Sponsored by:
Assemblywoman MITCHELLE DRULIS
District 16 (Hunterdon, Mercer, Middlesex and Somerset)
SYNOPSIS
Requires State departments and Office of Information Technology to provide reports on proposed technology upgrades.
CURRENT VERSION OF TEXT
As introduced.
An Act requiring State departments and the Office of Information Technology to provide reports on proposed technology upgrades and supplementing P.L.2007, c.56 (C.52:18A-224 et seq.).
Be It Enacted by the Senate and General Assembly of the State of New Jersey:
1. a. Each State department, agency, and instrumentality shall provide a report to the Governor, the Legislature, and the Office of Information Technology detailing:
(1) Ways in which the department, agency, or instrumentality may enhance digital services in order to improve constituent interactions with the department, agency, or instrumentality to create a more cohesive experience between online, mobile, and in-person services by conducting user research to identify key needs, implementing changes based on feedback, and designing new service offerings based on emergency needs; and
(2) Ways in which the department, agency, or instrumentality may improve remote work capabilities for employees by procuring updated hardware and software, providing trainings on digital tools, digitizing paper-based processes, and creating flexibility in departmental, agency, or instrumentality rules in order to continue processes during an emergency.
Each department, agency, and instrumentality of the State shall provide the report to the Governor and the Legislature, pursuant to section 2 of P.L.1991, c.164 (C.52:14-19.1), and to the Office of Information Technology within one year of the effective date of P.L. , c. (C. ) (pending before the Legislature of this bill) and annually thereafter.
b. The Office of Information Technology shall provide a report detailing recommendations as to how State departments, agencies, and instrumentalities may improve constituent services and employee remote work through upgraded technology. The recommendations shall include strategies for transitioning operating services and operational tasks to cloud computing services, integrating data into a single portal or location, maintaining private and secure access to government and constituent information, and transitioning remote work technology to be based in a web portal instead of a Virtual Private Network. The report shall include specific hardware and software upgrade recommendations.
The Office of Information Technology shall provide the report to the Governor and the Legislature, pursuant to section 2 of P.L.1991, c.164 (C.52:14-19.1), within one year of the reception of reports from the State departments, agencies, and instrumentalities and annually thereafter.
2. This act shall take
effect immediately.
STATEMENT
This bill requires State departments, agencies, and instrumentalities to provide reports recommending technology upgrades in order to improve the efficiency of State government and to continue government processes in an emergency situation.
The bill requires each State department, agency, and instrumentality to provide an annual report to the Governor, the Legislature, and the Office of Information Technology (OIT). The report will detail:
ways the department, agency, or instrumentality may enhance digital services in order to improve constituent interactions with the department, agency, or instrumentality to create a more cohesive experience between online, mobile, and in-person services by conducting user research to identify key needs, implementing changes based on feedback, and designing new service offerings based on emergency needs; and
ways the department, agency, or instrumentality may improve remote work capabilities for employees by procuring updated hardware and software, providing trainings on digital tools, digitizing paper-based processes, and creating flexibility in departmental, agency, or instrumentality rules in order to continue processes during an emergency.
This bill requires the OIT to provide an annual report detailing recommendations on how State departments, agencies, and instrumentalities may improve constituent services and employee remote work through upgraded technology. The recommendations will include:
strategies for transitioning operating services and operational tasks to cloud computing services;
integrating data into a single portal or location;
maintaining private and secure access to government constituent information;
transitioning remote work technology to be based in a web portal instead of a Virtual Private Network; and
specific hardware and software upgrade recommendations.