IfG.CC -
Institute for eGovernment

Officially open this week, the new online service offered at www.utah.gov is the first of its kind in the country, said the state's chief information officer Val Oveson.

A Web site created by the government offers war veterans a source to find 712 federal and state programs.

A Web site intended to simplify the process to identify and apply for government grants was officially launched on Tuesday. Grants.gov is one of the administration's two dozen E-government initiatives aimed at exploiting Internet technologies to better serve citizens. The interagency project was headed by the Department of Health and Human Services, which awards more than half of all federal grants.

It’s part of an aggressive security strategy push by the White House to move agencies from thousands of possible configurations for Microsoft Windows operating systems to just one. A universal configuration improves security while reducing operating costs, Office of Management and Budget e-government administrator Karen Evans has said.

This year, residents can see vote totals come in from the comfort of their own homes: By watching it on the Internet.

It’s a step toward two of Gov. Ted Kulongoski’s goals: Make it easier for the public to do business with state government and allow state workers to be more efficient by spending less time on routine tasks.

A Rutgers University group unveiled an online clearinghouse for political information in the Garden State.

"A world-class Web site is a competitive advantage for West Virginia," said Gayle Conelly Manchin, chair of the West Virginia Management Steering Committee and first lady of the state. "It will help the state retain and attract companies, help our home-grown businesses to prosper and our residents to get the service from government they expect in the 21st century. NIC was selected as the private partner to help us make that happen."

On Tuesday, U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) began using a federal information sharing capability in all West Virginia counties that uses biometrics to identify aliens, both lawfully and unlawfully present in the United States, who are booked into local law enforcement’s custody for a crime. This information sharing capability is part of Secure Communities—ICE’s comprehensive strategy to improve and modernize the identification and removal of aliens convicted of a crime from the United States.

“We were very pleased to finally see a state develop a comprehensive education component into their overall state Website strategy,” said Cathilea Robinett, Executive Director of the Center for Digital Government. “The West Virginia Education Portal takes the right approach to providing diverse online education resources to West Virginia’s citizens.”

"Broadband is a component of the bigger initiative," said Kyle Schafer. "Another component of our three-year strategic plan is getting technology into the home. West Virginia ranks 45th in the nation in personal computers in the home."

Gov. Joe Manchin III today announced the official launch of the state of West Virginia's new and improved Web site located at www.wv.gov.

This Web site is the first nationwide to offer an education portal designed to improve access to the state’s many education resources. In addition, new features of the site include an innovative design reflecting the wild and wonderful mountain state; enhanced information and online services; live help access; and a new Google search.

"This new service is provided as a convenience to our licensees,” said Anthony Carrico, director of the Fire Marshal’s Regulatory and Licensing Division. “Electricians can login to the secure website and complete their license renewal in minutes."

This Web site will provide constituents with up-to-date information about the stimulus dollars that the State of West Virginia is and will be receiving from the federal government through the passage of the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act (ARRA) of 2009.