Office of Governor Gary Locke
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE - January 2, 2003
Contact:  Governor's Communications Office, 360-902-4136
Alt Contact:  Nancy Jackson, Department of Information Services, 360-902-3553

Washington Wins National Award for Digital Government

OLYMPIA – Jan. 2, 2003 – Gov. Gary Locke today announced that Washington state has been named “the most digital state” in the country, based on a five-year national survey.

The Sustained Leadership Award, presented by the Center for Digital Government and the Progress and Freedom Foundation, honors Washington for making the most progress in serving its citizens through online programs and making government more accessible through technology, a longtime goal of the Locke administration.

“For the last five years we have made a concerted effort to use technology to make government more efficient and user-friendly for our citizens,” Locke said. “This award shows we’re making good progress, and we are committed to finding new ways to use technology to better serve the people of Washington.”

The Sustained Leadership Award is a cumulative honor, based on rankings from the annual Digital State Award, which was created in 1997. During the past five years, Washington has won the overall national Digital State Award three times.

“I am proud of the sophistication and reach of the technology-driven services offered across our state agencies,” said Stuart McKee, director of the Department of Information Services, the agency responsible for Washington’s technology policies and shared infrastructure. “It’s a privilege to collaborate with the best government technology leaders in the country, who continually push forward with innovative work.”

Washington’s state government consistently scored highest among all states for transformation of its social services. This included technology-supported programs such as the Department of Social and Health Services’ Infant Toddler Early Intervention Program, which speeds federal funding to families with special-needs children.

Washington was also the first state to enable businesses to compute, file and pay taxes over the Internet and establish an Internet gateway to access a host of secure government services using digital certificates and signatures.

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On the Net: Governor’s Web site, www.governor.wa.gov
Center for Digital Government, www.centerdigitalgov.com

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