This article is from Cal-Tax Digest, published
by the California Taxpayers' Association.
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February 2000

Imagine this: registering your car with the DMV, enrolling your kids in school, and checking on the status of your state income tax refund - and you've done it all in your robe and slippers. How? You're at home, on-line.

The information age is at an exciting frontier, and the Internet is its conduit. But the Internet is more than a communications medium. It is a practical tool for commerce, and an invaluable tool for eGovernment - that is, electronic, efficient and easy-to-use government.

It's time for the state of California - and all its underlying agencies and departments - to take a quantum leap into the new millennium and take advantage of the Internet's potential. Done right, eGovernment will be a tool and a catalyst to realize the benefits of accessing government through a home computer; providing a more informed citizenry and a more accessible, "easy-to-use" government.

Our system of self-government is not the easiest form of government by a long shot. But it is, as Winston Churchill said, only the worst until you consider all the alternatives. It requires the governed to expend time and effort to make it work. And with thousands of remote state and local policy-making bodies, exercising such a civic duty can be overwhelming. So from purely a civics perspective, eGovernment is a worthwhile effort.

As secretary of state, I've implemented programs within my agency to help us reach a fundamental goal of making government more accessible and easy to use. With full public disclosure, electronically reported campaign contributions and expenditures are now providing instant availability to campaign finance data. Live, minute-by-minute election night returns are also a reality through the Internet. The new California Business Search Program allows Internet users access to valuable data regarding businesses registered in California. All these programs, and more, are now available at the Secretary of State's Office website - www.ss.ca.gov.

But these programs only scratch the surface. It is far too common that even when information is available electronically, it is too hard and confusing for the public to find exactly what they need where they need it. In order to maximize the potential of eGovernment, we must take a comprehensive approach to this issue.

California - the entire bureaucracy - should have a single Internet portal through which we can search and access federal, state and local government programs and services. This one-stop shop should be designed to easily direct Internet browsers to the appropriate agency or department they need to conduct their business. Done right, Californians can move from standing in-line, to getting on-line when they need to access government services.

It goes without saying that skilled leadership is required to lead California into an era of eGovernment. The state already has a chief information officer (CIO) with significant duties and authority. What's lacking is leadership from the executive branch of government. The CIO must be given specific duties and specific deadlines for bringing eGovernment to California. In my eGovernment Technology Plan, issued in late December, I outlined a strategy to bring California government 90 percent on-line by 2002. With the appropriate, dedicated leadership, such a goal is easily attainable.

Secretary of State Bill Jones was elected to that office in 1994 and re-elected in 1998. A Republican businessman/rancher, he was elected to the state Assembly from the Fresno area in 1982, serving 12 years.

But as we move aggressively to catch up to technology, we must not overlook the "digital divide" - those without access to the Internet - that exists among many Californians. A recent survey conducted by the Public Policy Institute of California found that nearly half of California households that earn less than $20,000 per year and nearly a third of the households earning $20,000 to $40,000 per year lack access to computers and the Internet at home, school or work. We must not be content with an eGovernment system that threatens to leave behind a significant segment of society. Our education system must be required to expose all of our students to new technology and to help them gain proficiency in Internet navigation.

But that's not enough. We must close this "digital divide" by offering incentives to business for extending services to less-affluent Californians. The digital divide can be narrowed with tax credits to Internet service providers that provide low-cost service to low-income households, and with tax credits to computer hardware providers that serve low-income households. These incentives should be coupled with a California clearinghouse that will provide used but reliable computers to libraries, schools, nonprofit organizations and low-income households. Internet service providers that provide Internet access to low-income households for $5 or less per month should be eligible to receive a state tax credit $5 per month for each subscriber. Companies that provide low-income households with an Internet-accessible computer for $10 per month or less should be eligible to receive a state tax credit of $10 per subscriber per month.

The Silicon Valley is the birthplace of innovation and technology, and it would be folly to undertake this effort without a strong public-private partnership. We should not attempt to compete or duplicate successful private ventures, and we must make the private sector a full partner in realizing the potential and the benefits of eGovernment. And by offering educational opportunities and tangible incentives to aspiring technical professionals, we can create a talent pool composed of those willing to serve the public for a period of time to help solve the multitude of eGovernment challenges ahead of us.

During these robust economic times, with state coffers overflowing, it is time to make a wise investment in eGovernment. And I fully expect to recoup our investment, quickly, and to realize the benefits far into the future. The benefits of eGovernment must be measured in terms of improved services delivered in a cost-effective way - and taxpayers should demand no less.

eGovernment can be described succinctly as electronic government that is efficient and easy to use. Californians should be "on line, not in line." Assemblyman Jim Cunneen of San Jose, representing the heart of Silicon Valley, has authored my proposal as legislation to pursue this year. Our comprehensive strategy establishes the framework to take California from worst to first in technology use. We must apply the innovative and brilliant technological advancements developed here in the Golden State and take them up the road a few miles to Sacramento, with a promise to leave no one out in the process.

(Editor's Note: The Davis Administration on January 18 announced that starting in April, the Department of Motor Vehicles will accept vehicle registrations over the Internet. Only those whose insurance companies provide the DMV with on-line proof-of-insurance data - about 30 percent of motorists - will be able to register electronically.)