Texas Model for Transparency

What can Illinois learn from Texas?

by Kate Piercy

Yesterday the state of Texas launched its “re-branded and redesigned” Texas.gov, the state’s official website.

Now, Texans can “search for information that matters to them, perform online transactions with 24/7 assistance, use an intuitive and effective search function, and access discussion forums designed to increase engagement between citizens and state government,” according to the Wall Street Journal’s MarketWatch.

The website (http://www.texas.gov) delivers over 1,000 services and offers a single, comprehensive online resource, making government “available to Texans anytime, anywhere.” In addition, the website comes at no additional cost to taxpayers! It’s entirely self-funded, and has “processed over 118 million financial transactions and collected over $13 billion on behalf of participating entities.”

For more, check out this link. Illinois would do well to take a look at what Texas is doing and learn from a state improving services to its citizens by advancing open government and pushing to improve the ways in which it delivers services at no cost to taxpayers.