov. Jim Doyle, meanwhile, focused in his speech on the role technology can play in helping his state's economy weather the expected nationwide downturn. He urged lawmakers to create tax credits and reward companies that increase their spending within the state on research and development.
"Research and development is what keeps Wisconsin at the forefront of the changing global marketplace," the Democratic governor said. "From the supercomputer to the outboard motor, Wisconsinites have always been committed to innovation."
Another technology-related component of Doyle's agenda includes a plan to make a third year of math and science mandatory for high-school graduation. He also lauded the forthcoming construction of the Wisconsin Institute for Discovery, a research center he said will spur economic advancement.
"We'll bring biotechnology, nanotechnology and information technology together to turn new discoveries into economic opportunity," he said.
In Rhode Island, Republican Gov. Donald Carcieri called his state's budget crisis the "800-pound gorilla in the room." He urged lawmakers to dramatically reduce spending and invest in programs that will make the state more efficient.
"All of Rhode Island's virtues, all of its assets, all of Rhode Island's bright promises, are overshadowed and, in fact, threatened by the budget crisis we face," he said.
Carcieri told lawmakers that the state's innovative healthcare agenda will help reduce costs through the expanded use of information technology.
New Hampshire Gov. John Lynch also focused on modernizing his state's healthcare system. The Democrat said in his speech that he wants the Granite State to be the first in the country to allow all of its providers to prescribe medications electronically.
"We must increase the use of technology and make sure doctors are coordinating patient care," he said. "We must focus on helping people stay healthy, and on them taking responsibility for keeping themselves healthy."
Lynch also listed online child safety among his priorities for the upcoming year. He pushed lawmakers to move quickly on legislation he proposed in December that would require sex offenders to register their e-mail addresses and online identities, and enhance the state's criminal penalties for soliciting sex from minors via the Internet.
"With technology we can sit in our living rooms and pay our bills or keep in touch with friends and family with just a couple of clicks," Lynch said. "Unfortunately, technology also makes it easier for criminals to sneak into our homes."
Gov. Jindal Commits Surplus To Cyber Command
Louisiana Gov. Bobby Jindal this week announced that he will direct the first $50 million from his state's budget surplus toward making the Pelican State the permanent home of the Cyber Command.
Jindal, a Republican who was sworn into office this month, said he will ask lawmakers to make his proposal for funding the facility at the Barksdale Air Force Base, near Shreveport, the first item on the agenda during the state's special legislative session in March. He made the announcement at the groundbreaking ceremony for a new cyber innovation center in Bossier City.
"We will not let legal language about the status of this project or artificial deadlines stand in the way of our state's commitment," Jindal, the nation's first Indian-American governor, said in a statement.
Jindal already has discussed with President Bush the possibility of designating the base in Barksdale as the official home of the Cyber Command, which was created by the Air Force in 2006. He said cyber facilities have the potential to transform the economy in the areas near them.
"We don't want northwest Louisiana to just be the Cyber Command Center's provisional home," he said. "We want the Department of the Air Force to name Barksdale Air Force Base the permanent home."
Missouri Governor Funds New E-Mail Archiving System
Missouri Gov. Matt Blunt has authorized $2 million to create an e-mail archiving system for public employees in the Show-Me State.
AP reported this week that Blunt, whose interoffice e-mail policies are now the subject of a state investigation, approved the funds Jan. 15. State Attorney General Jay Nixon, a Democratic gubernatorial candidate, has launched a probe into whether Blunt's office violated state sunshine laws by routinely purging its e-mails.
Blunt, a Republican, shocked many in both major parties this week when he announced that he will not seek another term in November. The dispute over the deleted e-mails had the potential to be an explosive political issue in a race between Blunt and Nixon.
The Blunt aide who disclosed the office's e-mail-purging policies was fired in the fall. Scott Eckersley sued Blunt in Jackson County Circuit Court this month, accusing the governor and his aides of terminating him for political payback. Eckersley also alleged in the lawsuit that Blunt's office tried to smear him by suggesting that he viewed pornographic sites and used illicit drugs.
A Blunt spokeswoman told AP that the new e-mail archiving system will help to ensure that the state government is "transparent and accountable." She said Chief Information Officer Dan Ross told Blunt that the system would cost roughly $2 million to create and operate, and recommended a California-based firm to manage the project.
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