Governors call on states to improve IT use

States could make better use of information technology to improve services to their residents and be more efficient, according to a new report and accompanying white paper from the National Governors Association.

The 12-page white paper "Top IT Actions to Save States Money and Boost Efficiency" (PDF) lauds Kansas for using IT to help identify a form of employer fraud that impacts state-administered employee health benefits costs. The state's departments of revenue and labor "worked together to implement a multiagency website for reporting misclassification of workers, which occurs when an employer incorrectly classifies workers as independent contractors rather than employees, thereby avoiding paying taxes and healthcare contributions for them," according to the white paper.

In a four-page issue brief (PDF) with the same title, the NGA praised several other states' IT projects that make use of data analytics. One of the projects cited was the Michigan Dashboard, a website that features public data on economic growth, education, public health and safety. Michigan Gov. Rick Snyder plans to cite metrics from the dashboard in future state-of-the-state addresses, according to the authors of the NGA brief.

The NGA papers recommend that governors use technology to consolidate services and manage IT assets more efficiently, better manage government revenue and resources, and expand their mobile and wireless capabilities.