Capitol Ideas | 2013 | Issue 4 | Technology by The Council of State Governments

T h e C o u n c i l o f S t a t e G o v e r n m e n ts | I n s i g h ts & I n n o v a t i o n s

HOT TOPIC : Technology

Cyber Crime: It’s When, Not If

‘Technology is Changing The Way We Live’

The Power Grid of the 21st Century Voting Goes

Mobile

Plus : C SG's Fo cus on Fe deralism Initiative

“(M)ost people now, if you have a smartphone, the first thing you do when you wake up is roll over and grab your smartphone.” Florida House Speaker Will Weatherford

JULY | AUG 2013

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T h e C o u n C i l o f S TaT e G o v e r n m e n T S | i n S i G h T S & i n n o v a T i o n S

JulY | auG 2013

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Contact authors and CSG leadership using the credits page.

TEChnOLOGY In ThE STATES | hot topic

HOT TOPIC: Technology

Cyber Crime: It’s When, Not If

Use the cover and table of contents pages to navigate throughout the magazine

‘Technology is Changing The Way We Live’

The Power Grid of the 21st Century

“(m)ost people now, if you have a smartphone, the first thing you do when you wake up is roll over and grab your smartphone.”

Voting Goes

Florida House Speaker Will Weatherford

16 Telemedicine 18 Drones 20 Grid Modernization 27 Distance Education 28 10 Questions—Will Weatherford 30 By the Book—Star Techies

Governing in the e-World

32 Mobile Voting 34 Tech 101—2013 39 How to—Move to the Cloud 41 Protecting Online Identity 42 Straight Talk—Staying Connected

PluS: C SG's fo cus on fe deralism initiative

Click on sources for infographics to see additional information.

Words in aqua within article text are clickable links.

West | regional roundup

aK • aZ • ca • co • Hi • id • Mt • NM • NV • oR • Ut • Wa • WY • aB • as • Bc • GU • Mp

The West OIL TAX

MEDICAL MARIJUANA

The Alaska Legislature in May passed a bill backed by Gov. Sean Parnell that will reduce oil tax rates, according to the Anchorage Daily News. Under the current tax policy, Alaska’s Clear and Equitable Share, rates increase as the price of oil rises. Parnell believes the new plan will encourage production in untapped oil fields and drilling in larger, legacy fields.

In an effort to cut down on out-of-state black market sales, Oregon legislators were considering a bill in May that would legalize and license medical marijuana retailers, The Associated Press reported. Under the bill, retailers would be required to pay a $4,000 per year registration fee and would need to pass a background check. They also would be required to document the marijuana entering their stores, as well as verify the product is from state-registered growers.

INCREASED REVENUE Idaho exceeded state revenue expectations in April by $56.4 million or 13.2 percent, the Idaho Statesman reported. This is the largest monthly surplus to date during the 2013 fiscal year, which ended June 30. The state has collected nearly $2.32 billion during this fiscal year—3.5 percent ahead of the forecast numbers.

BOATING SAFETY

Colorado Governor Signs Bill Expanding Mental Health Services

2760 Research Park Drive P.O. Box 11910 Lexington, KY 40578-1910

W W W. C S G . o r G

2013 CSG REGIONAL MEETINGS

CELLPHONE USE Utah in May became the 36th state to place a ban on minors’ use of cellphones while driving, according to The Salt Lake Tribune. Under the new law, any driver under 18 would be fined $25 for use of a cellphone while driving. The bill allows exceptions for cellphone use by minors, such as medical emergencies or to report safety hazards and criminal activities.

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» JUlY / aUG 2013

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CSG West

66th Annual Mee

July 30–Aug.

C S G W E S T

ting

2 | Las Vegas,

Nevada

Southern Legislative Con ference

67th Annual

July 27–31

July 14–17

developments in the Western Region, visit:  To learn more about these and other capitolideas.csg.org and www.csgwest.org.

Saint

ern Midwestive Conference Legislat eting

l Me 68th Annua| St. Paul, Minnesota

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Colorado Gov. John Hickenlooper in May signed into law a bill to expand state mental health services in direct response to the July 2012 Aurora shootings, according to The Associated Press. Senate Bill 13-266 provides nearly $20 million for the expansion of mental health services, an area that has been hit hard by budget cuts since 2002. The new law outlines a “comprehensive statewide behavioral health crisis response system” designed to deliver better mental health services and greater access to those services throughout the state. The bill provides for several services to be in place before early next year. A 24-hour mental health hotline will be set up and staffed by trained professionals capable of assessing crisis situations and making referrals. The state also will establish linked walk-in crisis centers, mobile units and residential respite crisis services throughout the state. The walk-in centers will be able to provide “immediate clinical intervention, triage and stabilization.” The mobile units, designed to travel to rural areas with limited access to mental health services, will have the capability to initiate responses to behavioral health crises. Residential services will provide short-term services and community living arrangements. The new law also requires the state to engage in a public service campaign to make people more aware of how they can gain access to state services. “These pieces of legislation will improve Colorado’s behavioral health system and help us to improve the safety of individuals and our communities by providing the right services, to the right people at the right time,” Colorado Department of Human Services Executive Director Reggie Bicaha said in response to the signing of Senate Bill 13-266 and House Bill 13-1296. The House bill creates a task force to study the consolidation of state laws that deal with placing someone in involuntary commitment.

Washington Gov. Jay Inslee in May signed into law tougher penalties for those charged with boating under the influence, according to The Olympian. Under the new law, BUI will be considered a gross misdemeanor punishable by a $5,000 fine and up to a year in jail. Those suspected of intoxication also could be fined $1,000 if they refuse a Breathalyzer or blood test. The new law will take effect July 28.

The Council of State Governments

JULY 30–AUGUST

2, 2013

Meeting

| Mobile, Alab

ama

Eastern nce Regional Confere

ting 53rd Annual Mee Rico rdo, Puerto Dec. 6–9 | Faja

JULY / AUG 2013

40 Datapalooza in Health Care

In this issue’s 10 Questions, Florida House Speaker Will Weatherford hits the nail on the head: “Technology is changing the way we live as people.” That means state government has to change along with it. From the rules surrounding new technologies that can be used to survey crops to the security issues surrounding the creation and storage of a large volume of data, states have to make changes to their infrastructure and laws.

38 Trends with Mapping

CAPITOL IDEAS

Mobile

in THiS SeCTion 12 Cybersecurity

The Council of State Governments congratulates the outstanding state leaders selected to participate in the

2013 Henry Toll Fellowship Class EAST James Albis

MIDWEST Grant Barry Anderson

SOUTH Karen Camper

Connecticut Representative

Associate Justice, Minnesota Supreme Court

Tennessee House Democratic Floor Leader

Meaghan Brennan

Philip Boots

Heather Dawes Fitzenhagen

Philip Cavanagh

Manju Ganeriwala

Director, Budget Development, Planning and Administration, Delaware Office of Management and Budget

Sharon Carson

New Hampshire Senator

Pamela DeLissio

Pennsylvania Representative

Sean Finnigan

Chief of Staff, Delaware House Majority Caucus

Donald McCormack

Director, Bureau of General Services, Maine Department of Administrative and Financial Services

José Negrón-Fernández

Indiana Senator

Michigan Representative

Andrew Gerlach

Cabinet Secretary, South Dakota Department of Revenue

Mary Elizabeth Gill

H. Brent Hill

Idaho Senate President Pro Tempore

Georgene Louis

James Holden

Will Longwitz Mississippi Senator

Linda Newell

Chief Deputy and General Counsel, Office of the Indiana State Treasurer

Scot Kelsh

South Dakota Senate Majority Whip

Dan Lederman Tim Mapes

Chief of Staff, Office of the Illinois Speaker

Director of Special Projects and Intergovernmental Affairs, Office of the Vermont Governor

Minnesota Representative

Steve Shurtleff

Katrina Shankland

Bryan Townsend

Valdenia Winn

Delaware Senator

Jann Hoke

Brian Ebbert

Assistant Chief Clerk/Parliamentarian, Office of the Chief Clerk, California State Assembly

New Mexico Representative

Marc Pacheco

New Hampshire House Majority Leader

Stephen Goss

Judge, Superior Courts of Georgia, Dougherty Judicial Circuit

Mo Denis

Nevada Senate Majority Floor Leader

Director, West Virginia Equal Employment Opportunity Office, Office of the Governor

North Dakota Representative

Alyson Richards

Virginia State Treasurer

Isaac Choy

Hawaii Representative

Judge, Franklin County Court of Common Pleas, Ohio Domestic Relations Division and Juvenile Branch

Secretary, Puerto Rico Department of Correction and Rehabilitation Massachusetts Senator

Florida Representative

WEST

Rena Moran

Wisconsin Representative

Jay Neal

Colorado Senator

Lance Pruitt

Georgia Representative

Alaska House Majority Leader

Doug Overbey

Tick Segerblom

Sannie Overly

Jeffrey Thompson

Tennessee Senator

Kentucky House Majority Caucus Chair

Bill Sample Arkansas Senator

Steven Teske

Chief Judge, Georgia Juvenile Court of Clayton County

Whitney Westerfield Kentucky Senator

Nevada Senator

Idaho Representative

Mary Throne

Wyoming House Minority Floor Leader

Nan Waller

Presiding Judge, Multnomah County Circuit Court, Oregon Judicial Department

Sharon Wylie

Washington Representative

Kansas Representative

Teresa Younger

Executive Director, Connecticut Permanent Commission on the Status of Women

Applications for the 2014 Toll Fellows Class will be open Oct. 1, 2013– May 2, 2014 . The program will run Sept. 5–10, 2014. For more information, visit www.csg.org/TollFellows or email tolls@csg.org.

CAPITOL IDEAS CAPITOL IDEAS|| contents contents © Jurgen Ziewe/Ikon Images/Corbis

On the Cover Florida House Speaker Will Weatherford believes technology is transforming everything from the way we get our news to the way we educate people. He spearheaded an effort to expand online education in Florida and saw the creation of an app for people to follow the House of Representatives during the 2013 legislative session. Photo by Meredith Geddings, Florida House of Representatives photographer

JULY/AUGUST 2013

With data expanding at a rapid rate, the need to protect it grows exponentially. But cybersecurity issues aren’t going away and experts warn that a breach of your state’s data is just a matter of time.

Read three perspectives on the future of the electric grid and what state policymakers can do to push for modernization.

Florida House Speaker Will Weatherford says technology is changing the way we live. He spearheaded an effort to see just what technology can do for Florida’s flagship university.

CSG has launched a two-year Focus on Federalism initiative to enhance the role of states in our federal system. The effort is lead by Alaska Sen. Gary Stevens, the 2013 CSG chair, and Tennessee Senate Majority Leader Mark Norris, the 2014 CSG chair.

HOT TOPIC— cYBERSECURITY

HOT TOPIC— gRID MODERNIZATION

10 questions— EDUCATING WITH TECHNOLOGY

FEATURE— CSG FOCUS ON FEDERALISM

JULY / AUG 2013

capitol ideas

contents | CAPITOL IDEAS

hot topic | 12 cybersecurity With data expanding at a rapid rate, the need to protect it grows exponentially. But cybersecurity issues aren’t going away and experts warn that a breach of your state’s data is just a matter of time.

16 telemedicine Technology is rapidly changing health care, but problems persist. 18 drones Drone technology is helping everyone from farmers to law enforcement do their jobs more efficiently, but state leaders want to ensure individuals’ privacy is protected.

20 grid modernization Read three perspectives on the future of the electric grid and what state policymakers can do to push for modernization.

27 distance education A new agreement could make it easier for universities to offer online classes across state lines.

32 mobile voting State election offices are adopting many mobile platforms to serve the needs of a growing population expecting voting services in more up-to-date ways.

34 technology 101 Technology is changing state government. Here’s a look at some of the issues states will be dealing with in 2013.

38 data trends Data allows states to focus on delivery of services and confirms a two-way relationship between states and constituents.

capitol ideas

JULY / AUG 2013

40 Health care datapalooza

Many solutions to health care challenges can be found in the vast quantities of existing health data.

41 digital privacy

State attorneys general have been exploring the best ways to manage privacy risks for individuals and corporations that come with new developments in technology.

features | 46 Focus on fEDERALISM CSG has launched a two-year Focus on Federalism initiative to enhance the role of states in our federal system. The effort is led by Alaska Sen. Gary Stevens, the 2013 CSG chair, and Tennessee Senate Majority Leader Mark Norris, the 2014 CSG chair.

they said it | regional roundup |

in the know |

5 TECHNOLOGY 6 EAST 7 SOUTH 8 MIDWEST 9 WEST 10 STATE INFORMATION TECHNOLOGY

Dan Oehmke, director of process, controls and improvement for Minnesota IT Services and president of National Association of State Technology Directors, says state leaders should think of IT as a cornerstone of good government.

10 questions | 28 SPEAKER WILL WEATHERFORD

Florida House Speaker Will Weatherford says technology is changing the way we live. He spearheaded an effort to see just what technology can do for Florida’s flagship university.

by the book | 30 Star techies

Only Washington has a high-tech employment concentration higher than 10 percent, but nine other states have a higher concentration than the U.S. average of 5.6 percent.

how to | 39 how to move to the cloud straight talk | 42 new media

Policymakers discuss how new media has changed their work in state government.

stated briefly | 44 AFFILIATE & ASSOCIATION NEWS

News from The Council of State Governments and its affiliates

shout out | 48 ALASKA EM DIRECTOR JOHN MADDEN

John Madden, Alaska’s emergency management director and president of the National Emergency Management Association, took “a long and winding road” to Alaska, but it always followed the stream of public service.

CSG'S EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR | notes

Knowledge May Be Power, But Leadership Requires Wisdom Elected officials know firsthand the power of technology. In a very short period of time nearly every aspect of the modern political campaign has been transformed. The way news is shared from the statehouse has changed dramatically. The way constituents and interest groups interact with public officials also is forever altered. We live in a brave new world in which technology provides great opportunity and compelling challenges. Recent headlines illustrate these trends. The ability to investigate, identify and apprehend the suspects in the Boston Marathon bombings was a riveting example of how big data has changed police work. The revelations of monitoring email- and phone-generated data by the National Security Agency raised a fierce public debate over the competing interests of security and privacy. In emergencies like Superstorm Sandy, we witnessed technology aiding in quickly responding to the storm and helping people remain connected to government resources. I was born at the beginning of the space race. I remember my parents awaking me and my brother to watch the grainy black and white live television coverage of the Apollo 11 moon landing. Those remarkable images were brought into our home on a television that received just four channels, on a good day, and I served as the “remote control,” changing channels with a pair of pliers, in lieu of the broken knob, whenever my dad asked. My research for papers in high school consisted of reviewing entries in the print editions of The World Book Encyclopedia. My 11-year-old daughter, Nell, now has access to a seemingly unlimited world of information, which she consumes on an iPad, iPhone and through cable television, which brings hundreds of channels of programing into our home. The consequences of this information explosion for government are profound. The scale of data creation is staggering. In 2012, every day 2.5 quintillion bytes of data (1 followed by 18 zeros) are created, with 90 percent of the world’s data created in the past two years alone. Every day, people send 144.8 billion email messages and upload 72 hours of new video to YouTube a minute. More than 340 million tweets are sent a day. Apple receives around 47,000 app downloads a minute. More than 570 new websites are launched a minute. Google receives more than 2 million search queries a minute. There are 3.37 billion email accounts worldwide—and most elected officials think their inboxes have received a message from every one of them. In this issue of Capitol Ideas, we explore many of the ways in which technology is revolutionizing state government and how forwardlooking leaders are putting data to work as they gain insights into how best to solve problems. CSG understands the power of information, but more importantly we strive each day to take information and convert it to knowledge for leaders who wish to gain wisdom in how to govern. Knowledge is power, but wisdom is the source of real leadership. While some would argue that technology has made many organizations and associations less relevant, I believe just the opposite is true for CSG. Never before have state leaders needed a trusted, honest broker of information, a role CSG plays so well. And never before has the need for understanding and wisdom been greater. We believe that while data is important, what leaders choose to do with the data is even more important. That’s why we will continue to be old school in our approach to what works. We know that leader-to-leader interactions are the building blocks of understanding and, by convening state leaders together across party lines, geographic boundaries and ideological differences, we can help leaders achieve results. We also know that technology provides us with quick, flexible and cost-effective ways to bring leaders together. CSG’s online Knowledge Center is a treasure trove of data; the CSG Justice Center is a widely respected resource on how to be smarter about public safety and CSG’s Book of the States remains a vital collection of state-based statistics. These are just of few of the ways CSG makes data work for our members.

JULY / AUG 2013

Remember the phone? It’s that thing on the desk with the buttons you actually still have to push to dial.

We also hope you will like us on Facebook, where we promise to provide timely updates on happenings in the states. If you feel overwhelmed by technology and just need to hear a real voice, don’t be afraid to pick up the phone and give us a call.

capitol ideas

With this issue of Capitol Ideas, we are now offering this publication digitally on the iTunes newsstand. Download the app and see these pages in a new light.

credits | CAPITOL IDEAS

publisher DAVID ADKINS

dadkins@csg.org

general manager KELLEY ARNOLD karnold@csg.org

managing editor MARY BRANHAM

mbranham@csg.org

associate editor JENNIFER GINN

technical editor CHRIS PRYOR

jginn@csg.org

cpryor@csg.org

email capitolideas@csg.org internet capitolideas.csg.org

staff writer HEATHER PERKINS

CSG Membership Coordinator hperkins@csg.org

contributing writer kay stimson

Director of Communications and Special Projects, National Association of Secretaries of State

CAPITOL IDEAS, ISSN 2152-8489, JULY/AUG 2013, Vol. 56, No. 4—Published bi-monthly by

The Council of State Governments, 2760 Research Park Dr., Lexington, KY 40511-8482. Opinions expressed in this magazine do not necessarily reflect the policies of The Council of State Governments nor the views of the editorial staff. Readers’ comments are welcome. Subscription rates: in the U.S., $42 per year. Single issues are available at $7 per copy. POSTMASTER: Send address changes to Capitol Ideas, Sales Department, P.O. Box 11910, Lexington, KY 40578-1910. Periodicals postage paid at Lexington, Ky., and additional mailing offices. Mailing lists are available for rent upon approval of a sample mailing. Contact the sales department at (800) 800-1910. Copyright 2012 by The Council of State Governments. Periodicals postage paid at Lexington, Ky., and at additional mailing offices.

graphic designers JESSICA HUGHES jhughes@csg.org

REBECCA FIELD rfield@csg.org

CHRIS PRYOR

cpryor@csg.org

KELSEY STAMPER kstamper@csg.org

The Council of State Governments president Gov. jay nixon, Missouri | chair SenatOR GARY STEVENS, Alaska | chair-elect SenatOR MARK NORRIS, Tennessee vice chair SenATOR CARL MARCELLINO, New York | immediate past chair SENATE MAJORITY LEADER JAY SCOTT EMLER, Kansas executive director/ceo DAVID ADKINS (dadkins@csg.org) | washington, d.c., director CHRIS WHATLEY (cwhatley@csg.org) east director WENDELL M. HANNAFORD (whannaford@csg.org) | south director COLLEEN COUSINEAU (fitzgerald@csg.org) midwest director MICHAEL H. McCABE (mmccabe@csg.org) | west director Edgar Ruiz (eruiz@csg.org)

capitol ideas

JULY / AUG 2013

GOV. JAY NIXON MISSOURI CSG National President

Sen. GARY STEVENS ALASKA CSG National Chair

senate president eduardo bhatia Puerto Rico CSG East Co-Chair

house speaker jaime perellÓ puerto rico CSG East Co-Chair

house speaker Mike Hubbard alabama CSG South Chair

Rep. ALICE HAUSMAN Minnesota CSG Midwest Chair

SEN. KELVIN ATKINSON NEVADA CSG West Chair

TECHNOLOGY AND GOVERNMENT | they said it “We all own a piece of that infrastructure, so it’s a shared responsibility.” —Michele Robinson, acting director for the California Office of Information Security, told Government Technology magazine, discussing the creation of a cybersecurity task force, the first state-led collaboration with private sector leaders to discuss a comprehensive cybersecurity plan for the state

“No one is listening to your phone calls.” —President Barack Obama, responding to the investigation of government

“If you want to move the mouse, you gotta move the cheese.” —California Lt. Gov. Gavin Newsome, in a February interview with the blog TechPresident about his book “Citizenville,” discussing ways to incentivize technology and citizen engagement

surveillance of Americans through the use of technology, according to a transcript of his remarks posted at ABC News

“Big Data is forever changing the way we manage, market, and move information …” —Maryland Gov. Martin O’Malley, in a May blog

“I hope that people wake up, truly wake up, to what’s happening to society …” —Ray Ozzie, the former software chief at Microsoft, said about the use of the volumes of data people make available and the government is using for surveillance, according to The Boston Globe

post announcing the launch of Maryland’s first statewide open data portal that will provide a

wide variety of data to support transparency and

Report,” published by the World Economic Forum in June, according to the Dayton Business Journal

JULY / AUG 2013

—Robert Pepper, vice president for global technology policy for Cisco, following release of the “Global Information Technology

“(E)conomies that fail to implement comprehensive national broadband strategies risk losing ground in global competitiveness …”

capitol ideas

innovation in government

regional roundup | EAST

DE • CT • MA • MD • ME • NH • NJ • NY • PA • RI • VT • NB • NL • NS • ON • PE • PR • QC • VI

The East UNIVERSITY OVERSIGHT

STATE PARKS

Connecticut lawmakers reached a bipartisan agreement in May to strengthen oversight of higher education spending, The Connecticut Mirror reported. Under the proposal, unanimously passed by the state Senate, college officials would be required to come before legislators to discuss their budgets by Feb. 14, 2014. They also would be required to hold a budget hearing in 2015. The proposal is in response to legislative concerns about tuition inflation and administrative spending among the state’s institutions.

New York Gov. Andrew Cuomo in May announced $90 million in funding to upgrade more than 50 state parks and historic sites, according to a press release on the governor’s website. The funding will come from the New York Works capital program, which is designed to deal with environmental capital needs, create jobs and generate local economic development.

GAS TAX Maryland Gov. Martin O’Malley in May signed into law a gas tax increase expected to generate $1.2 billion over the next six years, according to The Baltimore Sun. The first of at least four increases is a 4 cents per gallon hike that took effect in July. The state announced a series of road, bridge and transit projects that will be funded by the taxes when O’Malley signed the bill.

UNEMPLOYMENT RATE Vermont’s unemployment rate dropped to 4 percent in April, The Associated Press reported. The April numbers reflected a one-tenth of a percent drop over March figures and is the lowest rate the state has had since late 2007. The state currently has the third lowest unemployment rate in the nation, 3.5 percentage points lower than the 7.5 percent national average.

RESTORED FUNDING Massachusetts Gov. Deval Patrick in May restored close to $21 million in budget cuts, The Associated Press reported. An increase in tax revenues allowed Patrick to restore less than 10 percent of the $225 million in spending reductions he originally ordered in December 2012. Most of the $21 million will go to local school districts.

capitol ideas

JULY / AUG 2013

learn more about these and other in the Eastern Region, visit:  Todevelopments capitolideas.csg.org and www.csgeast.org.

New Hampshire Explores Competency-Based Education In order to more clearly define what students must know to graduate, the New Hampshire state Board of Education is moving toward competency-based education, the Concord Monitor reported. Competency-based education takes the focus off of time in the classroom and places more weight on specific knowledge of subjects. A committee comprised of state education associations has been working since November to update the Department of Education’s minimum standards requirement. A shift to competency-based education is one of the elements recommended by the committee in its proposal the Board of Education voted to initially adopt in May. Before it can be officially adopted, the proposal must go through several hearings and gain approval from legislative oversight committees later this year. If adopted, credits toward graduation will be eliminated. The objective will be to make it more clear what knowledge students have while giving them a choice on how to obtain that knowledge. Instead of requiring a certain number of courses in one subject, students would be asked to prove competency in specific areas within each subject. Many of the state’s schools adopted competency-based ideas several years ago, according to the Concord Monitor. At Concord and Merrimack Valley high schools, for instance, students received credit for a course only after passing all competencies. If they fail one competency, students don’t receive credit even if their average grade is passing. “It’s the right work,” Concord Superintendent Chris Rath told the Concord Monitor. “The clearer we can be with kids about what it is we want them to learn and be able to know and do, the better the results.”

AL • AR • FL • GA • KY • LA • MO • MS • NC • OK • SC • TN • TX • VA • WV

SOUTH | regional roundup

The South

FEEDING STUDENTS

HOME BREW

West Virginia’s legislature passed a bill this session to provide free and nutritious breakfasts and lunches to all students in public schools, according to an article in The Journal. The Feed to Achieve Act, sponsored by Sen. John Unger of Berkeley, W.Va., requires all schools to maximize school meal participation to take advantage of federal money for meals. It also sets up foundations in every county to collect private donations to fund expanded meal programs.

Alabama became the last state in the nation to allow home brewing this legislative session, a story on AL.com reported. Under the new law, residents can brew up to 15 gallons of beer, cider or mead every three months. The new rules don’t apply in dry counties, however.

JUSTICE REINVESTMENT

Majority of Americans Say Disaster Aid Doesn’t Require Spending Cuts

TAX CREDIT

JULY / AUG 2013

learn more about these and other in the Southern Region, visit:  Todevelopments capitolideas.csg.org and www.slcatlanta.org.

The Alabama Accountability Act provides parents a tax credit worth more than $3,500 to put toward their children’s tuition at a private school. The legislation, which passed the House and Senate after rancorous debate, allows students to transfer from failing schools, but doesn’t require other schools to admit students, according to AL.com. It also enables businesssupported scholarship funds that parents may use to cover the difference between the tax credits and the cost of tuition at private schools.

OUTSOURCING I-T The majority of information technology jobs in the Texas Department of Transportation has been outsourced to a Japanese company. According to the Austin American-Statesman, about 300 of the department’s 350 employees lost their jobs, but they were offered positions with the Tokyo-based NTT Data through the five-year, $190 million contract.

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Following the devastating tornadoes that hit Moore, Okla., more than 6,000 Oklahoma residents had applied for disaster assistance from the Federal Emergency Management Agency as of early June and more than $6.4 million had been distributed, Gov. Mary Fallin said in a press release. In addition, the legislature passed, and Fallin signed into law, a bill authorizing the transfer of $45 million from the state’s rainy day account to an emergency fund, which will be used to help communities cover expenses related to the storm. The actions came after an EF5 twister killed 24 people and destroyed more than 1,200 homes, as well as two elementary schools in Moore on May 20. The tornado in Moore was not the only disaster to hit Oklahoma in May. Another EF5 tornado—the strongest category of tornadoes, with wind speeds of more than 200 miles per hour—hit near Oklahoma City on May 31. A survey by the Pew Research Center and The Washington Post found that 47 percent of Americans said they paid very close attention to news about the deadly tornado. Interest was only slightly higher for the coverage of Hurricane Sandy last fall, which stood at 53 percent. Despite harsh partisan rhetoric that has dominated national political discussions, Americans mostly agree on how the federal government responds to disasters. According to the Pew survey, 59 percent of Americans believe federal aid for natural disasters is emergency spending that does not need to be offset by other funding cuts. That support was shared across the political spectrum—69 percent of Democrats, 57 percent of Independents and 52 percent of Republicans agreed. Support for the emergency aid without spending cuts also crossed regional lines. The majority of survey respondents from all regions said no spending cuts were necessary. The highest support, 62 percent, came from the Northeast. Fifty-eight percent of those surveyed in both the Midwest and West agreed, as did 57 percent in the South.

West Virginia is seeking to reduce its high recidivism rate with the passage of a prison overcrowding bill, a priority of Gov. Earl Ray Tomblin. According to an article in MetroNews, the legislation, which follows an assessment of the state’s sentencing laws by The Council of State Governments Justice Center, gives judges authority to release a nonviolent offender into a supervised program six months early. The program will include supervision and substance abuse treatment for inmates when they are released.

SENTENCING REPEAL The North Carolina House of Representatives voted in early June to repeal a 2009 law that allowed inmates sentenced to death to use statistical data to show that race played a significant part in their trial or in the decision of the prosecutor to seek the death penalty. Those who are successful in court can have their sentence commuted to life in prison, according to the (Raleigh) News & Observer. So far, more than 150 death row inmates are challenging their sentences under the law.

regional roundup | MIDWEST

IA • IL • IN • KS • MI • MN • NE • ND • OH • SD • WI • AB • MB • ON • SK

The Midwest COURT RULING

VOTING AGE

The Indiana Supreme Court in May upheld a state law limiting the amount of punitive damages awarded in civil lawsuits, according to the Evansville Courier & Press. The law limits punitive damages to three times the amount of damage covering actual loss, with 75 percent going to a state victim compensation fund. The court’s 5-0 ruling overturned a Marion County judge’s 2008 decision to award a victim more than the state maximum.

Illinois legislators in May sent a bill that would allow 17-yearolds to vote in primary elections to Gov. Pat Quinn, The Chicago Tribune reported. Under the bill, 17-year-olds would be allowed to vote in primaries as long as they turn 18 before the November general election. Sen. Terry Link, the bill’s sponsor, believes the measure would be one step in the movement to increase voter participation.

LABOR COMMISSIONER North Dakota Gov. Jack Dalrymple in May appointed Bonnie Storbakken to serve as the state’s labor commissioner, according to INFORUM, the website for The Forum of Fargo-Moorhead. The Bismarck attorney owns and operates Storbakken Law & Mediation, a firm specializing in mediation services. She replaces Commissioner Tony Weiler, who left to become executive director of the State Bar Association of North Dakota.

HIGH SCHOOL GRADUATES South Dakota is expected to increase its number of high school graduates over the next several years, according to a state Board of Regents’ press release. Information included the “Knocking at the College Door” report from the Western Interstate Committee for Higher Education, indicating the state will increase the number of total high school graduates by 14.4 percent during the next 15 years.

LICENSE PLATES Ohio Reps. Terry Johnson and Stephen Slesnick in May sponsored legislation to allow motorists to display only one license plate on their cars, according to the Cleveland Plain Dealer. The state requires license plates to be displayed on both the front and rear of vehicles. Slesnick believes the bill could save the state more than $1 million each year. Several law enforcement officials testified against the bill, saying the front license plate displays are often beneficial in reporting crimes.

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To learn more about these and other developments in the Midwestern Region, visit:  capitolideas.csg.org and www.csgmidwest.org.

Walker Administration Seeks Power to Sell State Property Wisconsin Gov. Scott Walker is seeking in his latest budget proposal the broad authority to sell state property, the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel reported. Money from the property sales would be used to relieve the state of some of its $8 billion debt. The state Building Commission would have the authority to sell state properties under the proposal the legislature took up in May. The Building Commission is made up of the governor, three state senators, three state representatives and a citizen member. The plan would allow the state to negotiate a deal with an individual buyer without going through a public bidding process, an aspect many opponents of the plan find questionable. While the state does not have any plans to sell properties such as prisons, highways and university dormitories, it would be allowed to sell those properties under the proposal, according to the Journal Sentinel. Many supporters of the University of Wisconsin System say selling university buildings without the approval of the Board of Regents could be a problem, especially if private donations or student fees were used to pay for the buildings. In addition, even though the school system paid for the building, it might not see any benefit from the sale. Proceeds from the sale of a property would first be used to pay off any debt on that property and costs related to the sale. Any money on top of that would go toward the payment of other state debts. According to the Department of Administration, the administration will compile a list of all state property to identify properties to sell. Spokeswoman Stephanie Marquis indicated the department will focus on properties such as land purchased for projects that never came to fruition. The legislature is expected to approve a modified version of Walker’s proposal.

WEST | regional roundup

AK • AZ • CA • CO • HI • ID • MT • NM • NV • OR • UT • WA • WY • AB • AS • BC • GU • MP

The West OIL TAX

MEDICAL MARIJUANA

BOATING SAFETY

Colorado Governor Signs Bill Expanding Mental Health Services

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To learn more about these and other developments in the Western Region, visit:  capitolideas.csg.org and www.csgwest.org.

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in the know | STATE INFORMATION TECHNOLOGY

It’s Not about I-T; It’s about Good Government Today’s state government information technology—IT—directors are increasingly expected to project confidence and get results while facing ambiguity, uncertainty and growing risks while the complexity and pace of change seem to rise exponentially. At the same time, government IT customers have made their expectations clear: It is not about IT; it is about enabling the objectives and outcomes of good government. State government IT leaders face a host of challenges, among them technology convergence, IT consolidation, disruptive technologies, managing cloud solutions, aging and changing workforce demographics, weak economies, constrained budgets, increasing citizen expectations and greater scrutiny of government employees.

Dan Oehmke Director, Process, Controls & Improvement Minnesota IT Services President, National Association of State Technology Directors (NASTD)

Not that long ago, a phone was just a phone. Now it is a mobile, pocket-sized computer that holds a wealth of sensitive, nonpublic data, a device that is easily lost or stolen, giving rise to a number of security and privacy issues. Public employees are demanding the ability to connect their personal smartphones, tablets and other devices to state networks. Email used to be a straightforward communications vehicle. Now it has converged with other technologies into a unified suite of collaborative tools with functionality for chat, video conferencing, Web conferencing and indicating a person’s presence or availability. Meanwhile, with a persistently weak economy and reduced budgets, state government IT leaders must maintain critical, yet brittle and aging IT systems they cannot afford to replace or upgrade. Getting enough staff to do the required work is equally challenging. Demographic trends clearly show that the available IT workforce is rapidly contracting. For many state IT operations, qualified IT workers are either not available or there is no funding to hire them. IT consolidation and cloud solutions have become attractive options to increase business capabilities, improve the depth and breadth of support, eliminate redundancies and reduce expenses, thereby freeing state IT employees to focus on higher-level, more complex interactions between IT and the business of government. A recent joint survey on enterprise email consolidation in the states—conducted by NASTD and the National Association of State Chief Information Officers—found that: “Email consolidation efforts are finishing strong and have proved that consolidation efforts of significant magnitude can be successful. There is still resistance to consolidation efforts. Policymakers and executive management will need to continue making the case for joining up.” When proceeding with consolidation or cloud solutions, state IT directors must consider organizational change dynamics as well. The ways of getting work done will likely change and IT generalists may need to become IT specialists. Staff who used to manage hardware and software may need to manage services, service levels and contracts when work moves to the cloud.

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Despite the many challenges, the opportunity to make a difference for state government and the people it serves has never been greater for state IT directors. With IT now woven into the fabric of day-to-day work, savvy directors will overcome these challenges and make a significant impact for state employees and customers.

TECHNOLOGY IN THE STATES | hot topic

IN THIS SECTION 12 Cybersecurity 16 Telemedicine 18 Drones 20 Grid Modernization 27 Distance Education 28 10 Questions—Will Weatherford 30 By the Book—Star Techies 34 Tech 101—2013 38 Trends with Mapping

41 Protecting Online Identity 42 Straight Talk—Staying Connected

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40 Datapalooza in Health Care

39 How to—Move to the Cloud

Governing in the E-World

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32 Mobile Voting

hot topic | CYBERSECURITY NASCIO TOP 10 ISSUES

CYBER CRIME 'It’s Just a Matter of Time'

by Jennifer Ginn

In the early 1980s, a movie called WarGames featured a young computer hacker who accidentally ends up nearly causing World War III after he finds his way into a military supercomputer. By the 1990s, when America’s fledgling love affair with the Internet was just beginning to bloom, nosy hacker kids were about all businesses and governments needed to worry about with security breaches. “The first ones (hackers) were typically high school kids trying to demonstrate they were really smart and trying to get into the Pentagon,” said Larry Ponemon, chairman and founder of the Ponemon Institute, a research organization dedicated to cybersecurity, data protection and privacy. “It wasn’t really about stealing anything. It was about getting into places you weren’t supposed to go.” Now those kid hackers, the Internet and a new breed of cybercriminals have all grown up. Cyber pranks have turned into cyber warfare and state governments are learning that nobody is safe.

Problem Not Going Away

Ponemon said people often wonder why we are still talking about cybersecurity. That’s because it’s not going away, he said. “It’s kind of evolved now to where we’re actually contemplating cyber warfare,” he said. “It’s become a tool of mass destruction. If you turn off a utility or power company, it can cause a lot of damage and harm people. “The … security solutions that worked so well 10 or 15 years ago have become pretty much irrelevant. It’s a little like a nuclear arms race. … It’s a very, very hard, complex issue to manage. That’s why security has never been solved, really; it’s an unsolvable question.” Security breaches are not uncommon. According to a report from Rapid 7, a security software company, 268 data breaches in government agencies from Jan. 1, 2009, to May 31, 2012, exposed private information in more than 94 million records. Chad Grant, senior policy analyst for the National Association of State Chief Information Officers—also known as NASCIO—said state technology leaders are well aware of online threats. “It’s something that has been a major issue for state CIOs over the past decade and it’s continuing to be a larger and larger priority,” Grant said. “Every year we put together a state CIO priority list that the members vote on, and this year, security is still up there in that top 10. It was actually ranked at number three this year, just

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“Every state is being attacked daily. It’s not if, it’s when they’re going to be breached.” —Utah Sen. Stuart Reid

NASCIOCYBERSECURITY TOP 10 ISSUES | hot topic

TEACHING CYBERSECURITY NORTHFIELD, VT.—Norwich University professor Lt. Col. Peter Stephenson directs Norwich’s Center for Advanced Computing and Digital Forensics, which offers a six-week seminar that allows students to build and defend computer networks. The need for better cybersecurity is growing. According to a report from Rapid 7—a security software company—268 data breaches in government agencies from Jan. 1, 2009, to May 31, 2012, exposed private information in more than 94 million records. © AP Photo/Toby Talbot

Utah Breach in Medicaid Data

Utah experienced its own data breach in March 2012, when personal data for more than 700,000 residents was stolen.

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In the fall of 2012, the South Carolina Department of Revenue became victim to the

complaints about identity theft and assist victims, promote the use of best practices and provide a centralized location to collect information related to identify theft incidents. Grant said there is a lot more discussion happening in South Carolina now about protecting personal data. The state also is doing an extensive audit of its security practices, as well as providing credit monitoring for those affected by the breach, which will cost $12 million for just one year. The bill failed to pass in this session. “I think one thing that states can take away from this … is you need to be prepared,” Grant said. “It’s not necessarily that you can protect yourself 100 percent, but you need to be prepared in the event that something does happen. One thing that has occurred since the South Carolina breaches, there’s been a lot more information sharing. That’s the thing, I think, (that) is going to help states, locals, and territories and tribes, … so they understand what the threats are.”

South Carolina Security Breach

single-largest security breach in the country. Between Aug. 13 and Sept. 15, 2012, cyber criminals gained access to 44 of the revenue department’s computer systems. According to a story from The Greenville News, the hackers ended up with 3.8 million Social Security numbers, 3.3 million bank account numbers and information on almost 700,000 businesses. The preamble to Senate Bill 334—written in response to the breach and introduced in February—attributed the data breach to lax security measures because revenue officials thought there was little chance of a problem. “This cybersecurity breach at the Department of Revenue was not primarily about the failure of technology, but was about the failure to deploy even the most basic technology and a failure of organizational structure,” the bill states. “Under the state’s current decentralized approach to information security, each agency decides its own risk tolerance for data loss and creates its own information security plan, absent statewide oversight and standards, … creating unacceptable risks for data breaches throughout all of state government.” The bill, among other things, would create an Identity Theft Unit within the Department of Consumer Affairs. The unit would receive

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behind consolidation and cloud services. “The citizens want to be able to move to mobile environments; they want to move to an online instead of inline type of service environment if possible. That needs to be done with protecting personal information. Over 20 percent of data breaches within the U.S. occur in the public sector.” While securing residents’ private information is important, many state chief information officers don’t believe they have the resources to do it. In a 2012 Deloitte-NASCIO survey, 92 percent of state officials think cybersecurity is very important for their state, yet only 24 percent of chief information security officers were very confident their state’s data was protected. Eighty-six percent of information officers said insufficient funding was the key barrier to addressing cybersecurity, and 70 percent of them have reported a breach. “When you look at states, from cradle to grave, all your information is there,” Grant said. “It’s important the state be able to protect it.”

hot topic | CYBERSECURITY

Sen. Stuart Reid, who introduced Senate Bill 20 in response to the theft, said the problem arose when doctors’ offices were checking the state’s databases on all of their patients, also known as pinging, to see if they were covered by Medicaid or Medicare. Each time a patient is pinged, the firewall securing the state data is supposed to go down briefly. “Usually, it’s just a matter of milliseconds when the pinging goes through, then the door closes behind it and the state responds,” Reid said. “For whatever technical reason, that firewall was left open for a fairly lengthy period of time.” Senate Bill 20, signed into law in March, requires the state to use best practices for data security at all times. If best practices cannot be used, the governor, the speaker of the house and the president of the senate must be notified. Those three officials also must be notified if best practices are not being implemented because of a budgetary reason. A committee of experts has been put into place to monitor security practices and an expert third party will

conduct an audit at least every two years to assess whether the state is still conforming to the industry’s best practices. Reid said until this breach, data security was not a big concern among most Utah legislators. “The only time people really talked about identity theft or personal data theft was during our debates on immigration and so forth, people stealing identities because of illegal immigration,” he said. “Ignorance was bliss until this event took place.” Reid said the incident is going to end up costing the state $6 million to $10 million, which includes credit monitoring for those affected, upgrading technology and covering costs of the panel of experts. The state also is likely to be fined by the federal government for the breaches in the Medicaid database. “Every state is being attacked daily,” Reid said. “It’s not if, it’s when they’re going to be breached. If you’re not maintaining the best practices, you’re going to be paying for it. They (legislators) need to think of this as important as making sure the power is on. It is the cost

of doing business. It’s an infrastructure cost, a utility cost they cannot shortchange.”

Insurance and Aggressive Security

South Carolina and Utah are finding that data breaches can cost tens of millions of dollars, which is hard to pay for in a tight budget. Montana is one of the few states with insurance coverage for data breaches. Nobody is sure of the exact number of states carrying such insurance since states are not required to report it. Brett Dahl, Montana’s risk insurance manager, said the state has had the coverage since 2010 as an add-on to its property insurance policy. It covers up to $2 million in costs and provides expert assistance should a breach occur. Dahl said each state needs to take an honest assessment of their vulnerabilities. “Try to put an insurance product in place to try to mitigate these unforeseen costs,” he said. “To come up with $8 million to $10

HACK ATTACK NEW YORK—Students at the Polytechnic Institute of New York University, below, held a Hack Night in the Information Systems and Internet Security lab at the university in April. While young people were the early hackers on the Internet, many are learning how to become cybersecurity experts. Utah Gov. Gary Herbert, right, knows the need for such security. A hacker attack in the state’s Medicaid system exposed the personal information of more than 700,000 people. He called for an independent audit of all the state’s data security procedures in the wake of that attack.

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CYBERSECURITY | hot topic

million in our budget would be a real hardship for any of our agencies in Montana.” While experts admit that cybersecurity is a costly issue, Michigan officials said their state has managed to invest even with tight budgets. Dan Lohrmann, Michigan’s chief security officer, said his state spends about 2 percent of its yearly technology budget on security. NASCIO’s Grant said the national average is closer to 1 percent for states, while banks and other industries spend closer to 10 percent. Lohrmann said Gov. Rick Snyder, who sat on the board of directors for Gateway computers, has an intense awareness of data security issues. The state created the Michigan Cyber Range, a state-of-the-art facility that offers cybersecurity training for state workers, businesses and residents. Much like a shooting range gives police officers the chance to practice their skills, the cyber range gives IT people the chance to hone their skills by responding to a simulated attack. “We’ve had other states come to us and ask if we could provide them some services,” Lohrmann said. “The governor sees this as an economic development opportunity.” Lohrmann said Michigan officials also support forming partnerships with the federal government to gain access to new technology and training that otherwise wouldn’t be available. “We’re not CIA, we’re not NSA, we’re not Homeland Security and we’re not FBI,” he said. “We’ve got to partner with the people who are the best.”

New Danger Zone for Data Security—

The Cloud

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While free cloud services may help bring down the costs of governing, they also can open up a whole new danger zone in data security. “We’ve done a number of studies on cloud security,” said Larry Ponemon, chairman and founder of the Ponemon Institute, a research organization dedicated to cybersecurity, data protection and privacy. “What we find consistently is a lot of confusion.” Ponemon said many times, workers start using cloud services without going through their technology department. IT managers often complain they have no idea how much data is stored in public clouds, how many cloud services are being used and even how that data is secured. In a 2012 survey of more than 4,000 business and IT managers conducted by the Ponemon Institute, about half of all responders said their organizations have sensitive data in the cloud. One key question is who protects that data. On that point, there seems to be more confusion. Forty-four percent of respondents said the cloud provider has primary responsibility for security, while another 30 percent said they believe the owner of the data is responsible. In Pennsylvania, agencies cannot use free cloud services. Delaware has its own private cloud to help keep data secure. Montana law says department heads ultimately are responsible for preventing data breaches. “Each one of our department heads is responsible for the security of the data they collect,” said Lynne Pizzini, Montana’s chief information security officer. “When they negotiate contracts with people who have cloud services, they have to include information in those contracts about security.” Ponemon said states should approach their cloud policies carefully. “The cloud is very cost effective,” he said. “As governments try to cut back, they look at the cloud as like a saving grace for all these dollars you would have put into infrastructure, now you can rent it. The question is do we want to create cost savings or do we want better security? Sometimes it’s a trade-off.”

hot topic | TELEMEDICINE

The Doctor Will

Email You Now Technology Is Rapidly Changing Health Care, but Problems Persist by Jennifer Ginn

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We license by place, not practice. I think a cultural change needs to take place in the doctor-patient relationship. … If we talk about telehealth, really we’re talking about the application of technology, but the practice of medicine has not changed in either case.” —Former Wyoming Gov. Jim Geringer

Former Wyoming Gov. Jim Geringer has a favorite response to people who say having an appointment with a doctor by webcam is different than going to a doctor’s office. “If anybody tells you telemedicine is different than the practice of medicine, they don’t know what either one is,” he said. Telemedicine is when medical professionals use technology—whether email, telephone or webcam—to provide care for patients. It has been around since the late 1950s, when psychiatrists provided therapy to patients by phone. “It’s not reached its full potential yet, but the expansion of telemedicine has practically skyrocketed the past couple of years,” said Jonathan Linkous, CEO of the American Telemedicine Association, a nonprofit group that promotes improvement in health care delivery through technology. “About a year ago, somewhere around 10 million Americans benefitted somehow from telemedicine.” “This year, we estimate somewhere between 80,000 and 100,000 Americans will have shown up in emergency rooms with a stroke and that stroke will be assessed and treated using teleneurology. So we’re talking about applications that are really making a difference in people’s lives.”

Telemental Health

Access to medical care is an issue Dr. Sara Gibson, a psychiatrist and medical director of telemedicine for the Northern Arizona Regional Behavioral Health Authority, knows well. The publicly funded agency oversees mental health care for 700,000 residents living in the northern half of Arizona. Distance, Gibson said, is a tremendous obstacle in the 62,000 square miles the agency covers. “When I first started doing this, we were looking at one of two options,” she said. “(We could) either bring in sort of a circuit psychiatrist who would travel to the area like for one week a month and see everybody during that week, then move on to other places. “The other option we were thinking about was putting everybody on a bus and driving them in to see a psychiatrist. Again, it wouldn’t be as frequent as it needs to be. There weren’t any great options.” Telemedicine has provided services to patients who otherwise wouldn’t be getting help. Nancy Rowe, director of the authority’s telemedicine program, said providers use 36-inch televisions so patients see their psychiatrist life-size. “It’s a pretty immersive experience,” she said. “What the patients report is a huge degree of comfort,” Gibson said. “The comment comes up over and over again, ‘I feel like I’m in the same room with you.’ There’s a little bit of anxiety initially, so we try to have somebody sitting with them on the other end. “There are even some people who feel more comfortable using this technology than an in-person evaluation. They feel like they can open up more and are a little safer from being flooded by the intensity of being in the same room with somebody.”

Telepharmacy

Twelve years ago, the North Dakota Board of Pharmacy did a survey of community pharmacies in the state and discovered something disturbing. “They discovered … 26 small, rural communities in the state had lost their local pharmacies (and) another dozen

TELEMEDICINE | hot topic were at risk of losing them,” said Ann Rathke, telepharmacy coordinator for North Dakota State University’s College of Pharmacy. “When you have such a sparse and distributed population, if you lose your local pharmacy services, you can easily end up driving 50-60 miles one way to get a prescription filled.” The pharmacy board, the university’s college of pharmacy and the North Dakota Pharmacists Association got together to figure out a solution. An administrative rule change opened up the chance to try something new in the country—telepharmacies. Now in its 11th year, the program boasts 79 telepharmacy sites in North Dakota. Rathke said pharmacy technicians in the remote locations take a patient’s prescription, gather the medicine and begin preparing the prescription. Videoconferencing and an imaging system allow the technician to contact a registered pharmacist, who confirms the prescription and the medication and checks for possible drug interactions. There is a mandatory counseling session between the patient and pharmacist, who then dispenses the medicine. Rathke said 24 states allow telepharmacies. It has been a great way, she said, to ensure patients can access a pharmacist regardless of where they live and it has added more than $26 million to the state’s rural economy. “Early on, one of the worries that was expressed by boards of pharmacy with telepharmacy is it would mean that pharmacists would lose their jobs,” she said. “Telepharmacy is not now, nor has it ever, meant to take pharmacists out of the equation. If fact, it’s just the opposite. It’s keeping the pharmacist as a central health care provider.”

Stumbling Blocks

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MEDICAL SCREENING Telemedicine is becoming more common across the country. Above, Dr. Maurice Cates, an orthopedic surgeon, conducts a live orthopedic consultation remotely by video with a patient (Ronald Jeffries) at Kaiser Permanente’s Capitol Hill Medical Center during an office visit with primary care physician Dr. Isabel Gottron. Telepharmacy has helped many rural residents in North Dakota keep their local pharmacy. Enderlin, N.D., pharmacist Walter Spiese, on screen, is located in LaMoure, 50 miles away from the pharmacy site in Enderlin. Spiese does a final check on the medicine and verifies the prescription with Elaine Diesem, a pharmacy technician. After the final check, the pharmacist releases the drug, even though he is not on site.

For more information and an additional story about how WellPoint is launching a new telemedicine system, visit Capitol Ideas online.

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Although telemedicine has increased health care access for millions of Americans, it does not come without challenges. Linkous said getting Medicare to cover telemedicine is difficult. Federal regulations limit telemedicine payments to areas outside of designated metropolitan statistical areas, which can include entire counties where large cities are located. That cuts out large rural areas, he said, as well as ignores the fact that access to health care in urban areas is sometimes as difficult as in remote locations. Private insurers also sometimes are hesitant to pay for telemedicine, but that is changing in many states. Eight states

in 2013 enacted legislation mandating coverage by either private insurance or Medicaid, according to the American Telemedicine Association. One of the biggest problems, experts agree, is medical licensure. Each state licenses doctors based on its own requirements and those licenses are nontransferable. Consulting by webcam across state lines can be difficult, Wyoming’s Geringer said. “A person from Wyoming goes to the Mayo Clinic, they’re seen by a doctor, the doctor diagnoses them and recommends treatment,” he said. “They come back to Wyoming and unless that doctor has passed some sort of reciprocity, that doctor cannot follow up. “We license by place, not practice. I think a cultural change needs to take place in the doctor-patient relationship. … If we talk about telehealth, really we’re talking about the application of technology, but the practice of medicine has not changed in either case.” That’s why Geringer, The Council of State Governments and the Federation of State Medical Boards are in discussions to see if a medical licensure compact could help. A compact could be used to improve license portability for doctors and, ultimately, access for patients. Whatever the solution, Linkous said it needs to happen quickly. With more people joining insurance rolls in January under the Affordable Care Act, telemedicine could help increase the number of doctors who can see those patients. “Just fix it, just fix it,” Linkous said. “That’s what I’m saying to legislators. Let’s not debate this thing forever. Let’s not come up with 15 different solutions that are going to drag on. … Let’s just fix this darn thing.”

hot topic | DRONES

State Legislation, FAA Leave

Drone Use Grounded by Mary Branham

SCOUTING CROPS KENDRICK, Idaho—Idaho farmer Robert Blair uses his unmanned aircraft system to scout his crops and determine where there are problems. “Some of the changes in the field are very subtle, so that as you’re walking through them, you can’t see them from the ground, whereas from the air you can,” he said. Photo courtesy of Robert Blair

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It might look like fun and games, but when Robert Blair launches the remote-controlled plane over his 1,500 acre Idaho farm, he’s really hard at work. Unmanned aircraft systems—previously called unmanned aerial vehicles and what some people refer to as drones—are the newest technology helping farmers, law enforcement and state officials, among others, do their jobs more efficiently and, in some cases, more effectively. Blair, for instance, can cut hours off the time it takes to scout his crops, and he often gets a better picture of what’s going on from the images his aircraft collects. “Some of the changes in the field are very subtle, so that as you’re walking through them, you can’t see them from the ground, whereas from the air you can,” he said. Blair owns his own drone and can use it to

survey his fields, but he can’t help a neighbor. That’s because the Federal Aviation Administration hasn’t yet integrated drones into U.S. airspace and restricts commercial use. That will change in 2015 when U.S. airspace is opened to unmanned aerial vehicles flying commercially. Before that happens, the FAA is looking for six pilot sites to test drones for commercial use. Idaho is one state applying to be a test site. Sen. Chuck Winder, a former Navy pilot, sponsored the resolution supporting the state’s bid to be an FAA test site. Idaho, because of its open spaces and small population, would be a good test spot, he said.

Privacy Concerns

“We also knew, because of people’s apprehension about unmanned aircraft and how they might be used, we also need to deal with

the privacy issues involved in it,” Winder said. He co-sponsored legislation prohibiting law enforcement from using drones to conduct investigations without a search warrant. The House and Senate approved the legislation, and Gov. Butch Otter signed it in April, making Idaho the first state with such a law. But Idaho isn’t the only state considering the issue of privacy. Several other states have considered similar legislation, and Virginia passed a two-year moratorium on the use of drones for law enforcement. “Technology has far outpaced the laws of the land,” said Alaska Rep. Scott Kawasaki, who sponsored legislation to limit law enforcement’s use of the technology in his state. “We should be secure in our own home without the threat of being constantly monitored.”

DRONES | hot topic But Capt. Don Roby of the Baltimore County, Md., Police Department said current state and federal laws protect against the unlawful use of unmanned aircraft systems for surveillance. “If we’re in a constitutionally protected area with the use of unmanned aircraft systems, more than likely we’re going to need a search warrant to use it,” he said. Besides, he said, current technology doesn’t allow for constant surveillance. “Everything right now is line of sight,” he said. “It would be obvious we would be following you with these devices.” The International Association of Chiefs of Police, for which Roby serves as chair of the Aviation Committee, has issued guidelines for use of these aircraft by law enforcement. Roby thinks part of the problem is one of perception; many people think of the military drones that have been in the news of late. In fact, Roby and Blair both chafe at references to unmanned aircraft systems as drones for that very reason. The ones to which they are referring are nothing like those that the military uses. Roby said the devices offer so many beneficial uses that the focus on privacy issues for law enforcement detracts from their use for the greater good.

Potential Uses

Police agencies can and have used them for search and rescue missions and for evaluating a scene before a SWAT team enters an area. Kawasaki sees the benefits of the technology, especially in his state. People in Alaska have used these systems to track wildlife migration patterns because the state is so remote, to guide sea vessels to areas in which an icebreaker is needed and in wildfires to prevent the need for a piloted aircraft to fly through the smoke.

“There are some real good, positive applications for using drones,” Kawasaki said. “At the same time, the technology is increasing so quickly that systems are getting more and more advanced that we can’t forget our constitutional right to privacy.” The Alaska legislature adopted a resolution to create a legislative Task Force on Unmanned Aircraft Systems to review FAA regulations on drones and develop recommendations and legislation that “protects privacy and allows (for) the use of unmanned aircraft systems for public and private applications.” It’s a fine line that policymakers must walk, and that’s one reason Winder and Kawasaki hope their states are selected as FAA test sites; 24 states have applied to be test sites, according to the FAA website. Dev Shrestha, an associate professor at the University of Idaho who does research in agriculture, said the technology offers many benefits for farmers as well as for the consumers of products grown on farms. He said farmers often fertilize fields uniformly, often in places where it is not needed. Unmanned aircraft systems help farmers better target their fertilizer and reduce downstream pollution. In addition, unmanned

aircraft use less energy than a large aircraft doing the same job. Shrestha said to quantify something—like the amount of fertilizer or water needed in a field—you have to measure it. These unmanned aircraft systems, he said, can provide the quickest information, at a lower cost, in that regard. “The most critical stage of the crop is when it is actually growing and knowing what’s going on in the field is the first step,” Shrestha said. Many people worry state laws and the FAA will build a wall that stalls full development and use of the UAV technology. Blair and Roby, among others, would like to see all the potential stakeholders at the table to discuss the concerns and benefits of the technology. “It’s important for our legislators to have vision to help create an industry instead of shutting it off before it even begins,” Blair said. “There has to be balance between common sense and not crossing a line with personal rights.” As for Roby, he’d like to make sure the technology has a chance to develop. “One of the concerns we have is that we’re going to basically stifle this technology and the use of these devices before it has a chance—no pun intended—to take off,” he said.

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—Alaska Rep. Scott Kawasaki

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FLYING HIGH LOS ANGELES—The Los Angeles Police Department used a police drone to observe the crowd as the Los Angeles Kings fans and players celebrated the Kings winning the 2012 Stanley Cup Final. These unmanned aircraft systems are being used for everything from farming to search and rescue operations, but some states are concerned about possible privacy issues, and are passing laws to address those and other issues related to the systems.

“Technology has far outpaced the laws of the land. We should be secure in our own home without the threat of being constantly monitored.”

hot topic | GRID MODERNIZATION

SMART P OW E R

With the electric power industry merging formerly separate power, digital and telecommunications systems into one platform—otherwise known as the smart grid—the United States is moving to cleaner energy and a more efficient and reliable power grid. In addition, with smart grid technologies provided wirelessly, it is now very easy for utilities to offer and manage prepaid plans, according to Greentech Media. But advancement of the technology will require support from legislators and even more grid modernization.

Here are three perspectives on the future of the electric grid, and what state policymakers can do to push for modernization.

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SMART GRID SOLUTIONS CHATTANOOGA, Tenn.—EPB technicians began installation of the S&C IntelliRupter Pulsecloser in a residential neighborhood. S&C Electric Company is a global leader in smart grid solutions and EPB is one of the largest publicly owned providers of electric power in the country. © Christopher Berkey/AP Images for S&C Electric Company

Modernize Electric Grid for Public Benefit by West Virginia Public Service Commissioner Jon McKinney and Kansas Rep. Tom Sloan Modernization of electric power distribution grids can permit legislators and public service commissioners to support important public policy priorities, such as McKinney Sloan containing energy costs, improving the reliability and resiliency of electric service, and enhancing safety and security. Upgrading electric transmission and distribution system infrastructures will provide direct, measurable benefits to customers. We sponsored resolutions at The Council of State Governments and the National Association of Regulatory Utility Commissioners in support of grid modernization for the public benefit. Numerous grid modernization technologies are cost-effective and deployable now. The most immediate priorities should be those technologies that provide measurable benefits and do not require customers busy with their daily lives to actively manage their energy consumption. VoltVar Optimization—or VVO—is a prime example of a technology that can cost-effectively provide benefits to customers without their needing to take any actions. When added to the grid, this technology reduces voltage variance. By doing so, it provides energy and demand reduction benefits of 2 to 5 percent. These benefits are predictable and measurable at the consumer’s electric meter. The recovery of lost revenues to the electric utility can be mitigated by the development of rate designs that provide appropriate recovery of the costs of investment. We would not expect a utility to quickly invest in this technology if it has to wait the typical three years to get recovery through standard ratemaking processes. VoltVar and other “smart, efficient” technologies are an investment category where all customers benefit, not just those who can afford to make capital investments to reduce consumption or generate their own electricity. Investments in such technologies by the electric utility benefit all customers and customer classes. By encouraging and facilitating utility investments in such technologies, state policymakers also can take credit for subsequent reductions in the frequency and duration of electric outages. Modern grids are more resilient against storm damage and other threats by helping utilities locate and identify the type of problem and, therefore, expedite response and repairs. Being able to automatically reroute circuits around outage areas is only possible if the utility has precise and timely information about operational problems and has sufficient bidirectional communications/monitoring capability so that a transformer, for example, can communicate with the central office. Facilitating such investments by electric utilities will improve the grid’s reliability for customers and permit state legislators and public service commissioners to quantitatively demonstrate to consumers the value of such utility investments. Conversations between legislators and public utilities commissioners are vital to modernizing the electric grid. CSG and the National Association of Regulatory Utility Commissioners must ensure that commissions have the necessary statutory tools and that they are educating the public about why such utility investments are necessary and appropriate.

GRID MODERNIZATION | hot topic ENERGY TESTS ALBUQUERQUE, N.M.—A worker walks along construction of the Mesa del Sol office of a U.S.-Japanese smart grid collaborative to test various energy technologies. © Albuquerque Journal/ZUMA Press/Corbis

Building a Power Grid for the 21st Century by Brian McCormack, Vice President, Political and External Affairs | Edison Electric Institute (www.eei.org)

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for the deployment of smart technology for the grid. In addition, we’re addressing such issues as cost recovery of new technology investments, prudency determination, accelerated technological obsolescence, data access and privacy. We’re also in frequent communication with them about what enhancing the grid means, and, most importantly, the many benefits it creates for both the customer and the utility. We’re working with a wide variety of governmental agencies to keep the smart grid secure as well. And we are collaborating with the National Institute of Standards and Technology to develop a framework of equipment standards that will become the foundation of an interoperable smart grid. The electric power industry’s transition to a smart grid is well underway. It won’t be happening overnight, but over the next several years, the digital power now at work in everything from mobile phones to automobiles will be added to the electric grid. Just as the advances in digital technology have brought us products and conveniences we never would have imagined 20 years ago, the smart grid will open up another frontier for technological advancement. At a time when finding solutions to critical energy and environmental challenges are at the forefront of the current national political agenda, the smart grid’s capabilities will be essential. For more information about the electric power industry’s efforts to transform America’s electric grid, visit http://smartgrid.eei.org.

For example, many Edison Electric Institute member utility companies are now installing advanced metering, infrastructure and information technologies to improve their call-center functions. These technologies will enable us to move from one-way communication to a two-way pipeline. Electric companies and their customers will be able to send, as well as receive, more information about their electricity service—including information about outage response/restoration times, energy usage and price alerts. The smart grid also will enable electric companies to use multiple modes of communication to connect with their customers, including phone, email and text messaging. Many electric customers are happy with the basic service, but we know others want: § More Information about their electricity use and options to control it. § Bill information delivered to them anytime, anywhere. § More energy choice and control. And long-term, they will want more energy-related services. At the same time, we’re also partnering with private industry to deploy advanced networking products, software and services. If you can keep the technology moving, it will get the consumer moving as well. Just look at how Apple has stimulated consumer interest in advanced technology with its iPods, iPhones and now iPads. We’re working closely with state policymakers and regulators to create a supportive platform

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Every day, electric companies are powering our lives and economy. As the world changes, we, and the nearly 500,000 people in our workforce, are changing with it, reinventing ourselves and the way we serve our customers. We’re moving toward a cleaner energy future. We’re building advanced generating stations. We’re expanding the use of renewable energy sources. Importantly, we’re also creating a smarter electric grid. Today, the electric power industry is merging separate power, digital and telecommunications systems into one platform—the smart grid. First and foremost, the intelligent technologies powering the smart grid will provide electric companies with real-time information about their networks, from what’s happening on local distribution lines to the transmission lines that bring power to cities and towns. The smart grid also will have advance “self healing” characteristics that will enable the system to automatically detect and repair problems on the grid, sometimes even before they affect anyone’s electricity service. This will make for more reliable service overall, and fewer and shorter outages when they do occur. In particular, though, the operational flexibility inherent in the smart grid will help us to transform how we serve our customers.

hot topic | GRID MODERNIZATION Prepaid Electricity—Is it in Your Future? By Rita Mix, AT&T Mobility Enterprise Architect (rita.mix@att.com) and Ed Davalos, AT&T Smart Grid Product Director (ed.davalos@att.com) Does the idea of prepaying for your electricity usage seem like a novel idea? Well, U.S. prepaid phone subscriptions exceeded the 100 million mark in the second quarter of 2012, acMix Davalos cording to Chetan Sharma, technology and strategy consulting firm. We purchase Breeze cards here in Atlanta to prepay train rides around the city, an option offered by almost all major cities. Many of us prepay gift cards to restaurants and retail stores. Prepaid electricity, however, has been slow to catch on in the U.S. It is not widely offered, and due to lack of knowledge about prepaid as an option, it is not widely demanded by consumers. In many other countries, such as Great Britain, prepaid has long been a choice embraced by some consumers, a 2012 article on the Fierce Energy website says. With the advent of smart grid technologies provided wirelessly by companies such as AT&T, it is now very easy for utilities to offer and manage prepaid plans, according to Greentech Media. Who hasn’t had sticker shock at times when opening our monthly utility bill? The fact that consumers don’t know how much a bill is going to be can be frustrating and worrisome. It would be like shopping for groceries in a store where there are no prices, and then getting a bill that you know is coming but have no idea what it will be until it arrives days or weeks later. The uncertainty of utility bills presents budgetary concerns for many consumers. Prepaid electricity is a very real benefit to many consumers. It allows consumers to avoid potentially having to make a significant monetary deposit to get electric service started. Prepaying for electric service

can prevent consumers from having service disconnected when they are unable to pay their bills. It also provides consumers with increased control, just as prepaid cell phones or prepaid subway cards do. Some people might worry that prepaid electricity might make it too easy for a utility to simply disconnect a customer’s service. With text messages and persistent reminders when the account is low, however, the opposite could be the reality. Consumers like the feeling of control over their usage and account, and will likely manage to put money into their accounts to continue service. Logically, it is easier for many consumers to come up with $20 to add to a prepaid electric account than to pay a $150 bill at the end of the month. With smart meters and cool smartphone apps, once prepaid electricity is widely offered in the U.S., it is likely to grab hold very quickly, as it has done in several utilities that do offer this option, the Greentech Media article said. Of course, prepayment is also a benefit to the utilities. It reduces the cost of collection and the costs of reconnects and disconnects. It allows utilities to maximize the benefits from their smart grid investments. It also reduces the frustration felt toward the utility when that unpredictable bill arrives every 30 days, and thus can improve the customer’s relationship with the utility. Mobile devices and banking services have increased consumer expectations for real-time information. Consumers also now expect to conduct business from their homes. At least one prepaid application company allows its customers to contact the utility to “top up” their account directly with a mobile device, making online payments, recharging at various retail outlets, or utilizing a number of additional payment methods. The solution calculates the consumer’s actual consumption at the meter and alerts customers real-time as they reach predetermined spending levels.

KICKING OFF THE SMART GRID ALBUQUERQUE, N.M.—Attendees at the ceremony for the start of operations gathered beneath the photovoltaic array during a tour of the Albuquerque site of NEDO’s Smart Grid Project at Mesa del Sol facility. © Dean Hanson/Journal/ZUMA Press/Corbis

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CSG NATIONAL

CONFERENCE September 19–22, 2013 | Kansas City

Make Plans to Join CSG in KC! Register today for the

CSG 2013 National Conference Kansas City, Mo. | Sept. 19–22, 2013 Hotel & Early Registration Cutoff is Aug. 26 Use promo code CAPIDEA13 before July 31 for 20% off one public sector registration

CSG PRELIMINARY CONFERENCE SCHEDULE Note: All conference sessions are open to all registered attendees unless listed as "invitation only." If you have any questions regarding the conference, please contact (800) 800-1910 or registration@csg.org.

Wednesday, Sept. 18 Registration/Information Desk Open 1–5:30 p.m.

CSG Policy Academies**

CSG Special Policy Session: State Approaches to Obesity Reduction

CSG Innovation Classroom: Putting Maps into your Social Media

Building Trust through Civil Discourse

Presented by ESRI, Inc.

2–5 p.m. 2–5 p.m.

(all policy academy sessions are by invitation only) 2–5:30 p.m.

Presented by the National Institute on Civil Discourse & CSG’s National Leadership Center

» Reducing the Bill for Chronic Disease

2014 CSG/CSG West Alaska Host State Reception

For more information, contact Debra Miller, CSG director of health policy, (859) 244-8241, dmiller@csg.org.

» Digital Learning and STEM Initiatives

For more information, contact Pam Goins, director, CSG’s Center for Innovation & Transformation in Education, (859) 244-8142, pgoins@csg.org.

**Additional policy academy sessions may become available closer to the conference; please check www.csg.org/2013NationalConference for the most current session offerings.

Thursday, Sept. 19

(all attendees) 6–9 p.m.

Registration/Information Desk Open 7 a.m.–5 p.m.

Breakfast Buffet Opens 7:30 a.m.

Breakfast Buffet Opens

Sponsored by the CSG International Committee

CSG Policy Academies, continued

CSG Field Study: Kansas City Power & Light Green Impact Zone Smart Grid Demonstration (pre-registration will be required)

Luncheons Sponsored by CSG Policy Academies

8:30–11 a.m.

CSG Public Policy Committee Meetings 9:30–11:30 a.m.

Noon–2 p.m.

» Transportation Funding & Performance in the MAP-21 Era

CSG Leadership Council (invitation only)

Sponsored by the CSG Transportation public Policy Committee

2–5 p.m.

» Pushing the Envelope through Health Innovation

KEYNOTE SPEAKER

Nate Silver Founder, FiveThirtyEight.com; Author of The Signal and The Noise Saturday, Sept. 21, Noon

2:30–5 p.m.

CSG Toll Fellows Alumni Event (invitation only) Welcome to Kansas City Reception (all attendees)

8–9:20 a.m.

8 a.m.–Noon

CSG Special Policy Session: Policies to Achieve Safer Schools

Friday, Sept. 20

7:30 a.m.–5 p.m.

Suggested State Legislation, Part I

2:30–5 p.m.

Opening General Session

8 a.m.–Noon

Suggested State Legislation, Part II

National World War I Museum at Liberty Memorial

Registration/Information Desk Open

7:30 a.m.

2–3 p.m.

Sponsored by the CSG Health public Policy Committee Session will take place at the University of Kansas Cancer Center. Attendees will depart at 8:30 a.m., pre-registration will be required.

Investment Subcommittee Meeting 9:30–11:30 a.m.

Break

11:30 a.m.–Noon

General Session Luncheon Noon–2 p.m.

6–8 p.m.

Union Station

Saturday, Sept. 21 Registration/Information Desk Open 7 a.m.–5 p.m.

Breakfast Buffet Opens 7:30 a.m.

CSG Standing Committee Meetings 8–9:30 a.m.

» Finance Committee » Associates Advisory Committee » International Committee (Business Meeting Only)

National Conference Committee 9:30–11 a.m.

CSG Public Policy Committee Meetings 9:30–11:30 a.m.

» Grid Reliability—Regulatory Challenges and Technology Opportunities Sponsored by the CSG Energy & Environment Public policy Committee

» Education Reform and Transformation: Fact or Fiction? Sponsored by the CSG Education public Policy Committee

Break

11:30 a.m.–Noon

www.csg.org/2013NationalConference General Session Luncheon Noon–2 p.m.

CSG NATIONAL

CONFERENCE September 19–22, 2013 | Kansas City

2013 Toll Fellow Graduation Ceremony Keynote: Nate Silver, Founder, FiveThirtyEight.com; Author of The Signal and The Noise

Nate Silver Book Signing 2–2:30 p.m.

CSG Innovation Classroom: Putting Maps into Your Social Media 2–3 p.m.

Presented by ESRI, Inc.

Federalism Under Fire 2:30–4 p.m.

Sponsored by the CSG Intergovernmental Affairs Committee

CSG 21st Century Foundation (invitation only) 4–5:30 p.m.

CSG Interbranch Affairs Committee (Business Meeting Only) 4–5:30 p.m.

Reception: Unleash Your Creativity with CSG! (all attendees) 6–10 p.m. Plaza Arts Fair

Sunday, Sept. 22 Registration/Information Desk Open 7 a.m.–Noon

Breakfast Buffet Opens 7:30 a.m.

Economic Prosperity after the Recession 8–11 a.m.

Sponsored by the CSG Fiscal & Economic public Policy Committee

Break

11–11:30 a.m.

All Attendee Luncheon 11:30 a.m.–2 p.m.

CSG Governing Board & Executive Committee

Join CSG, Saturday, Sept. 21, as we celebrate one of Kansas City's greatest traditions—the 82nd Annual Plaza Art Fair! Photo courtesy of the Kansas City Area Development Council

REGISTRATION/HOTEL

Registration

To register for the CSG 2013 Conference, please visit www.csg.org/2013NationalConference.

Hotel

2013 Conference Registration Rates

The Westin Kansas City at Crown Center One East Pershing Road Kansas City, MO 64108 Hotel: (816) 474-4400 Guest Fax: (816) 391-4438

Early

Regular

Onsite

(Ends Aug. 26)

(Aug. 27–Sept. 18)

(Sept. 19 –22)

State Government Officials & Staff

$390

$490

$590

CSG Associate

FREE

$490

$590

CSG Booking/Rate Information

CSG Associate

$625

$725

$825

Other Government/ Nonprofit/Academic

$425

$525

$625

» CSG room rate: $139 plus 15.35 percent tax » Group Rate Available: Sept. 18–21 » Hotel Cutoff Date: Aug. 26

Private Sector (non-Associate) $900

$1,000

$1,100

$200

(one designated member)

Guest/Spouse

$200

Transportation Kansas City International Airport (MCI) is approximately 24 miles/ 30 minutes from the Westin. Taxi or shuttle service is available from the airport. Visit www.csg.org/2013NationalConference for complete information.

Please make your reservations by calling (800) 937-8461 and asking for the CSG room block or through the online link provided at www.csg.org/2013NationalConference to receive the group rate. In order to receive the CSG group rate, reservations must be made by Aug. 26. CSG cannot guarantee the group rate after Aug. 26. CSG cannot guarantee the group rate for dates outside Sept. 18–21.

Plan your stay using Visit KC’s Official Mobile App! VisitKC.com presents a new mobile app that helps you keep track of all things Kansas City. Download this free app to browse events, coupons, maps and more, plus access local information and reviews of Kansas City hotels, restaurants and things to do. This official guide to Kansas City offers visitor information from more than 2,000 Kansas City area businesses and organizations. Search for “Visit KC” in the iTunes Store or visit http://www.visitkc.com for more information.

DISTANCE EDUCATION | hot topic

Learning Across State Lines It soon may be easier for universities to offer online classes across state lines—and that also could be good for state higher education officials. In April, teams of higher education leaders and policymakers from 47 states met in Indianapolis to learn about the new State Authorization Reciprocity Agreement. The agreement allows states and institutions to work together to address an existing patchwork of regulation across states while strengthening the states’ roles in protecting students from unfair or illegal practices. “Technology is outpacing states’ ability to regulate in a number of areas,” said John Mountjoy, CSG’s director of policy, research and special projects. “Nowhere is this more apparent than in education—specifically online higher education. Through the work of CSG and our partners, states are on the cusp of adopting a new framework, which will enable adult learners around the country to quickly and easily pursue their education goals without the difficulty of state-to-state regulatory inconsistencies.” State team members are identifying and exploring steps their states will need to take to extend reciprocal approval of online degree programs, including anticipated nonpartisan educational outreach and any policy changes that might be needed to achieve the objectives of the education compact. The four regional higher education compacts will coordinate the reciprocity agreements and support state implementation.

• The reciprocity system is voluntary. • The state in which an institution offering an online program is located will regulate the institution’s online offerings nationally. • Each home state in the compact will assure that its institutions meet baseline quality standards and will agree to accept similar assurances from other participating states. • An institution with a substantial physical presence in a state or states other than its home state will be subject to regulation by non-home states as well, but only for students served within those states. • States will have primary authority for consumer protection and will assure each other they will take this role seriously and have adequate staff and processes in place to handle complaints. • Regional and national accreditors will continue to assure institutional quality. • The U.S. Department of Education will continue to monitor providers' financial health.

• Only 2.6 percent of higher education institutions have a massive open online course; another 9.4 percent say they are planning such a course. • 6.7 million students in 2012 said they had taken at least one online course, an increase of 570,000 students in one year. • 32 percent of all students across the country took at least one online course in 2012, an all-time high percentage. • Almost 70 percent of chief academic leaders at higher education institutions say online education is critical to their long-term plan. • 77 percent of academic leaders say learning in an online course is the same or better than a traditional face-to-face class. • The percentage of academic leaders who say lack of student discipline is one of the main barriers to succeed in an online course grew to almost 89 percent in 2012, an increase of more than 8 percentage points in the past five years.

The Council of State Governments The Presidents’ Forum Regional Higher Education Compacts Midwestern Higher Education Compact New England Board of Higher Education Southern Regional Education Board Western Interstate Commission for Higher Education

State Higher Education Executive Officers Association Association of Public and Land-grant Universities Commission on the Regulation of Postsecondary Distance Education

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Source: Babson Research Group, “Changing Course: Ten Years of Tracking Online Education in the United States.” Data is based on survey responses of more than 2,800 colleges and universities.

Participants in Creation of Agreement

About Online Higher Education »

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About the Agreement »

10 questions | WILL WEATHERFORD

meeting the needs of 21st Century Life >>

Technology is Changing the Way We Live’ by Mary Branham

What impact is technology having on education? “Technology is changing the way we live as people. It’s not just the way we educate people. It’s just changing the way we live our daily lives. Ten years ago when you woke up in the morning, probably the first thing a lot of people did—if you wanted to find out what was happening in the world—is you went to pick up your local newspaper … and started reading it. Some people like to turn on the TV and watch the news. But most people now, if you have a smartphone, the first thing you do when you wake up is roll over and grab your smartphone. … Digital information has changed the way we live as a people.”

What was the driving force behind Florida’s e-university? “The concept here is to leverage that (change). … It’s one thing to just put information online; anybody can do that. But it’s formulating it and providing it in a platform that is in line with the 21st century learning needs of our students. It’s a very exciting frontier that we’re on the cusp of. What technology can do for education is that it can make the education system student-centered.”

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Will this help recruit older students to campus? “What we also did this year that hasn’t been touted as much, is we gave some money—$3.5 (million) to $4 million—to the University of West Florida, which is based in Pensacola. They’re going to use that to target students who started their degree but never finished it and give them sort of a soft landing zone to get them re-acclimated to the university setting and let them do online learning, complete their degree. … We want to target those folks and give them the opportunity to go back and get their degree so they can be more employable and earn more income.”

How does this address the challenge that all states, and the nation, are facing with the need for more people with bachelor’s degrees? “We just can’t build enough brick-and-mortar institutions. The revenue source we have in Florida—and every state has their own— has basically dried up. The ability for us to build enough buildings and dorms and labs to meet the entire need of all the students in our state, or potential students in our state, to meet the demands of the marketplace is just really not realistic. I think online education … allows us to grow exponentially the amount of students who are getting a college education, but they don’t necessarily have to live on campus and do it in a traditional way.”

The legislation sets a cap on how much online classes can cost. Why do that? “Seventy-five percent of tuition is the cap. What’s neat about that is there are also fees that a traditional student would have that (online students) don’t have to pay. So 75 percent of tuition at cap is somewhere between $12,000 and $15,000 for a four-year degree. Think about that—the concept of you being able to get a degree from the University of Florida, a flagship university that’s ranked in the top 25 public universities in America. To do that and to be able to get that degree on your timeframe, because part of this concept is also to not just do it in a traditional format, but also to offer what is called competency-based learning. Competency-based learning basically means it’s not semester-based; you don’t have to wait for the next semester before you move on to the next class. If you master the content and can show it, you can move forward at a more rapid speed.”

WILL WEATHERFORD | 10 questions

Florida House Speaker Will Weatherford believes technology is transforming everything from the way we get our news to the way we educate people. The Sunshine State this year took online education a little further and the House of Representatives entered the e-world with a new app. the full interview with Will Weatherford at capitolideas.csg.org.  Read

Do you foresee students in other states enrolling at the University of Florida? “We think it will be very marketable outside the state of Florida. If we do it right and it’s truly innovative and the platform is creative and it’s better than any other products that are out there, we think people from all over the country will participate. But probably more exciting than that is there is an international demand for university degrees in the United States, so whether it’s in Asia or South America or Europe, creating a degree that is an American degree from a very well-known institution in Florida and making it accessible to students from all over the world actually becomes a revenue stream for the university. It also becomes a way for that student to have a connection to Florida and to the United States.”

What challenges did the legislature consider in establishing this program?

“The concept is to bring citizens of Florida closer to what their legislature is doing. I have a smartphone, and many people do, and an iPad. We get a lot of our information from apps now, not just websites. If you’re trying to stay with the times and you’re trying to communicate to people what you’re doing up in Tallahassee, you’ve got to be reaching them from different facets. The term that’s used is crowdsourcing. If you want feedback from the public, you’ve got to get it in different formats. We use email, we use websites, but another way to do it is to use an app.”

Do you think this will rekindle an interest in government? “If we expect … our younger generation to engage in government, they’re not going to do it on websites and they’re not going to do it by watching TV or C-SPAN or watching their local televised products. … (People of) all ages are using apps and smartphones and iPads. … Most younger people don’t see the relevance of government in their lives and part of that is the way their government communicates with them is archaic. This is a way to communicate with the citizens of our state, both young and old, in a way that is in line with the 21st century.”

“I think we’re on the cusp of some exciting changes. I would encourage all legislators—Republican and Democrat in every state—to find ways to make your state government more relevant to today’s technological environment and engage your public through technology, through social media, to get feedback and to crowdsource with the public. When we do that, if we do that, the feedback we get will be better, it will be more timely and it will make us better public servants.”

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What advice would you offer other state policymakers with regard to technology?

“Online learning is a new frontier. It’s a little bit of an unknown and people tend to be scared of what they don’t know and don’t understand. So getting the traditional institutions in this country to get excited about and wrap their arms around the opportunity that online learning presents (is a challenge). I think we’re getting there, but there are still a lot of misperceptions out there. I think people still question the quality of online learning, but I think over time those people will be won over.”

Tell me about the House mobile app.

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by the book | TECHNOLOGY IN THE STATES

STAR TECHIES More than one of every 10 people employed in Washington state is employed in a job related to technology. In fact, the Evergreen State tops the list of states with the highest number of high-tech jobs relative to total employment, the Bay Area Council Economic Institute in San Francisco found from an analysis of government data.

States with Highest TECH Salaries

CALIFORNIA $121,249

Massachusetts $117,737 New Jersey $109,490 Virginia $104,602 Washington $100,463 Maryland $100,054 Colorado $98,806 Connecticut $98,198 Texas $95,848 New Hampshire $93,958

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THE BOOK OF THE STATES Since 1935, The Council of State Governments’ The Book of the States has been the leading authority on information about the 50 states and territories. » www.csg.org/bookofthestates

TECHNOLOGY IN THE STATES | by the book

TOP10 STATES WITH Highest Concentration of High-Tech Jobs—2011

TOP10 STATES

Largest % Change in High-Tech Jobs—2011

12.8 %

Delaware

8.6 %

massachusetts

NEw HAmpSHIRE

9.4 %

6.9 %

South Carolina vIRgINIA

CONNECTICuT

9.3 %

6.9 %

Michigan

wASHINgTON 11.4 %

mARyLANd 8.9 %

uTAH

Kansas

7.5 %

Washington COLORAdO

NEw mEXICO

Texas

8.4 %

7.6 %

CALIFORNIA 8.2 %

Ohio

6.9 % 6% 5.8 % 4.7 % 4.6 % 4.3 %

North Carolina, Alabama, Colorado

» JULY / AUG 2013

MICROSOFT DEVELOPERS REDMOND, Wash.—Eric Havir, Microsoft Corp.’s senior manager for platform strategy, demonstrates how Windows 8 apps run on an 82-inch touch-screen perceptive pixel display at “Build,” Microsoft Corp.'s developers conference. Washington leads the nation in the percentage of high-tech jobs. © AP Photo/Ted S. Warren

31 capitol ideas

San Jose-Sunnyvale-Santa Clara, Calif., had the highest concentration of high-tech employment by metro area, with 28.8 percent. Boulder, Colo., Huntsville, Ala., and CambridgeNewton-Framingham, Mass., also had a high-tech employment concentration above 20 percent.

hot topic | MOBILE VOTING

ting

Alaskans who got a new voter registration card for the 2012 election cycle noticed something a little different this time around. The cards came with one of those funny, black barcode squares on the back. The QR code—QR stands for quick response—could instantly take smartphone users with a free QR barcode reader to a special website, where they were able access personal information on their polling place, sample ballots, voting procedures, and early and absentee-in-person voting locations. The simple, new feature provided tech-savvy voters with election help on demand. State election officials say the new cards were a big hit, providing better customer service to people who could take advantage of the easy-to-access and user-friendly government application. “Voters now spend more time than ever on their smartphones and tablet computers,” said Alaska Lt. Gov. Mead Treadwell, who led the new voter registration card initiative. “Understanding that the most effective way to reach Alaskans—particularly younger voters—is through mobile and social networking technologies, we have taken steps to make sure that anyone can easily find out where to go vote and get

up-to-date information on demand.” Gone are the days when just putting up a website was enough. The 2012 election cycle ushered in a brand new wave of state-driven tools designed to assist busy voters who increasingly rely on smartphones and tablet computers to conduct their business with government. States launched a number of initiatives designed to leverage mobility in elections, including mobile-optimized websites, mobile tie-ins with social media and new applications—commonly referred to as apps—available for download. This shift was highlighted in the wake of Hurricane Sandy, when several hard-hit Mid-Atlantic states utilized text messaging to communicate with voters just days before the Nov. 6 presidential election. While these new uses of technology come with challenges, the benefits of mobile-enabled services—improving constituent access and decreasing costs—tend to outweigh the negatives. Many officials believe these tools are just the beginning of something much larger: Mobile technology is slowly changing the way Americans votes.

The New Normal

Mobility is rapidly becoming a must-have capability for election offices, according to a National Association of Secretaries of

by Kay Stimson

State survey of state election offices on voter outreach programming for the 2012 general election. The survey found more than half of all states devoted significant time and resources to ensuring their election websites were optimized for smartphone and tablet users, particularly in states that offer voting information look-up tools. These efforts typically were complemented by social media tie-ins on sites such as Facebook, Twitter and YouTube. “This is the new normal in elections,” said Nevada Secretary of State Ross Miller, 2013 NASS president. “State election officials are clamoring for mobile capabilities, not only because they are what voters want, but also because they are typically cost-effective solutions for budget-conscious state and local governments.” Miller led a two-year initiative to streamline the registration process in Nevada by enabling voters to register online. For a cost of about $250,000, voters in all 17 Nevada counties were able to use online registration, joining California, Maryland, New York and South Carolina, which introduced this service statewide in 2012. Thirteen states now offer online voter registration, with more soon to follow. These states say their new systems reduce administrative burdens on local clerks while realizing big gains in voter registration figures.

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“State election officials are clamoring for mobile capabilities, not only because they are what voters want, but also because they are typically cost-effective solutions for budget-conscious state and local governments.” —Nevada Secretary of State Ross Miller, 2013 NASS president

MOBILE VOTING | hot topic VOTING TECHNOLOGY Secretary of State Debra Bowen, right, displays cellphones and a paper form to demonstrate the different ways California voters register to vote during a news conference in September in Sacramento, Calif. California launched a new online voter registration system that will be checked against driver’s licenses or state identification cards. Below, a voter with a mobile phone cast her ballot in the 2012 Presidential Election in Santa Monica, Calif.

An App For That

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Apps available for download to mobile devices were another popular election year tool. More than a dozen states had one available, or in development, for the 2012 general election, according to NASS. Many of these offerings, such as the “IowaSOS” app launched in October 2012, are full-service tools with information on how, where and when to vote. Users typically can carry out a wide range of functions using these programs, such as registering to vote, checking registration status, finding a polling place, requesting an absentee ballot and

reviewing the contents of the ballot. “Iowa has a long and proud commitment to making voting easier and more accessible for its citizens,” said Iowa Secretary of State Matt Schultz. “As more and more people use tablets and smartphones to interact with government, providing a mobile app was the logical way to extend that tradition and make sure voters were prepared for Election Day.” Many of the states with apps and online services went the extra mile to promote their availability using social media platforms, such as Facebook and Twitter. Washington extended its voter outreach in 2012 through the power of Facebook by allowing residents to register to vote online through a new Facebook app called “MyVote.” The service provided a secure, convenient way to get from a Facebook profile page to the State of Washington’s Election Division online voter registration platform with a single click. “We are seeing a lot of innovation within state elections divisions,” said NASS Executive Director Leslie Reynolds. “The good thing is, the mobile tools and strategies that emerged in 2012 are just a beginning point for forward-thinking secretary of state offices and their private sector collaborators, and they will find new ways to use them to benefit voters in the future.”

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More than 220,000 people used California’s new system—which allows residents whose signature is already on file with the Department of Motor Vehicles to submit their voter registration form to their county elections office electronically via the Internet or a mobile device—in its first two weeks of operation, according to the California Secretary of State’s office. In Oregon, officials took the concept of mobility one step further, becoming the first state to use mobile devices for assistive voting. After testing iPads in several pilots leading up to the state’s May 2012 presidential primary, the Oregon Secretary of State’s office launched a statewide program designed to help voters with disabilities cast their ballots. The results of

deploying what are essentially mobile polling stations were so positive, the state added Android and Windows tablets to the mix for the general election. The tablet computers replaced a much bulkier option that was difficult to use and expensive to maintain, according to Secretary of State Kate Brown. “Election workers only need to carry a tablet computer with a Wi-Fi device and a portable printer to help voters fill out and print their ballot,” said Brown. “We are talking about a major transformation in our efforts to enfranchise Oregonians, with cost-savings for the state and expanded access to our elections.”

hot topic | TECHNOLOGY 101—2013

Technology 101 Technology is changing state government. Here’s a look at some of the issues states will be dealing with in 2013.

Up in the Clouds

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growing broadband PLAINFIELD, VT.—Vermont Gov. Peter Shumlin helped Vermont's Cloud alliance announce that it had added four new towers that will expand service to homes and businesses in Woodbury, Hardwick, Wolcott and parts of Elmore, Greensboro, Walden and Cabot. Broadband computer services are now available to 4,000 rural customers in northcentral Vermont. © AP Photo/Toby Talbot

State policymakers may not want to have their heads in the clouds, but that just may be where they want state data to go. Basically, cloud computing is delivery of on-demand resources over the Internet on a pay-for-use basis. The National Institute of Science and Technology of the U.S. Department of Commerce defines cloud computing as a resource that is convenient and provides on-demand access to things such as networks, servers, storage, applications and services. The institute lists five essential characteristics: on-demand self-service, broad network access, resource pooling, rapid elasticity and measured service. Services can be deployed through a private cloud, which is infrastructure exclusive to one organization; a community cloud, used by a specific group of organizations that have similar interests or concerns; a public cloud, which is open for public use and operated by a business, academic or government organization; and a hybrid cloud, which is composed of at least two of the previous infrastructure examples. Delaware was the first state to move to the cloud, according to the National Association of State Chief Information Officers. The state developed a cloud system comparable to the federal government’s cloudfirst policy in 2011. Read more about Delaware’s efforts on the Capitol Ideas website. The service seems to be growing in popularity and can save states money. In March, the state of Ohio granted a 10-year, $267 million cloudcomputing contract with IBM that’s expected to save the state $150 million, Columbus Business First reported.

TECHNOLOGY 101—2013 | hot topic technology time HONOLULU—Hawaii Chief Information Officer Sanjeev “Sonny” Bhagowalia looks at a map showing 743 different computer systems and databases that exist across state government. Bhagowalia is leading a team working to modernize and overhaul outdated technology—like a paper-based payroll system—that forces employees to spend large chunks of time on manual tasks. © AP Photo/Audrey McAvoy

State Apps

States Get Social Facebook, Twitter, YouTube—they’re not just for keeping track of family and old high school friends. State leaders are using social media to keep in touch with constituents. State chief information officers acknowledged in a survey that social media have a growing role in state government. Every legislature except Mississippi and North Dakota have an active social media presence, according to The National Conference of State Legislatures. State CIOs reported in the 2012 National Association of State Chief Information Officers’ survey that Facebook, Twitter and YouTube all had usage rates above 80 percent each, while Flickr, LinkedIn and blogs had usage rates of 45 to 55 percent.

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smart meters opt out GROSSE POINTE FARMS, MICH.—Dominic Cusumano checks the radio output from a smart meter for a business in May. While the movement is toward smart meters for electricity, some people, like Cusumano, aren’t happy with the smart meters. A small but outspoken group of residential customers in Michigan is battling the state’s largest utility company over the freedom to opt out of having smart meters installed outside their homes.

Traveling and need to know road conditions? There’s an app for that. In fact, there are many. Most states provide road information through easily accessible applications available on your smartphone or tablet computer. That’s not all you can find with the flick of your finger. You can locate service centers, maps and directions through the California Locator App, get school news from the Kentucky Department of Education, and get information about hunting and fishing in Colorado. Those are just a few of the many apps available from state governments across the country. Some states, like California, list their full menu of apps on a website directory page. The National Association of State Chief Information Officers is in the process of cataloging state government apps in an online directory. A NASCIO survey found 57 percent of state chief information officers see mobile devices and applications as essential or a high priority. That same survey said the most popular apps are related to transportation, including traffic and road conditions, and tourism, including state parks, hunting, fishing and boating activities.

hot topic | TECHNOLOGY 101—2013

State CIO Priorities

Big Data Engine

State chief information officers see big changes coming from technology in state government. Here’s what they told the National Association of State Chief Information Officers are their top priorities for 2013 with regard to processes:

The evidence-based decisions states are making require data—and lots of it. Luckily, that information is available and is growing by leaps and bounds. Big data, according to the National Association of State Chief Information Officers, include five basic themes: volume, variety, velocity, complexity and variability. According to IBM, the world creates 2.5 quintillion bytes of data every day. That’s so much that 90 percent of all the data in the world has been created in the past two years. Everyone contributes—the data include everything from your posts to Facebook and Twitter, those digital pictures and videos you upload, those purchases you made online and the GPS signals from your cell phone. State governments produce a lot of data, too. But a lot of state agencies aren’t prepared to handle all the information they are producing, according to a study released in April by MeriTalk, a government IT network. The survey found that the average state agency stores 499 terabytes of data, but most IT professionals expect that number to explode. Only 2 percent of the IT professionals surveyed said they have a big data strategy. Nevertheless, all this information is expected to provide benefits for states. Fifty-seven percent of the respondents to the MeriTalk survey said big data will help improve overall agency efficiency; 54 percent said it could improve speed and accuracy of decisions; and 34 percent said it will help states achieve a greater understanding of people’s needs and how to meet them.

1. Consolidation 2. Cloud Services 3. Security 4. Mobile Services 5. Budget and Cost Control 6. Shared Services 7. Health Care 8. Legacy modernization 10. Disaster Recovery With regard to applications and tools: 1. Cloud computing 2. Mobile workforce technologies 3. Virtualization 4. Legacy application modernization / renovation 5. Identity and access management 6. Enterprise Resource Planning 7. Security enhancement tools 8. Networking 9. Business Intelligence and Business Analytics applications, Big Data 10. Document/Content/Records/ Email management

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tornado drones STILLWATER, OKLA.—In this April 2013 photo provided by Oklahoma State University, Team Black members from left, Amelia Wilson, Nathan Woody and Alyssa Avery prepare their aircraft for flight during SpeedFest III at Oklahoma State University. Researchers at the university are designing and building sleek, Kevlar-reinforced unmanned aircraft—commonly known as drones— to fly into the nation’s worst storms and send back real-time data to first responders and forecasters about how fierce they might become. That’s just one way unmanned aircraft systems are changing the way things work. © Gary Lawson/AP Photo/Oklahoma State University

TECHNOLOGY 101—2013 | hot topic

State Government Technology Groups The National Association of State Technology Directors represents information technology professionals from the 50 states, divided into four regions and the private sector. State members provide and manage government information technology services and facilities for state agencies and other public entities, often including hospitals, prisons, colleges and universities. These members also play a strategic role in planning and shaping state government technology infrastructures and policies. NASTD was founded in 1978 and has been an affiliate of The Council of State Governments since 1980. It is located in Lexington, Ky. The National Association of State Chief Information Officers represents state chief information officers and information technology executives and managers from state governments across the United States. Its primary state members are senior officials from state government who have executive-level and statewide responsibility for information technology leadership. NASCIO was founded in 1969 and is located in Lexington, Ky.

90 percent of Utah households are online, the highest in the nation. The U.S. average is 80.2 percent. Source: Information Technology and Innovation Foundation: “The 2012 State New Economy Index”

New York Leads the Way on Open Health Data

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patient monitoring PALO ALTO, CALIF.—Alex Cherones, right, demonstrates the Remote Patient Monitoring system that gives medical providers the ability to monitor their patients at home to visitor Shiyama Clunie, left, during the AT&T Network Innovation Showcase. New technology is helping medical personnel to serve more people in rural areas. © Tony Avelar/AP Images for AT&T

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New York is the first state to create a website, health.data.ny.gov, solely dedicated to posting health data. It follows on the heels of Open.NY.gov that Gov. Andrew Cuomo launched in March. The data provides New Yorkers with 24/7 access to important health information in a state-of-the-art, easy-to-navigate open data site. Data available includes: • Managed care individual and institutional provider network data; • Nursing home weekly bed census; • State hospital cost reports; • Food service establishment inspections; • Environmental radiation surveillance • Student weight status for 680 public school systems; and • Baby names. The New York site is the only known open data site devoted solely to state health data accompanied by targeted public health messaging, extensive metadata and customized visualizations. Health Data NY provides raw data, but also allows health care providers, researchers and others to analyze and download valuable health data in a variety of formats. All data is API enabled, meaning that application developers have the most up-to-date data at their fingertips. The national Health Data Consortium in June awarded Health Commissioner Nirav R. Shah the first Data Liberation Award at its Health Datapalooza meeting. The award recognizes New York’s “outstanding accomplishments in making health data publicly available and facilitating the data's use in apps, tools, and services that bring the data to life in meaningful and innovative ways.”

hot topic | DATA TRENDS

Data Let States Focus on Delivery of Services

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It is very trendy these days to slap a “2.0” on the back of any term and declare a new movement, a modern approach, or reinvention of some aspect of government. The 2.0 moniker conveys a sense of “new and improved” while linking the modern digital aspects of our personal lives. Over the last decade, RICHARD LEADBEATER Web 2.0, with its improveEsri Global Solutions Manager ments in delivering apState Government and plications over the Internet, Trade Association was applied to government work functions and business practices merging with e-Government to produce Gov 2.0. More recently, the term Gov 2.0 has faded and devolved into a cluster of terms like performance, transparency, innovation, big data, citizen engagement and so on. But even these terms, as trendy as they may be, are not immune to version creep. The latest and one of the more interesting terms is “Delivery 2.0.” Delivery 2.0 is just an outgrowth of the terms previously listed but with an important twist. By focusing on the delivery of government, the attention is orientated away from the business process and its measures. The delivery of government is focused more toward the customer—the citizen—and assumes a successful interaction between the two. Why does government care about performance, transparency, innovation, big data, citizen engagement? It cares because it needs, and is required, to provide proof that it delivers value. Focusing on delivery confirms a two-way relationship, that the outcomes and measures are meaningful; the results are measures of the outcome and not just measures of the work itself. The promise of measures and the ability to collect and track more data describing governments’ operations is not new. Kansas, Maryland and Washington, to name a few, have had active performance efforts for some time. What is new is the effort to open this data for public consumption and use. One sees this in “civic hack-a-thons” and the recent National Day of Civic Hacking initiated by the White House Office of Science and Technology Policy. Maine was one of the states that took up the challenge. Three years ago, I said GIS software, applications and tools being purchased and built by state legislatures in support of redistricting efforts they were about to face was a “means and not the end.” I saw where some

legislators and staff were looking for a new approach to the problem, an approach that could add more transparency and reduce some of the negativity associated with the process. I saw the GIS tools, analysis techniques and, especially, the data used to support redistricting would become an important outcome of the process in itself. I think it is fair to say because of these tools, analysis techniques and, especially, the data, this latest redistricting cycle was the most inclusive of citizen input and involvement. Within the redistricting process, the best example of this movement toward citizen involvement has to be the state of Utah. By providing citizens with the same tools and data as the legislature, Utah, along with a number of other states, started to change the idea that policy analysis was too difficult to deliver in an open and easy manner. If you take the time to search the app stores provided by Apple, Microsoft and others, you will see more and more apps created by—and for—state governments. In addition, in state-by-state searches of both legislative and executive branch websites, you can find a growing number of services and apps directed toward delivering information and processing transactions for citizens. All these apps and services are intent on delivering information, enabling citizens and generally involving citizens in the business process— often allowing the state to get out of way. For instance, the governor of Maryland has used tools like StateStat to communicate and involve citizens on budget spending to promote environmental programs, the creation of a statewide master plan, and even the launch of health awareness programs. StateStat is a data-based management approach to make Maryland's government work for state residents. The governors of Colorado and Utah followed suit and made data a centerpiece of their portals. NASCIO has created a Library of Apps created by states—though a number of apps that I have on my phone are not listed. A quick review of the list tells you that recreation and tourism are most common. Esri has created a guide showing how you can use GIS to improve citizen engagement.

ABOUT THE AUTHOR

As the global solutions manager, state government and trade associations industry for Esri, Richard Leadbeater focuses on the development of tools and solutions addressing government administrative functions with attention on GIS support of policy issues and government business processes.

MOVE TO THE CLOUD | how to

Going Virtual Can Have Big Rewards INVEST NOW.

In Delaware, an agency’s servers are moved to the private cloud when it’s time to upgrade its servers, Sills said. About 80 percent of Delaware’s individual servers now use the state’s cloud, with the rest expected to be on it by 2015. “It cost us between $2 million and $2.5 million to get this environment set up,” Sills said. “We’re saving currently almost $4 million a year, every year. … You’re saving on electricity, you’re saving on space, you’re saving on software licensing and you’re also saving on hardware.”

INVOLVE TECHNOLOGY EXPERTS.

In Delaware, the state technology department must review and authorize any purchase orders more than $10,000. That gives the technology department a better chance of seeing who is ordering new servers. “With the Cloud First policy, we could say, ‘Hey agency IT director, instead of buying a new physical server, why don’t you move that into our private cloud,’” Sills said. “It’s kind of unusual. Most state governments, from a purchasing standpoint, are very decentralized.”

CHANGE THE CULTURE.

KEEP YOUR EYE ON THE FUTURE.

While the private cloud is good for Delaware now, Sills doesn’t think it is the only answer to the state’s server computing needs. You need to keep one eye on the horizon. “I think eventually we’ll have a hybrid cloud,” Sills said. “We’ll have our private cloud, but we’ll have some of the public-facing apps—or nonpersonal data—in a public cloud. It could be an Amazon or Google cloud or another vendor’s cloud. That information would be public (and) wouldn’t have any personally identifiable information. At the present time, the culture here is if it’s personally identifiable data or top secret data, they really want to keep it within our private cloud environment.”

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One of the hardest things for agency leaders to get used to is the idea of giving up managing and purchasing new technology, Sills said. With the private cloud, state agencies rent the virtual servers rather than pay for new hardware every four years. “It’s kind of like leasing a car,” he said. “With our model, there’s no upfront capital dollars. You’re just leasing the infrastructure within the private cloud to host your applications. It’s a pay-asyou-go model. Culturally, it’s difficult for people to get their head around the concept initially, but then they catch on.”

TOUT the BENEFITS.

Using a private cloud has some advantages for the state’s technology department too. “You’re more efficient from an IT management perspective,” Sills said. “Instead of managing 1,000 different servers and worrying about them, we are monitoring one or two racks that are the equivalent of those thousand individual servers. Think how much more efficient we are in terms of agility and application up time. … We just have better control of the environment.”

Delaware’s Cloud First Initiative is saving millions each year and has one of the best returns on investment for state government, according to Jim Sills, the state’s secretary and chief information officer for the Department of Technology and Information. With a private cloud, an organization owns the entire infrastructure necessary to provide computing resources to its end users. Instead of running hundreds of individual servers, Delaware operates one large private cloud that is partitioned off as multiple virtual servers. Sills offers some tips for moving to the cloud.

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hot topic | DATAPALOOZA

Data and the Future of Health Care Delivery As consumers, we have become accustomed to having easy access to information and reviews about the things we buy and the places we visit. Whether we’re shopping for an appliance or a car or looking for a restaurant or a hotel room, we learn from and make purchasing decisions based on the experiences of others. Imagine if we were able to do the same with health care. We may not have to imagine much longer. In June, I attended Health Datapalooza in Washington, D.C. It was a conference, not a concert, yet the ideas and innovations showcased at the two-day meeting REP. ED CLERE are likely to rock our health care system. In its fourth year, the conference attracted nearly 2,000 business leaders, entrepreneurs, health care and IT professionals, researchers, policymakers and government workers from around the world. From predictive modeling that will allow providers to identify patients in need of follow-up to applications that will allow consumers to compare providers and even find out wait times, the future of health care delivery was on display. The conference was organized by the Health Data Consortium, a publicprivate partnership created to bring together health data stakeholders who are interested in liberating—a buzzword of the conference—and leveraging health data. I attended as a guest of The Council of State Governments, which also hosted three other state legislators. U.S. Department of Health and Human Services Secretary Kathleen Sebelius kicked off the conference. Other speakers and panelists came from places as diverse as the United Kingdom, Harvard Medical School and other academic institutions, entrepreneurial startups, venture capital firms, Google and NASA.

Indiana Rep. Ed Clere chairs the House Public Health Committee. A 2010 graduate of the Midwestern Legislative Conference’s Bowhay Institute for Legislative Leadership Development, Clere is now co-chair of the program’s steering committee. He also serves on CSG’s Health Public Policy Committee and MLC’s Health and Human Services Committee.

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In the war over the federal Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act, health data may provide an opportunity to find common ground. In addition to the need to protect individual privacy—a hot topic in the news right now—everyone ought to be able to agree on the need to look for ways to contain costs and improve patient outcomes, and many of the solutions can be found in the vast quantities of existing health data. The ACA provides financial incentives for health care providers that find ways to do more with less. For those who see the ACA as an approaching storm, perhaps the law’s data provisions are the clouds’ silver lining. Entrepreneurial opportunities abound, with countless good jobs waiting to be created. Will some state or region emerge as the Silicon Valley of health data? As we expand the use of health data, we will have to confront some uncomfortable realities, including the fact that all health care providers are not equal. Some are better than others. Everyone knows it, but it has been difficult for consumers, insurers and others who have an interest in provider quality to determine who provides not only the best care, but also the best value. It may seem odd to talk about value in health care, but it’s a necessary conversation if we’re going to maximize efficient use of limited resources. On the first day of the conference, the federal Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services released data on hospital charges for 30 types of outpatient procedures. That followed the release of average charges for the 100 most common inpatient procedures. It’s a start, but it’s not nearly enough. State and local governments also need to be active participants in facilitating the free flow of health data. Many conference speakers and attendees expressed frustration that the federal government hasn’t released more data. Between Medicare and Medicaid claims data, the federal government has the health data equivalent of a large group of grain silos. So far, it has released only enough wheat to bake a few loaves of bread. Advocates of health data liberation, however, smell the potential and are ready with entrepreneurial recipes for a better health care system.

DIGITAL PRIVACY | hot topic

State Attorneys General Protecting Consumer Privacy in the Digital Age

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* Gansler completed his one-year term as NAAG president on June 19, 2013.

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The Digital Age has transformed everything we do, from buying groceries to boarding an airplane, from treating an illness to socializing with friends and family. The Internet’s impact on our lives cannot be overstated, and its impact on the U.S. economy is almost incalculable. Behind this extraordinary progress is a set of emerging technologies and business models that are challenging our ability to control how and with whom our private information is shared and redefining our understanding of privacy. These developments in technology and enterprise By Maryland Attorney have created new privacy risks for individuals and General Doug Gansler corporations alike. State attorneys general have been exploring the best ways to manage those risks. National Association Since becoming president of the National Associaof Attorneys General tion of Attorneys General—NAAG—in June 2012, President* I have been focused on strengthening state-based efforts to protect consumer privacy online and on mobile devices. I am gratified to see so many fellow state attorneys general assuming leadership over this important and ever-changing set of issues. We need to address legal and policy ground that will be with us for generations to come, ranging from cybersecurity and data mining to children’s online privacy and market solutions. Attorneys general have long been champions of consumers and responsible businesses, and we have been actively protecting offline privacy for decades. Many of the state consumer laws we enforce were written with privacy in mind, like those concerning secure maintenance and destruction of records and those protecting personal information from disclosure. These laws need to be modernized to reflect our digital era in which the very nature of privacy and personal information is changing. Attorneys general have before us an extraordinary opportunity to reorient our enforcement and advocacy efforts toward the unique privacy challenges posed by the digital economy. Attorneys general are also playing a role in educating consumers. On April 15, NAAG and Facebook launched a new public awareness program designed to provide teens and parents with tools and tips to manage their privacy and visibility both on Facebook and more broadly on the Internet. Twenty attorneys general taped a state-specific public service announcement titled, “What you Can Do to Control Your Information.” The PSA features Sheryl Sandberg, Facebook chief operating officer, who concludes her remarks by saying, “Together, we hope to ensure that young people make safe, smart and responsible choices online.” The PSA introduces an Internet safety video answering top questions about privacy, bullying prevention and general Internet safety. We also produced a tip sheet with specific steps to control what information you share and with whom you share it on Facebook. The materials are available on participating attorneys general offices’ Facebook pages and websites, as well as on Facebook at www. facebook.com/fbsafety. We want this campaign to encourage consumers to closely and actively manage their privacy, resulting in a safer online experience. My hope is that with understanding and knowledge, we can protect online privacy and provide meaningful options for privacy control while continuing to enhance our lives and our economy.

straight talk | NEW MEDIA

Straight HOW HAS NEW MEDIA AFFEC TED YOUR WORK IN STATE GOVERNMENT?

Jack ie Wi nters Oregon Senator 2012 Toll Fellow

bo b hu nter Judge North Carolina Court of Appeals 1994–95 CSG National Chair

quicker access to information

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speed at which any “New media has certainly hastened the ediately accessible to imm mes information I might require beco e or at home. I can offic my in me wherever I may be working, screen of my iPad, or the from choose to print hard copies, read needed. Realistically, as rials mate scroll on to find supplemental if they serve my basic ful help only however, speed and access are make a mistake quicker or needs for accuracy and clarity. Shall I forget to say thanks to the IT r neve solve a problem sooner? And I specialists who support me daily!”

work-from-home option “I sit on approximately 300 cases per year. I write the opinion in about 100 of those. Except for cour t days in Raleigh (about once every two weeks—12 cases per day), I have the option of working from my home in Marion, about 215 miles away. Electronic filing means I can access anything I need to prepare for cases and to work on opinions. Moreover, my law clerks can email me case memorandums and opinion drafts, and I can access them by laptop, iPad or smartphone. Still, I go to Raleigh weekly for personal contact with staff and colleagues.”

NEW MEDIA | straight talk

direct communication Tre Har gett Tennessee Secretary of State 2010 Toll Fellow

“The new media have provided our office with tremendous opportunitie s to deliver messages in an unfiltered man ner. Our office is no longer just in dow ntown Nashville. It is open 24/7 on our web site. Our website and presence on socia l media allow us to communicate directly with our customers, Tennessee’s taxpayer s. Whether it is the use of Twitter to prov ide real-time election results or Face book to tout the services of our State Library and Archives, we are engaging direc tly with our constituents. We are excited about emb racing new media to deliver our mes sages to Tennesseans who wouldn’t have been accessible otherwise.”

Mary Russell Chief Justice Missouri Supreme Court

Bryan Townsend

1997 Toll Fellow

Delaware Senator 2013 Toll Fellow Class

New Jury Instructions

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“Immediate updates to constituents; real-time feedback that helps me to improve leg islation; sharing Delaw are -specific developments in a media market dominated by ne ws from Philadelphia and Baltim ore. These are just som e of the benefits new media has brought to my work in the Delaware State Senate. Perhaps mo st importantly, new me dia enables me to interact directly with constituents and en han ce the transparency and access ibility of state governm ent at a time when many Ameri cans seem increasingly skeptical of government at all levels . Engaging more constit uents in the political process is a be nefit to all, and new me dia makes that possible.”

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“Given potential ethical restraints, Missouri’s court system does not use social media. This has not affected the transparency of our work, however. We have a long tradition of providing robust information online, including the parties and status of cases statewide, all appellate opinions, audio streams of high court arguments, orders disciplining attorneys, information about individuals nominated for nonpartisan judicial vacancies and much more. To help deter potential damage new technologies might have on the important work of our juries, our instructions now clarify that the admonition that jurors not investigate case-related issues or communicate outside deliberations extends to their use of the Internet, cell phones, popular social media sites and the like.”

stated briefly | AFFILIATE & ASSOCIATION NEWS

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AFFILIATE & ASSOCIATION NEWS | stated briefly

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feature | FOCUS ON FEDERALISM

Focus on Federalism CSG Initiative Aims to Restore ‘Laboratories of Democracy’ by Alaska Sen. Gary Stevens, 2013 CSG Chair, and Tennessee Sen. Mark Norris, 2014 CSG Chair Since the founding of our nation, there have been enormous fluctuations in the balance of power between states and the federal government. Although the 10th amendment of the Constitution clearly reserves the preponderance of power to the states, the growth of the federal government has served to tip the balance increasingly in favor of Washington. As chairs of The Council of State Governments for the next two years, we have committed to launching an enterprise-wide effort by The Council of State Governments to elevate the role of states in the federal system. One of the most striking elements of our federal system is the separate but equal division of power, influence and authority between federal and state governments. States are very aware of federal overreach and seek to clarify conflicting responsibility between governments. Before 1900, only 29 statutes enacted at the federal level pre-empted state law. Federal pre-emption is steadily increasing in both number and scope; since 1900, there have been more than 500 federal pre-emptions. Washington also increasingly uses both legislation and rulemaking to impose mandates on states, often with little or no funding to implement

STEVENS

NORRIS

them. When Congress passed the Unfunded Mandate Reform Act in 1995, state leaders across the country welcomed it as an important step in limiting Washington’s proclivity to commandeer states to accomplish federal purposes. Since the legislation does not address partially funded mandates, such as the strings attached to education funding in the No Child Left Behind Act, and since the legislation excluded independent federal agencies from review, its impact has been limited. A 2011 report by the White House’s Office of Management and Budget—known as the OMB—noted that unfunded mandates and regulations cost states, cities and the general public between $44 billion and $62 billion each year. The same report stated the public benefits of these rules, including cleaner air and water, far outweigh the monetary cost of compliance. For states left to cover the costs of a growing set of federal mandates and rulemaking actions, however, the balance often looks decidedly different. The cost of Washington’s overreach is about more than dollars; it is about lost opportunities for innovation and effectiveness. States are uniquely able to craft solutions to meet the needs of their people. When

capitol ideas

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UNFULFILLED PROMISE WASHINGTON, D.C.—President Bill Clinton talked to then-Ohio Gov. George Voinovich after signing the Unfunded Mandate Reform Act of 1995 in the Rose Garden of the White House March 22, 1995. © AP Photo/Dennis Cook

FOCUS ON FEDERALISM | feature

RACE TO THE TOP WILMINGTON, Del.—Vice President Joe Biden visited Howard High School of Technology in 2011 as the state celebrated the one-year anniversary of receiving more than $100 million in federal education reform money. The school was one of the first four in Delaware to receive assistance from Race to the Top, the federal program designed to encourage innovation in states. Biden talked with Kennae Gladney and Daniel Brennan during a tour of a science classroom at the school. © AP Photo/The News Journal, Robert Craig

» JULY / AUG 2013

promote dialogue between state leaders and federal cabinet officials, senior members of the judiciary and other experts to ensure a fuller understanding of the state of federalism today. CSG also will utilize Capitol Ideas and a wide variety of publications to highlight key issues in the state-federal relationship. CSG also will utilize its media outreach to emphasize the role states play in solving important problems facing our nation. States are able to solve critical problems both by partnering across state lines through interstate compacts and by utilizing their close connections to their constituents to craft locally appropriate solutions. Examples of such innovative developments include the efforts of a wide range of states to drive down higher education costs by entering into an interstate compact on distance learning and Arizona’s success in achieving dramatic Medicaid cost savings through careful program management. Finally, the initiative will play a prominent role in CSG’s federal advocacy for the next two years. CSG was one of the principal supporters of the original Unfunded Mandate Reform Act in the 1990s. In the succeeding years, however, weaknesses in the bill have become increasingly apparent. The Focus on Federalism initiative will provide an opportunity for CSG to partner with other state and local organizations and to work with key offices in Congress to promote legislation that would address these weaknesses. The idea of dual federalism is a well-established constitutional principle. It encourages our federal government and state governments to work cooperatively in solving the enormous problems we face. The states are rightly concerned that over time, the federal government has been encroaching on the governing power of the states. It is our hope that CSG’s Focus on Federalism initiative can play a small but important role in helping states restore their role as the “laboratories of democracy” envisioned by our founders.

capitol ideas

power flows from the state house to the White House, we lose opportunities to explore new approaches to education, economic development and a host of other areas of vital importance to our nation’s future. Although Washington’s role in public policy has arguably reached a high water mark, the dollars it uses to influence local level decisions are clearly receding. According to Federal Funds Information for States, 30 of the 42 major state-federal grant streams will see cuts of 5 percent or more as a result of sequestration. In addition, efforts to limit the impact of sequestration on defense spending and drive down federal budget deficits even further could see grants cut by as much as 10 percent in the years ahead. Given that we have entered into a new age of austerity, where federal funding will be constrained for the foreseeable future, it is vital both that states are afforded maximum flexibility in meeting the needs of their residents and that our country reaches a much clearer understanding of the costs of mandates, regulatory action and pre-emption. To accomplish this goal, CSG has launched a two-year Focus on Federalism initiative to enhance the role of states in our federal system. For 80 years, CSG has helped states solve problems by connecting leaders to innovative ideas and successful policies within the community of states. State-based innovation, however, is increasingly impacted by a growing web of federal policies and regulations. If states are to continue to play a role as drivers of innovative solutions to difficult public policy challenges, then a fuller understanding is needed of the duties, responsibilities and limitations within our federal system. The initiative will be led by a newly appointed Federalism Task Force, which includes key leaders from across CSG who will provide strategic direction and oversight. The broad campaign will examine, highlight and advance the role of states in the federal system and incorporate a broader focus on federalism through all CSG programs and activities. The initiative will feature forums on federalism at CSG meetings to

shout out | JOHN MADDEN

JOHN W. MADDEN Alaska Emergency Management Director | NEMA President

capitol ideas

JULY / AUG 2013

John W. Madden has taken “a long and winding road” to get to Alaska, but the path has always followed the stream of public service. As director of the Alaska Division of Homeland Security and Emergency Management, Madden uses the experience he gained in the U.S. Army and in federal civil service—having served everywhere from the U.S. Department of Energy and the National Weather Service to the Transportation Safety Administration. He recognizes the impact technology has had on his field, but says technology is only as good as its availability. “Technology is not useful if it is not accessible,” said Madden, president of The National Emergency Management Association, a CSG affiliate. “With technology, the more important it becomes to you, the more critical it becomes for you to protect it and to plan for its loss.” And even the most advanced technology requires management and planning. “The latest thing may not be the right thing unless you choose it. The thing from the past may not be the worst thing unless you determine it.” Do you know someone in state government who deserves a shout out? Email Mary Branham at mbranham@csg.org.

more on John Madden,  For visit: capitolideas.csg.org.

“The Council of State Governments hopes that you will enjoy it; the Council knows that it can be useful to you.” —Former Colorado Sen. Henry W. Toll Introduction, 1937 volume of The Book of the States

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Now Available Online at CSG’s Knowledge Center 2013 Issue—More than 30 articles, more than 150 tables Complete archive dating back to 1935 44 Volumes—Including articles and tables

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Capitol Ideas | 2013 | Issue 4 | Technology

Articles inside

Tech 101—2013

Datapalooza in Health Care

Mobile Voting

Telemedicine

Trends with Mapping

Cybersecurity

Drones