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Top StoriesHistoric Election Results: Big Changes for States and NASCIOThe mid-term election produced historical results for federal and state government. For the 112th Congress, Republicans will control the House with 242(R) - 193(D). The Democrats will control the Senate with a slim majority of 53(D) - 46(R). Members will receive their committee assignments in January with the start of the new Congress. As a result of the election, several of the House's top tech congressional leaders lost their election, retired or were party term-limited for serving as chair/ranking member of a committee or subcommittee. The House Energy and Commerce Communications, Technology and the Internet Subcommittee will have reshuffling on both sides of the aisle. Several House Republicans and Democratic members are competing for the Chair and Ranking Member position. With this change, it is not clear what is in store for top tech issues ranging from net neutrality, Universal Service Reform, reallocation of D-block, rewrite of the nation's top communications law, and online privacy. Less change is expected in the Senate, since the chamber did not switch parties. With state elections, there was an historical shift in the number of governorships controlled by one party, with redistricting starting next year. Republicans won 23 governorships, while Democrats won 12 with one independent. In total, there will be 29 Republican governors, 19 Democratic governors, and one independent (thus far no winner has been declared in the state of Minnesota). Consequently, the NASCIO membership will be impacted by the turnover of CIOs as well as major state technology initiatives. Governor transition teams have started reaching out to NASCIO. We are also requesting the assistance of state CIOs in identifying transition members covering technology. Please forward any names to Doug Robinson at drobinson@AMRms.com. In addition, the state legislatures experienced a Republican shift. Republicans now control 55 chambers, Democrats have 38 and two are tied. Three chambers are undecided. The Nebraska legislature is a unicameral. With all these changes, both parties are gearing up for redistricting and the 2012 Presidential elections. Click here to view the National Governors Association (NGA) gubernatorial election results map. NASCIO Member Among Public Officials of the Year
State Health Insurance Exchanges - Who's Leading the Way?As part of the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act (PPACA), states have the option to establish and operate their own health insurance exchange (HIE) or they can leave it to the federal government to set up a central marketplace for consumers to purchase health insurance. Regardless if it is a state- or federally administered HIE, each state will need to have a detailed operational plan by January 1, 2013, and be fully up and running by January 1, 2014. While Massachusetts and Utah already have exchanges established, this is uncharted waters for other states that are at varying stages in planning. Among the 48 states that where awarded $1 million in funding from the Department of Health and Human Services (DHHS) to assist in planning efforts for the exchange, California was the first to pass legislation to create its own exchange. In addition to these leading states, DHHS announced on October 29, 2010, that it will be awarding Early Innovator Grants to five states to develop exchanges that will serve as models for other states to follow. It is expected that over the next few years there will be further grants awarded, along with further guidance from the DHHS Office of Consumer Information and Insurance Oversight (OCIIO) and Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS). In the meantime, DHHS has released a document titled Guidance for Exchange and Medicaid IT Systems, Version 1.0. The document will be expanded upon, but should serve as a framework for states developing systems. In addition to guidance from the federal government, most states also have shown concerns around the unfunded mandates of procuring these systems, but states should expect further rule making in 2011 and beyond. As a tell-tale of changes to come for IT procurement and enhanced federal financial participation, a Notice of Proposed Rule Making on Federal Funding for Medicaid Eligibility Determination and Enrollment Activities was displayed in the Federal Register on November 3, 2010. While the recent announcements aren't the be all and end all to having fully functional and sustainable health insurance exchanges, they do provide some guidance to the states and state CIOs as they begin to navigate the new challenges of the Affordable Care Act. New Member Video Created
MARK YOUR CALENDARS for the 2011 NASCIO Midyear ConferenceMay 3-6, 2011 Washington D.C., Capital HiltonSHARED IDEAS: CLC Thoughts on Leveraging IT in a Tough Economy
Corporate members: Is your company missing? It's not too late to submit your ideas. Watch on WashingtonOn Capitol HillThe House and Senate reconvened on November 14 to start the lame duck session of the 111th Congress. Both chambers returned after a brutal election cycle. Newly elected senators were seated, while party leadership elections for the 112th Congress took place. Both parties started their organizational meetings for the next Congress. House and Senate leaders are expected to meet with President Obama on November 18. The House and Senate are expected to work on the controversial expiring Bush tax cuts. Other legislative items on the list include scores of expiring individual and business tax breaks; a new fix to prevent the alternative minimum tax; lapsing unemployment benefits for as many as 2 million unemployment workers; unfinished appropriations bills; and a fix that would prevent deep cuts in Medicare reimbursements to physicians. Most of the bills will not see action this week. NTIA Needs Additional Funding to Oversee Broadband ProgramOn November 16, NASCIO met with the National Telecommunications and Information Administration (NTIA) to discuss the need for additional resources to overview the Broadband Technology Opportunities Program and the impact on our membership if they cannot get funding. The Department of Commerce Office of Inspector General on November 4 issued a report discussing NTIA lack of authority or funding to provide oversight of BTOP grants beyond September 30, 2010, as well as needed steps to ensure effective oversight of a $4 billion grant portfolio. The agency is waiting on Congress to appropriate additional money to oversee the program's grantees. NTIA received funding for oversight through the continuing resolution, which expires on December 3. The agency needs to receive adequate funding by December 3 to avoid a suspension or shutdown of the program. NASCIO will continue to monitor this situation and keep you informed. Visit the following link to read the report www.oig.doc.gov/oig/reports/2010/OIG-11-005-A.pdf.FCC Public Safety and Homeland Security Bureau Seeks Comments on Use of 700 MHZ for Broadband ServicesThe FCC Public Safety and Homeland Security Bureau is seeking comments on the technical and operational feasibility of enabling flexible use of the 700 MHZ public safety narrowband allocation and guard band for broadband services. Specifically, the bureau want to know whether allowing public safety the option of using 700 MHz narrowband spectrum for broadband services would be operationally feasible and technically compatible with existing and future public safety narrowband operations. The bureau also seeks comment on potential conditions or restrictions on flexible use that might be required to prevent harmful interference to narrowband operations or impairment of narrowband interoperability. There are several additional questions on which the bureau is seeking comment. Comments are due December 3. To see the notice, please visit www.fcc.gov/Daily_Releases/Daily_Business/2010/db0928/DA-10-1877A1.pdf. GSA Seeks Comments on FedRAMPThe Federal CIO Council earlier this month issued a draft document, Proposed Security Assessment & Authorization for U.S. Government Cloud Computing, which would establish security standards for low- and moderate-impact systems in federal agencies, as part of its FedRAMP (Federal Risk and Authorization Management Program) initiative. FedRAMP itself is focused on speeding appropriate adoption of cloud technologies where proven cost-effective and secure. During the development of the standard, the CIO Council has sought input from state and local governments, as well as the private sector, and it currently seeks further input. If you have comments on the draft, please submit through the FedRAMP online comment form available at www.FedRAMP.gov by 11:59 Eastern Time on December 2. NASCIO would like to know which states may be providing comments and, if possible, also be copied on the feedback you are providing. NASCIO is planning a mid-December all-states conference call with the General Services Administration to discuss the agency's cloud initiative and the related security standard. We will forward that date as soon as it is established. DOJ Issues Several ANPRMs on State and Local ADA ComplianceThis is a reminder to provide NASCIO with a copy of your comments regarding the Department of Justice's three Advance Notices of Proposed Rulemaking regarding extending Title II and III of ADA to state and local governments. All comments on each ANPRM are due January 24, 2011. NASCIO is planning to file comments. Please send a copy of your comments to pwalker@amrms.com by December 13, 2010. DOJ is considering revising the following items:
NASCIO In The News
CIO TransitionsCalifornia: Teri Takai accepted a position in the Obama Administration as the chief information officer for the U.S. Department of Defense and her last day with California was November 5. Christy Quinlan, chief deputy director, will serve as the acting chief information officer during the transition. Pennsylvania: The Commonwealth's chief technology officer, Tony Encinias, is serving as the acting chief information officer for the Office of Information Technology. Members In The News
MINNESOTAGopal Khanna, Minnesota CIO, spoke about budget and enterprise solutions with Government Technology. Khanna, also discussed plans to consolidate the state's data centers.
SOUTH DAKOTAOtto Doll, South Dakota CIO, discussed the broadband funding grant received by the Bureau of Information and Telecommunications.New MembersWe would like to welcome our newest member Perimeter E-Security.Committee & Work Group UpdatesSTATE MEMBERS: NASCIO requests your assistance in a 15-minute survey of your state's current IT workforce. The results from participants will be compiled and an analysis will be provided as an issue brief for the membership. The survey will compare results from the 2007 national survey of the states, entitled State IT Workforce: Here Today, Gone Tomorrow. Please respond by November 24, 2010. This survey is for STATE MEMBERS ONLY. Access the survey at www.surveymonkey.com/s/STATEITWORKFORCESURVEY. The NASCIO Enterprise Architecture and Governance Committee held its monthly call on November 16 and cloud computing came up as a top priority for the committee. Ed Valentia, Minnesota CTO, Dick Clark, Montana CIO, and Mike Boyer, Montana enterprise infrastructure project manager, discussed their state cloud computing initiatives. The NASCIO Enterprise Architecture and Governance Committee is looking for ideas for future Innovations Forums. In these forums the committee will highlight state government innovations that link to the state CIO top ten priorities and use of national standards. Cloud computing will be one of the focus areas this coming year. Please contact Eric Sweden with your ideas and suggestions at (859) 514-9189 or eswedem@AMRms.com. Edward Driesse, Louisiana CIO, succeeds former California CIO Teri Takai as a co-chair of the Health Care Working Group. Driesse will join working group veteran and co-chair Lisa Feldner, North Dakota CIO. In addition to new leadership, the working group has several new volunteers that will assist in advancing the role of the state CIO in implementing health policy. The working group plans to build strategic partners at the federal, state, and local level, while also forming consensus around a whitepaper topic that will provide guidance to the state CIOs on the Affordable Care Acts. The Security and Privacy Committee continues to gather on the third Tuesday of each month at 1:00 pm ET. The near-term topics of discussion include cloud computing security and communication of cyber security priorities in the context of fiscal stress and gubernatorial and state CIO transitions. The NASCIO Executive Committee plans to address a re-charter of the Social Media and Government Working Group during their December meeting, and it has been proposed that the working group move forward as a forum allowing presentations of state social media activities and initiatives, potentially through a series of monthly webinars. Upon approval, it is expected that a call for volunteers will be issued following the Executive Committee's December meeting. In the meantime, the Social Media and Government Working Group legal team's terms of service (TOS) discussions with Facebook and YouTube have continued. Since the last newsletter, the legal team has coordinated with the National Association of Attorneys General (NAAG) Facebook Task Force to establish a common approach to addressing the legal issues associated with standard TOS elements. The working group hopes to reach an agreement with these two providers within the next few weeks. The broadband topic continues to rank high among state CIO priorities and the Executive Committee approved a brief survey of state CIOs that will determine the topical areas that state CIOs would like to see a re-chartered State Connectivity and Broadband Working Group take up. This survey will be issued to state CIOs in the next few weeks, and a proposal for this re-chartered working group will be considered by the Executive Committee subsequently. The State Digital Identity Working Group continues development of the State Identity, Credentialing and Access Management (SICAM) document and recently released a draft to the state members of the working group for review. In addition, the working group recently submitted comments to the Smart Card Alliance on a whitepaper entitled Personal Identity Verification Interoperability (PIV-I) for Non-Federal Issuers: Trusted Identities for Citizens across States, Counties, Cities and Businesses. NASCIO also anticipates working with the Smart Card Alliance on educational efforts with our membership and a possible national webinar on the topic of PIV-I. NASCIO: Making ConnectionsChad Grant, NASCIO policy analyst, will represent NASCIO at the 9th Annual Smart Cards in Government Conference on November 17-19, 2010, in Washington, D.C. The conference will focus on the topics of identity, security and healthcare. Doug Robinson, NASCIO executive director, provided a keynote at the West Virginia IT Summit in Charleston, W. Va., on October 26-27. Stephen Fletcher, Utah CIO and NASCIO past president, spoke on a Governing webinar, Leveraging Desktop Virtualization, on October 26. NASCIO recently partnered with Healthcare IT Connect to highlight the role of the state CIO in planning for the HITECH and Affordable Care Acts as part of the Health Reform Process. State CIOs and state health IT leaders joined with federal agencies and private sector organizations from across the country to discuss the role of innovation, interoperability and sustainability in creating a national, connected health architecture that will underpin HITECH, the Affordable Care Act and the Health Reform Process. NASCIO members Christy Quinlan, Gopal Khanna and Lisa Feldner lead the State Health IT Leadership Discussions at the 2010 National Healthcare IT Connect Summit. NASCIO policy analyst Chad Grant was in attendance. The archived webcast can be view at www.mediaportalhealthstimulusx.com/view_media.php?mid=84. Eric Sweden, NASCIO senior enterprise architect, teamed up with the National Information Exchange Model (NIEM) on their Electronic Financial Reporting conference call on October 21, 2010. The discussion included evaluating the relationship between NIEM and XBRL. The Electronic Financial Reporting calls are convened by the Association of Government Accountants and include participation from NASCIO, the Government Accounting Standards Board, and the National Association of State Auditors, Controllers and Treasurers. Mark Your CalendarUpcoming Committee Calls
Corporate Member Partner ProfilesEach month, NASCIO will randomly draw three corporate members to be featured in the monthly newsletter. To view a complete list of NASCIO's corporate partners, click here.Accenture
Bentley Systems, Inc
Qwest
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Stephen Fletcher, Utah's Chief Information Officer, was one of eight government leaders recognized with Governing magazine's Public Officials of the Year award. Two of Fletcher's outstanding accomplishments while serving as CIO are consolidating Utah's computing facilities and reorganizing the state IT workforce. He is NASCIO's immediate past president.
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Save The DateCouncil of State Governments (CSG) Annual Conference Bureau of Justice Assistance (BJA) National Conference National Conference of State Legislators (NCSL) Fall Forum IJIS Institute Winter 2011 Industry Briefing Governing Outlook in the States and Localities National Association of State Budget Officers (NASBO) Spring Meeting 12th Annual International Conference on Digital Government Research |
