TENNESSEE REPORT 2014
INSIDE Education Standards Review Application Sets the Standard.. ..... 2 Join NIC’s Exclusive Online Community — the eGov Network Partner Portal.................. 3 TN.gov Website Honored With VEMA Multimedia Award.............4
A 15-Year eGovernment Partnership With TN.gov NIC’s
Tennessee General Assembly Honored With Legislative Staff Achievement Award
we’ve had with the state of Tennessee and the
T
online services it’s delivered,” said David Dahle,
ening the legislative institution.
Tennessee Division is entering its 15th year of a public-private part-
nership with the state of Tennessee. “NIC is very proud of the long-term partnership
General Manager of NIC-Tennessee Division. “More
he National Conference of State Legislatures awarded the Tennessee General Assembly a 2014 Legislative Staff Achievement Award for its new, innovative “Dashboard” Web application for legislators. The annual award
recognizes excellence in supporting the work of a state legislature and strengthWith the arrival of the Dashboard, the General Assembly has redefined the admin-
than 15 million transactions and $6 billion are
istration of its legislative process. Legislators enter a session, take out a tablet device,
processed through TN.gov applications each year,
and immediately know where they are in the day’s schedule and what actions have
and we look forward to building on this success
been taken. The application also provides detailed bill information and proposed
with new, innovative applications that deliver value
amendments to help legislators prepare for discussion and decision. All of the infor-
to the state and citizens across Tennessee.”
mation is created and updated in real time, so documents and actions taken on a bill
Over the past decade and a half, the state has released hundreds of eGovernment services that
will appear on the Dashboard just seconds after the gavel drops. Not only does the app provide a more efficient approach to passing legislation, it
save businesses and citizens time and money,
replaced a manually intensive process for research and bill-related documents, which
and also offer increased efficiencies for state
included printing information packets each week. Changing the way analysts create
agencies. Among these applications are the
and deliver critical documentation alone offers a two-year 210 percent ROI.
innovative and award-winning SmartWay mobile traffic app for iPhone and Android, self-service | continued on page 2 |
Responsive frameworks and the addition of touch-screen technology make the Dashboard ideal for mobile devices of all kinds, which is especially convenient for legislators on the move. n
Meet Katie Freeman NIC
Tennessee would like to introduce its new director of
marketing, Katie Davis Freeman. A North Carolina native, Katie earned her B.A. in political science from Wake Forest Univer-
I
n 2014 Tennessee Governor Bill Haslam announced a public review process to
obtain feedback from Tennesseans
sity, and spent
regarding the state’s education
the first few
standards. The standards review
years of her
application, designed, developed,
career working
and deployed within about 30
for members of
days, is part of that process.
the U.S. House of
Katie Freeman
Education Standards Review Application Sets the Standard
The Tennessee English language
“full speed ahead” in serving Tennessee
Representatives.
arts (ELA) and mathematics standards
taxpayers and highlighted many of the state’s
Katie has been
set grade-specific goals that define what
successes. One of the successes mentioned
in Nashville
all students are expected to know and be
was the Education Standards Review:
since 2010 and comes to us from the office
able to do by the end of a given grade or
of United States Senator Bob Corker.
course. There are more than 1,100 content
encourage you to do so. So far, nearly
standards in ELA and more than 900
82,000 comments have been submitted. I
content standards in math.
expect that we’re going to talk about state
In her role as director of marketing, Katie will focus on increasing communi-
“If you haven’t visited the website, I
cation with our partners at all levels of
The application allows visitors to read each
the agencies to find new and innovative
standard and vote on whether it should be kept
important that we know exactly what the
solutions as we continue to make govern-
as is, reviewed, or removed. If the vote is to
standards are that we’re talking about and
ment more accessible. While we’ve been
review or remove, the respondent can provide
possibly voting on.”
a partner with the state for 15 years,
supplemental information and comments.
The application also received local and
During Gov. Bill Haslam’s 2015 State of
national media attention, including discus-
we’re always working to better serve the businesses and citizens of Tennessee.
the State address, he promised to move
standards this session, and I think it is
sion on The Atlantic’s website. n
Katie can be reached at 615-313-0300, ext. 7315 or katie.freeman@egovtn.org. Welcome, Katie!
A 15-Year eGovernment Partnership With TN.gov | continued from page 1 |
TN.gov Mobile Visitor Traffic Increases More Than 50 Percent in 2014 T
he official website of the state of Tennessee, TN.gov, saw a dramatic increase this year in visitors viewing the site on mobile devices and handheld tablets.
After a redesign in 2013, mobile traffic increased by 51 percent and tablet users increased
iPad kiosks for renewing driver licenses, and the
by 68 percent in 2014. The redesign optimized TN.gov for a range of screen sizes – from
Integrated Criminal Justice Portal.
monitors to tablets to phones – to provide easy reading and navigation with a minimum of
In addition to first-rate applications, TN.gov, the official website of the state of Tennessee, is continu-
resizing, panning, and scrolling. In addition to the redesign, Tennessee state agencies released eight applications that were
ally recognized as a leader in the industry. In 2013 it
either mobile apps or Web applications specifically designed for small screens. The Web
was ranked the Best State Website by the Center for
applications were created using a responsive design, which adapts to the viewers’ various
Digital Government, and in 2014 it received a VEMA
device widths and screen resolutions, providing better usability and viewing capabilities.
Award for innovative, artistic, and creative work in the multimedia arts. n 2 | TENNESSEE REPORT 2014
At least three mobile apps are in planning for 2015, including Restaurant Inspection Scores and Mobile Felony Offender Search, with many more to come! n
St. Jude Warriors
No Budget? No Problem. Your Local Partner Can Help
D
edicated to providing innovative online services and secure payment processing solely to Tennessee government entities, NIC Tennessee maintains a Nashville office staffed with 33
team members. Fourteen of the 33 are native Tennesseans, and 21 of them went to Tennessee colleges and universities. All live, play, vacation, and pay taxes in the Volunteer State. In August 2000, NIC Tennessee won the first of three competitive RFP bids with the state of Tennessee to build and manage its eGovernment program. Under the contract, NIC Tennessee can work with any Tennessee state, county, or city government entity.
Members of the Tennessee team after the
One benefit of the public-private partnership is that agencies have the option to fund their eGov-
2014 Warrior Dash for St. Jude Children’s
ernment projects at no cost to the agency. In addition to traditional methods of service delivery, such
Research Hospital – Chris Cookley, Jeff Jacobs, Michelle Johnson, Jonathan Strange, Deb Kilpatrick, Jessica Winn, Brandon Brown, Amanda Wimpy, Hannah Forbes, Carson Gulley.
as in-person or mail, agencies can give citizens and businesses “Customer Options” via the Internet. Those who choose the Internet option pay a nominal fee to cover the cost of development, maintenance, and marketing. This benefits both citizens and businesses. The option was approved in light of studies that confirm, in this age of speed and convenience, customers will give a little extra to avoid standing in line or waiting for the next available representative. n
Join NIC’s Exclusive Online Community — the eGov Network Partner Portal
I
t takes true partnership to make eGov-
await on the Insights & Presentations
contact information for NIC staff, as well
ernment work. At NIC, we would not be
section of the portal.
as your government peers. The Discussion
successful in developing eGovernment
•D ocument Library: Explore even more
Board provides you with an opportunity
without you – our government partners. We
content, like annual reports published by
to join in conversation about hot topics
share your dedication to making government
NIC portal teams, as well as archived webi-
across the industry, and from time to
better for all – not as vendors, but as true team-
nars, within the portal’s Document Library.
time the portal’s home page will feature a
mates working side by side with you every day to define problems and find solutions.
• Services Database: Have you ever
profile of one of your government peers.
wondered what new services other NIC
We welcome your feedback, and hope
portals are launching? Or would you like
you see the value of this new tool and use
eGov Partner Portal – a secure, password-
to know if other government partners
it as your resource for collaborating with
protected site exclusively for all of our NIC
have launched a service similar to the one
other NIC government partners. We are
government partners. The new site includes
you are planning to develop with your
looking forward to connecting with you and
several features to inform you about best
NIC portal team? Find out these answers
bringing our partnership to the next level.
practices within the industry, as well as a
and more by searching the eGovernment
simple way to collaborate with your govern-
Services Database. In addition, each month
ment peers across the country who are also
three new services will be featured on the
NIC partners. To participate, simply ask
Partner Portal’s home page.
That’s why in late 2014, we launched the
your general manager for login credentials and soon you can begin enjoying: •N ews & Case Studies: Executive
• Collaboration: There are several ways you can collaborate with your government peers more effectively through
summaries of eGovernment studies,
the eGovernment portal. The portal’s
daily industry news, and case studies
Directory allows you to quickly search for
TENNESSEE REPORT 2014 | 3
2013 Most Used TN.gov Online Services Number of Transactions in Each Application Category Personal
4,671,175
NIC, Tennessee Information Division 330 Commerce Street, Suite 100 Nashville, TN 37201 615-313-0300
Child Support Payment Summary
2,445,783
Felony Offender Search
444,880
Check License Reinstatement Status
Business
1,711,279
Interactive Moving Violations
© 2015 Trozzolo.com
Online Tax Filings at All-Time High
971,147
Sales Tax Filings
336,825
Vehicle, Title & Registration Search
Government
1,412,249
Integrated Criminal Justice Portal
423,897
Agency Moving Violations Search
33,261
Case Management Utilization Review
TN.gov Customer Support Assisted 84,625 People in 2014
More than 75 percent of all tax returns are now filed online, increasing the accuracy and efficiency of returns.
TN.gov Website Honored With VEMA Multimedia Award
T
he State of Tennessee’s official
to provide easy reading
website, TN.gov, received a 2014
and navigation with a
VEMA Award for innovative, artistic,
minimum of resizing,
and creative work in the multimedia arts. The most recent website redesign intro-
panning, and scrolling. The VEMA Award is
duced a dramatic new look with media-rich
sanctioned and judged by
content tiles, localized information, and
the VEMA Arts & Standards Council, an invi-
social media interactivity. The design was
tation-only body consisting of a distinguished
influenced by a 20 percent increase in mobile
group of highly skilled professionals with
usage, and optimized for a range of screen
expertise, leadership, and vision in the various
sizes – from monitors to tablets to phones –
disciplines within the multimedia arts. n