Approved:       January 16, 2007        

Date

MINUTES OF THE HOUSE GOVERNMENT EFFICIENCY AND TECHNOLOGY COMMITTEE

The meeting was called to order by Chairman Jim Morrison at 3:37 P.M. on January 10, 2007, in Room 526-S of the Capitol.

All members were present.

Committee staff present:

Mary Galligan, Kansas Legislative Research

Renae Jefferies, Office of Revisor of Statutes

Gary Deeter, Committee Assistant

Conferees appearing before the committee: None

Others attending:

See attached list.

The Chair commented on several aspects of the committee’s structure as an electronic committee and gave a brief outline of the purpose of the committee:

•          The Committee is unique as a standing committee;

•          The Committee will function as an interrogatory, not a policy committee;

•          Other legislative committees, especially budget committees, will sometimes rely on the Committee for recommendations;

•          The purpose of the Committee is to investigate and evaluate the efficiency of state agencies, state boards, and other State-General-Fund-supported entities, especially in relation to the use of technology;

•          The Committee will become increasingly electronic and decreasingly paper-driven, moving toward encryption of e-mail;

•          As a matter of courtesy, the use of instant messaging and e-mail among Committee members is discouraged, even though such use does not violate the Open Meetings Act.

A member commented that statutorily, all agencies who develop technology projects costing over $250,000 must have those projects approved by the Executive Chief Information Technology Officer and must report the projects to the Joint Committee on Information Technology.

Staff Mary Galligan, having previously consulted with the Chair, reviewed other possible avenues of investigation for the Committee:

•          Explore the scope of practice in the credentialing process;

•          Review the licensing process, perhaps finding a more efficient way to license professions, such as separating the administrative function from the licensing-granting function. (The Chair noted that the recommendations of a credentialing entity is followed about 50% of the time and that hearing officers in disciplinary proceedings seem to carry little weight. Commenting further, he cited the Healing Arts Board, which oversees 14 healing-arts professions, but only 3 of those professions have board representatives; he added that a licensing board’s decision has not been overturned on appeal);

•          Evaluate technology collaboration among state agencies as well as institutions under the Board of Regents;

•          Promote government transparency in budgeting.

Through consensus these subjects were approved for introduction by the Committee.

Members introduced themselves.

Representative Sloan requested the introduction of two bills, the first providing a mechanism for residents living in a rural water district to discontinue service from the water district and purchase water elsewhere; and the second establishing a training requirement through the Kansas Department of Health and Environment for rural water district board members. By consensus, the Committee agreed to sponsor both bills.

The meeting was adjourned at 4:29 p.m. The next meeting is scheduled for Thursday, January 11, 2007, at 3:30 p.m. in Room 526-S.