FINAL BILL REPORT

SSB 5718

C 31 L 13 E 2

Synopsis as Enacted

Brief Description: Providing monitoring of the development of a one-stop portal for Washington businesses.

Sponsors: Senate Committee on Trade & Economic Development (originally sponsored by Senators Brown, Chase, Smith, Braun, Carrell, Schlicher and Frockt).

Senate Committee on Trade & Economic Development

House Committee on Technology & Economic Development

House Committee on Appropriations

Background: The state’s Office of the Chief Information Officer (OCIO) has been directed under Executive Order 12-01 to work collaboratively with the Department of Commerce (COM), the Department of Revenue (DOR), the Office of Regulatory Assistance (ORA), and other executive agencies that license businesses or collect taxes and insurance premiums. The Executive Order requires OCIO to review the needs of the business community and evaluate technical options for creating an integrated enterprise system using a single sign-on portal called MyAccount for business interactions with state agencies.

In November 2012, OCIO produced a report entitled MyAccount – Streamlining Business Transactions with Government. The report provides an action plan with a long-range vision for creating and implementing MyAccount, which businesses will be able to utilize to conduct all their interactions with state government in a single, web-based location. The plan outlines the high-level technological architecture and implementation steps necessary to achieve this streamlined project.

The implementation plan relies on a phased approach. Phase I of MyAccount includes building the system backbone, connecting core business systems into the backbone, and implementing a public-web facing web portal. The cost estimate for Phase I is between $7 million and $8 million, and if funded, it is projected to be operational in December 2015.

Summary: The Legislature intends to monitor the progress toward the development and implementation of the one-stop business portal. OCIO, in collaboration with DOR, the Department of Labor and Industries, the Secretary of State, the Employment Security Department, COM, and ORA, must provide the Legislature with a plan for establishing performance benchmarks, and for measuring the results of implementing a one-stop business portal by November 2013. The plan must specify how OCIO and other state agencies intend to collaborate with the business community in order to receive business feedback and use business recommendations in the development of the one-stop business portal.

OCIO must submit annual progress reports to the Legislature until the portal has reached initial implementation. The progress report must specify how OCIO and other state agencies are collaborating with the business community and using business recommendations in the development of the one-stop business portal. Initial implementation will be met when a system backbone is developed, specified agencies are connected to the backbone, and a public-facing web portal is developed. The first progress report is due to the Legislature by January 1, 2014.

The Act expires when initial implementation is reached or, if funding is not provided, after OCIO submits the first progress report.

Votes on Final Passage:

Second Special Session