Approved:       January 23, 2007        

Date

MINUTES OF THE HOUSE GOVERNMENT EFFICIENCY AND TECHNOLOGY COMMITTEE

The meeting was called to order by Chairman Jim Morrison at 3:31 P.M. on January 16, 2007, in Room 526-S of the Capitol.

All members were present except Representatives Tafanelli, Wilk, and Kelley, all of whom were excused.

Committee staff present:

Mary Galligan, Kansas Legislative Research

Tatiana Lin, Kansas Legislative Research

Renae Jefferies, Office of Revisor of Statutes

Gary Deeter, Committee Assistant

Conferees appearing before the committee:

Kevin Yowell, VoteTracker

Others attending:

See attached list

Kevin Yowell, representing VoteTracker, a vendor who has contracted with the Kansas Legislature, demonstrated the features of the system. He illustrated the Quick Reference section, the Hearing Schedule, the sequential versions of a bill, the affect of a bill on specific Kansas statutes, links to profiles of local government entities and legislators, real-time actions of the legislature, bill tracking related to constituent services, and up-to-date information about federal legislation.

The Chair acknowledged that his comment at a previous meeting (January 10) about withholding budgeted funds from an agency was inaccurate, that in order to withdraw funding from an agency’s current budget requires legislation.

The minutes were accepted as presented. (Motion, Representative Ruiz; second, Representative Swenson)

Staff Mary Galligan reviewed a conversation with the Chair and J. G. Scott, Kansas Legislative Research Department’s Chief Fiscal Analyst; she noted issues related to the Committee’s interaction with legislative budget committee (Attachment 1). Although a comprehensive review of budgets would be impractical, the Committee has the flexibility to review certain budgets in a timely manner. As a prototype, it was agreed that a process could be developed to review the Kansas Board of Regents’ IT planning process, beginning with the Executive Branch in general, the Board of Regents coordinating activities, and individual institutions. She suggested a 15-minutes discussion at the end of each meeting to help identify the next level of exploration.

The Chair responded to questions, saying that the Committee’s work will be under time constraints and, therefore, the Committee must limit its focus. He also suggested end-of-meeting review could form the basis for reports to budget committees and legislative leadership.

Members offered several suggestions to move the Committee forward:

•          Meet with budget committee chairs to alert them to what the GE&T can offer;

•          Request that Denise Moore, Executive Chief Information Technology Officer, and Director, Division of Information Systems and Communications (DISC), provide an overview of how DISC interacts with state agencies; and

•          Invite one or two members of the Board of Regents (or perhaps Regents staff) to outline policies by which the Board provides oversight to the state’s universities, technical colleges, community colleges, and area vocational-technical schools.

A member noted that, although 15 years ago the state created a centralized payroll system for all state entities, each university continues with separate payroll systems that interface with the state system. He commented that agencies sometimes build duplicative technology systems, even though inter-agency coordination and collaboration could reduce technology costs and promote the efficient use of resources.

Summary: The Committee agreed that meeting with Denise Moore would be a productive step in understanding how agencies function and interrelate.

The Chair commended members on their interaction and noted the wide range of knowledge and experience in the Committee.

The meeting was adjourned at 4:30 p.m. The next meeting is scheduled for Thursday, January 18, 2007.