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In Palin Ruling, Alaska Supreme Court OKs Personal Email for State Business

The Alaska Supreme Court on Friday said state officials may use personal email accounts to conduct official business, but some emails sent from private accounts may be subject to open records law.

Virginia Legislature Launches iPad Experiment

Laptop computers were supposed to help state legislators cut down on the amount of paper they used to write laws. It didn't work. Will it be any different with Apple's new tablet computer?

Shaving Costs With Reverse Auctions

It's been a decade since Pennsylvania became the first state to use a technology that is like eBay in reverse to save money on government purchases. But despite the potential to create big savings, only a few states have taken advantage of reverse auctions.

Making IT work

As states struggle to close historic budget gaps, potential new responsibilities - including national health care reform and government downsizing - will force many to overhaul outmoded computer systems over the next two years. Though notoriously difficult to pull off, major Information Technology upgrades can save states millions in personnel and other operating costs.

Summary of the Iowa Condition of the State Address

Iowa Gov. Chet Culver (D) called on lawmakers Jan. 12 to eliminate certain tax breaks and adopt his "government efficiency" proposals that he said could provide enough savings to allow the state to restore recent cuts in education and other key programs and invest in more "green-collar" jobs.

'Present' Votes Defended by Ill. Lawmakers

In most legislatures, lawmakers vote either "yes" or "no" on bills, but in Illinois, senators and representatives can hit a third button for a "present" vote. Now that quirk - not unique to Illinois - has sparked heated exchanges among Democrats vying for president.

Govs Enjoy Quirky Veto Power

Ever hear of the "Frankenstein" veto? How about the "Vanna White" veto? Every state governor has the power to overrule actions by his or her legislature through a "veto" - the word is Latin for "I forbid" - but some governors can do more than simply say no.

State Websites Celebrate 10th Birthday

A decade or so after the first states posted their first simple homepages on the Internet, state government websites have made quantum leaps in delivering access to residents. Delaware, the First State, was the first to move into "podcasting" this year, quickly followed by others. An annual contest for state websites named Delaware's No. 1, followed by the websites of Tennessee, Indiana, Washington and Virginia.

States Lag Federal Government in Electronic Tax Filing

The number of state income tax returns filed electronically still lags behind the federal e-file rate in all but three states. As this year's federal tax deadline approaches, experts predict the number of electronic state tax returns could plateau unless more states offer innovations or begin requiring some tax forms to be returned electronically.

State Candidates Blaze Digital Campaign Trail

A cruise of state candidates Web sites this election year yields a sneak peek into the future of e-campaigning: online auctions, candidate greeting cards, and virtual photo albums of campaign stops. While some candidates have had success with online extras, others have hit bumps along the electronic campaign trail.

Michigan Tops List as Model for Mouse Clickers

Michigan.gov is the place to go for inquisitive citizens with an Internet hookup, winning the No. 1 ranking in a new survey that picks the top 10 states providing government services online. Among Michigans innovations: a mapping program that can lead users to the nearest waterfall, and sample standardized tests for school children. With six out of 10 American adults now hooked into the Internet, e-government is of growing importance to states.

State, EPA Environmental Monitoring Goes Online

A new Internet-based information-sharing network will let state, local and federal environmental officials get real-time access to air and water pollution data that now will be reported electronically. Spared tedious data entry, states that sign on to the system are expected to save substantial time and money.

Online Campaigns Still an Art, Not a Science

The Internet is evolving from a novelty item to an integral campaign tool as many candidates at the state level try for the first time to tap the political power and wealth of the online world. But having a Web site, even a good one, is no silver bullet for state-level candidates, and there is no magic formula for fund raising on the Internet, political consultants and technology experts warn.

E-Government Use Up 50 Percent, Survey Finds

Surfing the net for government information? Youre not alone. Some 97 million Americans went online to state, local or federal government Web sites in 2003 to get information, ask a question or express an opinion, a new report shows. Thats a 50 percent increase from the previous year.

Going Once, Going Twice, Gone Online

Attention, online shoppers. At least 16 states are using eBay - that nationwide yard sale on the Internet - to unload accumulated junk in government warehouses and turn handsome profits for state treasuries. The goods can range from gold rings to big screen TVs to hand-me-down police cars. Need a bicycle with a pizza delivery box? Oregon is accepting bids. Coming this month to eBay: a new Harley Davidson signed by President Bush and all 50 governors as a fund-raiser.

Integrity of Electronic Voting Questioned

May 3 - A pitched debate over the accuracy and security of new high-tech electronic voting machines may have voters longing for the days of butterfly ballots and hanging chads when they go to the polls to elect a president this November.

High-Tech Humiliation Helps States Nab Tax Cheats

As Americans across the country rush to meet this weeks April 15 federal tax deadline, some states are trying a different approach to make sure taxpayers pay up: public humiliation on the World Wide Web. More than a dozen states publish on the Internet the names of businesses and individuals who havent paid their state taxes. Georgias program flushed out eight state lawmakers who were behind on their taxes and netted $300,000 in just six weeks.

Outsourcing Helps States' Economies, Industry Claims

The growing zeal to keep U.S. jobs from going overseas including state jobs has the high-tech industry scrambling to defuse the anti-outsourcing sentiment surfacing in more than half the countrys statehouses. A new report says global outsourcing of computer-services jobs will create more than 317,000 other new U.S. jobs in 2008, including 34,000 jobs in California and 24,000 in Texas.

Election-Reform Funds About to Be Sent to States

States are on the verge of receiving $2.3 billion in long-awaited federal money to help them revamp their election systems in the wake of the 2000 presidential race, which was marred by unprecedented ballot problems. But voters shouldn't expect reforms to be totally in place when they go to the polls in November. Many states won't be able to enact changes in time, and some states still aren't sure what to do about their voting equipment.

Statehouse Blogs Range from Brash to Boring

Poorly punctuated and periodically provocative, online diaries called blogs short for Web logs - are flooding the Internet as celebrities, everyday authors and now a fledgling group of Web-wise state legislators rant to a worldwide audience about everything or nothing at all.

Nevada Legislatures Web site Ranks First

Some state legislatures do a better job than others connecting their citizens to statehouse developments. A new report ranks the top 10 and puts Nevada on top.

Accessing Benefits Online Easier Said Than Done

It sounds like a great idea using the Internet to apply for welfare and other social programs. Its not that simple. While all 50 states use the Internet to provide information about their social programs, only a few make it easy for folks to apply online.

De-Bugging Computers a State Priority

Computer worms that ate their way into state computer systems in August forced Kentucky and Maryland motorists to hold off renewing their drivers permits while Montana sportsmen and women had to wait for hunting and fishing licenses. But most states said they didnt lose data and their systems didnt crash when the latest worms infected and clogged their computers last month.

Bloggers Train Sites on State Governments

Some of the best sources for information on the California recall election and other state news are not newspapers, not television stations and not radio shows, but blogs. Short for weblogs, these iconoclastic Web sites are a new kind of media, both newsy and personal.

Kansas City Develops Internet-Based Security System

A coalition of city governments is preparing to launch an Internet-based homeland security initiative in Kansas City that is meant to help emergency workers better respond to terrorism or natural disasters.

Northeastern States Seek Terrorist-Intelligence Sharing

Homeland security officials in 10 northeastern states want to establish intelligence-sharing centers that would better disseminate terrorist-related information between federal law enforcement and local police officers. Mark Cohen, who heads the New York State Office of Public Security, said the ability to share intelligence in real time is the most critical component for homeland security in the states.

New York Seeks Better Online System

University of Albany computer experts are trying to figure out a better way for state and local New York governments to work with each other online. The aim is to let government workers replace the array of computers and programs currently on their desks with one gateway system that would shuttle information back and forth electronically, Meghan Cook, the project manager at the University at Albany's Center for Technology in Government said.

Utah Launches 24-Hour E-Government Chat Service

Utah residents trying to renew their car registration online or navigate the 109 other applications available on the states Web site can now get help round the clock from the sites new live chat service.

State Programs Named Finalists for Innovation Awards

Five state-run programs are among finalists in the competition for Innovations in American Government Awards.

Governors Set Winter Meeting

As most states wrestle to close mounting budget deficits, their governors will gather in Washington, D.C., this weekend for meetings focusing on implementing new federal education legislation and reforming Medicaid to shift the burden of spiraling healthcare costs.

Some States Charge for E-Government Information

State agencies across the nation are trying to make electronic government more efficient and easier to use. But at a time when state budget deficits are increasing as quickly as Internet speeds, funding these online ventures is becoming problematic.

State Officials Use Internet in Crisis

In the wake of the terrorist attacks on America, governors and other top state officials are turning to the Internet to deliver messages of consolation and anger, hope and fortitude to fellow Americans. "Today's horrific incident at the World Trade Center which appears to be part of a coordinated terrorist attack is a tragedy of unspeakable proportions and a crime against all Americans and all decent people around the world," said New York Gov. George Pataki in a statement posted on the state Web site just after Tuesday's attack.

Sacramento Computer Woes Belie California's High Tech Image

In California, where the modern electronics industry was born six decades ago, state government has stumbled from one expensive computer purchasing disaster to the next. The Department of Motor Vehicles is the latest agency to fall into a quagmire of expense, delay and legislative criticism. Between 1988-94, the department spent more than $50 million on a new system for driver's license and registration information, only to see the effort fail. The new system simply did not work. In 1995, a new effort was launched, but the state's legislative analyst, Elizabeth Hill, reports that the department does not know when the systems will be installed or how much they will eventually cost. stateline.org examines the problem.