INFORMATION RESOURCES CABINET
Minutes of January 5, 1998 Meeting
IRC Members in Attendance:
Allan Abbott, Roads
Al Abramson, Motor Vehicles
Berri Balka, Revenue
Tom Conroy, DAS-Central Data Processing
Al Curtis, Crime Commission
Dorest Harvey, GDE Systems
Karen Kilgarin, Administrative Services
Yvonne Norton Leung, Governor's Policy Research Office
Bill Miller, DAS-Communications
The Honorable Scott Moore, Secretary of State
The Honorable Kim Robak, Lieutenant Governor
Steve Schafer, DAS-Intergovernmental Data Services
Dayle Williamson, Natural Resources Commission
Others in Attendance:
Rod Armstrong, State Information Technology Coordinator
Rick Becker, Governor's Policy Research Office
Bob Beecham, Education
Howard Boardman, Health and Human Services Finance and Support
Steve Danigole, Legislative Fiscal Office
Jeff Elliott, Health and Human Services Finance and Support
Steve Henderson, DAS-Central Data Processing
Tim Kelso, Labor
Jim McGee, Health and Human Services
Jon Ogden, Roads
Jim Ohmberger, DAS-Central Data Processing
Bob Shanahan, Labor
The meeting convened at 1:30 p.m. at the Governor's Mansion. Introductions were made for the benefit of new members.
Lieutenant Governor Kim Robak opened the meeting by explaining the reason for the Administration's Technology Coordination Initiative and the formation of the Nebraska Information Technology Commission (NITC) and its Councils.
As Lieutenant Governor Robak will be serving as a member of the NITC, Yvonne Norton Leung, the Governor's Policy Research Office Director, has been named the new Chair of the Information Resources Cabinet (IRC). IRC will serve as a resource to NITC and will be the Commission's Government Council.
Rod Armstrong provided an update on the Administration's technology legislative initiative. He explained that Senator Hillman is the primary sponsor of this single piece of legislation (LB 924) and that Senators Bohlke, Coordsen, Kiel, Raikes and Wehrbein will be cosponsors. The funding mechanisms for this legislation will be a community technology fund and a state government technology collaboration fund. There will not be a funding proposal for education, since the lottery funds are already in place. The legislation includes the creation of a (1) chief information officer, (2) a technical review panel, and (3) a workforce retraining program for state employees, otherwise known as the "Grow Your Own" program. Among other changes to current state statutes, the legislation renames the Central Data Processing Division of the Department of Administrative Services to the "Information Technology Services Division" and modifies the Divisions' responsibilities. Armstrong reported that senators are "conceptually" supportive of the legislation. It was also confirmed that the Governor supports the digital signature legislation.
Leung indicated that IRC will meet on a monthly basis. Regular monthly reports will be made concerning the following issues:
Standards
Accounting & financial management
Century date change
Electronic benefits transfer
Interactive services
Information technology personnel
State Records Board
Electronic publishing
Telecommunications
Right of way issues
Al Abbott, Director of the Department of Roads, and Bill Miller, Director of the DAS-Communications Division, reported on the Interstate Right-of-Way Proposal. They reported that states have begun to barter to one firm, then resell to other carriers. Miller shared the Minnesota Fiber Project and Oklahoma's fiber-optic communications infrastructure government/industry partnership. Abbott explained that the Nebraska Department of Roads has guarded Nebraska's right of ways and if an interstate right-of-way proposal is approved, the Department will set restrictions to avoid maintenance and communication problems. Abbott recommends that the state not be paid for the use of the right of way or require "rent".
Howard Boardman of Health and Human Services System indicated that the telehealth system has been set up north to south, and that there is a need for east to west service. Dayle Williamson of Natural Resources Commission recommended that future demand be taken into consideration regarding fiber-optic, so that there is plenty of room for future growth.
IRC asked the Departments of Roads and Administrative Services to research the right of way proposal further, work with the Nebraska Educational Telecommunications Commission in their research, and then to report back to IRC at its February 5 meeting and also at the NITC's mid-March meeting. The subcommittee should recommend whether the state should proceed with a right of way proposal, determine support and opposition to proposal, whether other roads in addition to Interstate 80 should be included, whether the state should charge for use of the right of ways in exchange for the state's free use of cable, whether the Department of Roads should continue to be responsible for the right of ways and the Department of Administrative Services responsible for the infrastructure, whether use of right of ways should be limited to fiber or include above ground fiber, etc.
Miller then reported on the One-Stop Government idea that Lieutenant Governor Robak described to him awhile back and that the NITC has asked IRC to research. He shared the Singapore CIO Model, which has created a faster, better/smarter, and cheaper method of providing services. Miller indicated that technically the state can implement the one-stop government idea, but there are administrative and managerial concerns (i.e., crossing agency lines). Secretary of State Scott Moore suggested starting with a kiosk which includes all state agencies currently with a web site. And that once a credit card transaction bid has been selected by the state, transactions would be made possible. Armstrong indicated that there are currently few interactive transactions offered by the state. Leung recommended that a task force be created to research further the One-Stop Government proposal. Representatives from the Department of Administrative Services, Revenue, Motor Vehicles, Health and Human Services and Roads, the Secretary of State's Office, and Nebraska Online will serve on this task force; Miller will chair.
Mitt Salvaggio of Government Information Systems Consulting (GIS) reported on the Accounting and Financial Management Systems Study. GIS's recommendations are as follows in order of preference:
1. Purchase a fully integrated financial and human resources system for the State of Nebraska. Salvaggio indicated that it would be difficult to implement and comes with a large price tag. An alternative is to purchase a new system, without the accounting module. GIS has found that Nebraska's current accounting system is functional into the year 2000.
2. GIS's second recommendation would be to replace the human resources system (NEIS) as it does not have "functionality", and then continue with other acquisitions such as materiel and budget. An alternative to this second recommendation is to enhance NEIS.
3. GIS's third recommendation is to continue the state's operations with NEIS, but purchase independent/stand alone systems and eventually interface.
GIS will be completing its costs benefits analysis and five year review, as well as an implementation plan for GIS' recommended strategy by the end of January, 1998.
Jim Ohmberger of DAS Central Data Processing updated the group on Standards. He indicated that Nebraska will need to decide on "architectural" components and that this will be an ongoing process, requiring maintenance and staff time. He believes that the state may end up with over one hundred standards and that they will evolve as projects develop. The Standards Subcommittee will post a skeleton structure/framework on the web prior to the February 5 IRC meeting to be used as a discussion piece. This discussion document will include a technical architecture framework, a standards process, and identification of areas needing standards. Leung stressed that this should be a policy driven process, not technical.
Leung announced that the IRC will meet on the first Monday of each month at 1:30 p.m. at the Governor's mansion, unless announced differently. For the month of September, the meeting will be held the day after Labor Day -- September 8. Leung also would like subcommittee reports posted online a week or two prior to IRC meetings, to enable members to review same with their staff experts and come to these meetings prepared. She also asked members to notify Tim Erickson if their name is not on the list serve.
The meeting was adjourned at 3 p.m. The next meeting is scheduled for February 5, 1998 at 1:30 p.m. in the Governor's mansion basement.
Minutes taken by Kris Leininger, Administrative Assistant to Lieutenant Governor
meeting minutes