How Pennsylvania Is Using Technology to Improve Service Delivery

technologyImage via Pixabay

PENNSYLVANIA — Pennsylvania has been ranked among the top states for using technology to serve constituents, according to the Center for Digital Government.

Pennsylvania earned an overall grade of A- in the 2022 Digital States Survey, a comprehensive biennial benchmarking of how states are using technology to improve service delivery, meet increased demand and achieve policy goals.

“Under Governor  Tom Wolf’s leadership, we have expanded Pennsylvanians’ access to services and data online, modernized IT systems and transformed the Office of Administration (OA) to deliver IT services and support more effectively,” said Secretary of Administration Michael Newsome. “The results of the latest Digital States Survey demonstrate Pennsylvania’s steady progress and our place as a leader among states in information technology.”

“Behind every successful IT initiative is a team of professionals dedicated to the missions of the agencies they support and to delivering inspired public service,” said John MacMillan, deputy secretary for information technology and chief information officer. “Technology doesn’t run without people, and we are fortunate to have exceptional employees working to deliver IT for the commonwealth.”

The 2022 survey evaluated states across 11 broad categories, including IT strategy and oversight, IT infrastructure, constituent engagement, innovation, cybersecurity, workforce planning, data management and utilization and resilience. Pennsylvania further distinguished itself by receiving 2nd place in the IT infrastructure category for providing comprehensive computing, storage and network services to state agencies.

Major information technology accomplishments under the Wolf administration include:

  • Launching Online Voter Registration (OVR) in 2015, making it easier for millions of Pennsylvanians to register to vote or update their existing registration. The online registration system has processed over 3 million transactions since its launch.
  • Establishing an open data program and creating an Open Data portal with over 300 datasets to promote transparency, innovation and public engagement and hiring the state’s first chief data officer.
  • Implementing a shared services model for IT and HR to streamline costs and improve efficiency, reducing the need for over $123 million in additional funding and allowing OA to keep IT expenditures flat for three consecutive fiscal years.
  • Improving cybersecurity across all levels of government through collaboration with counties, cities and school districts and providing access to training and other resources at no cost to them.
  • Establishing a Business One-Stop Shop to cut through the red tape of starting and growing a business. The portal integrates with multiple state agencies for a seamless and guided experience on a user-friendly website.
  • Replacing legacy IT systems for tax administration with the My Pennsylvania Tax Hub (myPATH), a single, cutting-edge tax system that allows Pennsylvanians to file a wider array of tax return types electronically, receive correspondence online, communicate with the Department of Revenue through an online service, check the status of a refund or rebate and view estimated payments and credits.
  • Hiring the state’s first chief accessibility officer to work across state agencies to make digital information and services available to people with disabilities.
  • Implementing a customer service improvement initiative across state government to modernize the delivery of information and services to Pennsylvanians online, on the phone and in-person.

The Center for Digital Government is a national research and advisory institute focused on IT policies and best practices in state and local government. For more information, visit www.centerdigitalgov.com.

For the latest news on everything happening in Chester County and the surrounding area, be sure to follow MyChesCo on Google News.