Legislation dealing with money, whether
it is raising it or spending it, is often contentious and always a
challenge. When the state raises money through taxes and fees, we as
taxpayers want to see that it is well spent. It should be used to
promote the common good, be used efficiently, and accomplish the
purpose for which it is being used. This requires oversight by the
legislature as well as the administration. The legislature several
years ago adopted Results Based Accountability (RBA) which requires
agencies to report on the results of the programs and services they
provide, including how much was done, how well it was done, and
whether anyone is better off. One area that has received limited
oversight, however, has been the various computer systems and
projects which have had mixed success with implementation. Both the
legislature and the Scott administration have taken steps to address
this area of concern.
One of the first orders of business for
newly elected Speaker Mitzi Johnson was to establish the House Energy
and Technology Committee which would have as one area of
responsibility the oversight of Vermont’s Information Technology
(IT) infrastructure. At nearly the same time, Governor Scott issued
an executive order to change the model of the Department of
Information and Innovation (DII), which had nominal responsibility
for IT, and create a new Agency of Digital Services.
Up to now the administration of the
various IT systems has had two parallel structures responsible for
purchasing, development and management. Some of this authority is
centralized under DII and some rests with the agencies the systems
support. In addition, about 30% of the systems are administered
independently under control of the statewide elected officials like
the Secretary of State or the Treasurer. As a result, there may be
duplication of effort, poor project management, and reliance on
outdated legacy systems which are costly to support. In the meantime,
the legislature has had little insight to the operation of the IT
projects and systems but must appropriate money to fund them.
In order to improve the coordination,
procurement and governance of technology and IT resources and
spending, and more efficiently deliver services to the public, the
executive order would have all IT projects report directly to the
Agency of Digital Services while project managers and developers
remain embedded in and report dotted-line to the agencies they serve.
The history of state IT projects has
had mixed results, with the problems of Vermont Health Connect
illustrative of the public perception of dollars not well spent. A
joint hearing was conducted by the Energy & Technology,
Institutions, and Health Care Committees to hear a report from an
independent auditor on the current status of Vermont Health Connect.
The recommendation of the audit report was that problems remain with
automation of some functions involving communications with billing
and insurance providers. However, they determined that the best
solution is to continue work on improving VHC after analyzing a half
dozen other alternatives including moving to the federal system. On
top of their findings they noted that the uncertain fate of the
federal Affordable Care Act under the Trump administration injects an
unknown factor into the equation for Vermont’s health care system.
It will be up to the legislature working with the Governor to
successfully navigate through this uncharted territory.
As always, I invite you to let me know
your concerns and opinions. I can be reached by phone (802-233-5238)
or by email (myantachka.dfa@gmail.com).
