January 7, 2002
BY HOWARD WOLINSKY BUSINESS REPORTER
Illinois finally has reclaimed bragging rights as the Land of Linkin'.
The new national Digital State 2001 survey, released annually, showed that state government here is the best in the land--tied with Kansas--in offering services over the Internet and taking other digital measures to streamline state government.
Back in 1998, Illinois, which prides itself on tech prowess, including the development in 1993 at the University of Illinois of Mosaic, the multimedia browser that made possible the revolution of World Wide Web, suffered the ignominy of being 49th in the survey.
"Illinois is user-friendly and a model for the other states," said Kent Lassman, author of the report, sponsored by the Progress & Freedom Foundation, a Washington, D.C.-based public-policy research group, and the Center for Digital Government.
He noted that the state rose to the top at a time when other states also are enhancing services digitally.
The Ryan administration has made digital services a priority, resulting in the state last year ranking fourth nationally and "most improved" in the survey.
Illinoisans now can go online to take college and high school classes, pay taxes, renew occupational licenses, check on road construction and even pick up a fishing license.
In a statement, Gov. Ryan said: "This is great news for the people of Illinois. By emphasizing the use of technology and investing in it, we have fundamentally changed the way government operates and serves people."
Rounding out the top 10 were Washington, which ranked first in three earlier annual surveys, Maryland, Arizona, Maine, New Jersey, Utah, Ohio and Michigan.
Researchers surveyed the states on 45 factors in eight categories relating their use of digital technologies to deliver services in such areas as business regulation, taxation, social services, law enforcement, education, infrastructure management and "digital democracy," such as presenting the legislature's actions online.
Illinois ranked in the top 10 in six categories.
Illinois came in first in education services online. The state was singled out for the Illinois Virtual High School program, which offers coursework online, including classes in foreign languages and advanced-placement math and science. The state also ranked first in offering digital services in law enforcement and the courts.
The worst showings--and they're not all that bad--were 11th place for social services and 15th place for digital democracy.
"Illinois has made amazing progress in the past three years in the use and implementation of government technology," said Jeffrey A. Eisenach, president of the Progress & Freedom Foundation. "Illinois clearly understands the importance of technology, and has committed the financial and human capital to becoming a national leader in the field."
Mary Reynolds, who became the state's first chief technology officer three years ago, said streamlining and automating state services using digital technologies has been a priority for the Ryan administration.
"Gov. Ryan has been very intent on integrating technology into state government and was insistent on finding ways to do things in really different ways, including using the Internet and automation," she said.
She said that under these initiatives the lives of hundreds of thousands of Illinois residents have been affected by bringing government closer to the citizens and providing services in a better way.
For example, she said, 5,560 schools, colleges, universities, museums, libraries, and state and local government have been linked on the Illinois Century Network. Reynolds said hundreds of schools now have Internet access that didn't previously.
She said the Illinois Virtual Campus program enables students anywhere in the state to take college classes on distant campuses, and more than 80,000 students have participated in this program.
She said the state also has made it easier to do business with government. She said accountants, nurses, beauticians and others licensed by the state can easily renew their licenses at their convenience online.
Lassman, a native of Geneseo, said he was impressed with Illinois' I-WIN program, which pulls together databases to make available to police officers in real time information related to vehicle licenses plates, drivers licenses, warrants, firearms ownership and criminal history.
"Most states have not gone to this level of integration," he said.
He said the state also offers advanced services for filing tax information online by businesses and individuals. Virtually all taxforms are available online.
Reynolds said that this year the state will pioneer use of digital signatures across all agencies to securely streamline transactions, such as paying pharmacies for medication for patients covered by Medicaid. She said some other states require digital signatures to be established for each agency with which an individual deals.
Shaye Mandle, president of the Illinois Coalition, the public-private group that promotes the state's technology economy, said: "The state of Illinois' ascension to the No. 1 ranking in the nation as a 'Digital State' is a tremendous achievement that bodes well for the future of technology in this state. By establishing a state government that leads the nation in adopting digital technologies to improve services delivery, Illinois has signaled its commitment to a technology-literate citizenry and strong technology-based business development."
The state's Web site address is www.state.il.us/gov.