Approved:       February 19, 2007      

Date

MINUTES OF THE HOUSE GOVERNMENT EFFICIENCY AND TECHNOLOGY COMMITTEE

The meeting was called to order by Chairman Jim Morrison at 3:39 P.M. on February 15, 2007, in Room 526-S of the Capitol.

All members were present except Representatives Mah, Tafanelli, Wilk, King, and Sloan, 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:

Martin Eckhardt, Director, Central Accounting Services, Division of Accounts and Reports, Kansas Department of Administration

Duncan Friend, Project Manager, Financial Management System, Division of Information Systems and Communications, Kansas Department of Administration

Others attending:

See attached list.

The Chairman opened HB 2457 for consideration. Staff Renae Jefferies requested that Committee amendments be as specific as possible.

Martin Eckhardt, Director, Central Accounting Services, Division of Accounts and Reports, Kansas Department of Administration (DofA), expressed support for the concept of taxpayer transparency. He agreed that the Secretary of DofA can readily create a website to serve as a gateway to guide taxpayers to specific information, providing a comprehensive catalogue with appropriate links as a starting point from which to begin expanding available information. He recommended including a procedure to solicit feedback in order to provide publicly relevant data..

Responding to a question from the Chairman, Duncan Friend, Project Manager for the proposed Financial Management System (FMS), Division of Information Systems and Communications, DofA, replied that the bill’s deadline of January 1, 2008, would not be a problem for an initial website, which might be created as quickly as July 1, 2007. He continued by saying that comprehensive, in-depth information on each agency will take much longer to develop. The Chair responded to a member’s question, saying that the bill, if passed, would include a funding mechanism. He commented regarding another question that the bill would require the disclosure only of information that is currently public; confidential data would remain confidential. Regarding an implementation time line, the Chairman expressed concern that pushing for too much information too quickly could hinder the implementation of the proposed FMS. Mr. Eckhardt noted that the State Accounting and Reporting System (STARS) cannot capture the information required by the bill. The Chairman suggested that DofA bring amendments to the bill on Monday.

Members, conferees, and staff discussed various details in the bill. Staff commented that details such as liquor and tobacco license information is current law. Mr. Friend noted that the term keyword searching might work against the intent of the bill, at least in initial stages. Mr. Eckhardt suggested that language could be drafted that corresponds to what is currently available in STARS.

A member observed that the detailed requirements of the bill make it difficult to establish measurable outcome criteria and that no arbiter is identified to make outcome judgments. Another member stated his desire to make the search engine intuitive. Tracy Smith, General Manager, Kansas.gov, explained that, unlike Google, Kansas.gov does not search all data, further noting that search-engine optimization is in its infancy. She said that, since each agency is responsible for its own website, many websites lack search capabilities. She assured members that Kansas.gov can help agencies modify data and make it more readily accessible. She replied to a member’s question that she can arrive at a cost for providing the service if she knows how much data and how many files are involved. She replied that if data is available, she can provide access to financial information for every budget in state government. The member reiterated his desire to be able to do so in as simple a form as possible.

The Chairman commented that the Committee will need to prioritize levels of data importance in order to develop a cost analysis. DiAnna Wages, Director of Creative Services, Kansas.gov, said many agencies do not have Google-ready data. When a member stated that a search engine needs to search Kansas information, Ms. Smith reiterated the need for agency standards that eliminate silo data. A member restated his concern that the bill needs metrics to measure the bill’s success. Another member, reporting on her forays through agency websites, said website formatting is disparate, sometimes convoluted, and the information is sometimes nearly opaque. She commended the Kansas Lottery and the Kansas State Department of Education websites as models in presenting useful information. Another member recommended mandating regulations for all agencies.

The Chairman reminded members that the intent is to make all public financial information easily accessible; he recommended members bring amendments on Monday to further that goal and adjourned the meeting at 4:50 p.m. The next meeting is scheduled for Monday, February 19, 2007.