MONTGOMERY - A concentrated effort by state agencies to improve the design and functionality of their websites is being recognized in an annual review of government websites. Alabama’s state agencies rank eighth in the nation in the 2008 report on State and Federal Electronic Government in the United States. This is a significant improvement over the state’s ranking of 45th in 2007.
Darrell West, Vice President and Director of Governance Studies at the Brookings Institution, compiles the annual report after evaluating more than twenty criteria for websites from all branches of government in each of the fifty states.
Governor Bob Riley said, “We have made tremendous progress in bringing government closer to the citizens of Alabama through technology. Our dramatic improvement in this report shows what we can do when we work together to achieve a common goal.”
The report critiqued websites based on a number of features, including the availability of online services, ease of use, multimedia services, language translation, disability access, privacy and security policies, online publications, automatic e-mail updates and more.
State Finance Director Jim Main said, “We understand that websites are just as important as other forms of media in communicating with our citizens. That’s why we’ve encouraged each of our state agencies to take seriously the value of e-government by maintaining websites that meet the expectations of those we serve.”
“Agencies that improved their sites the past year have shown their commitment to teamwork by doing what is best for the state as a whole,” said Jim Burns, the State’s Chief Information Officer. “They've standardized how visitors use their sites, making navigation and features straight-forward, consistent, and convenient."
Alabama’s jump from 45th to 8th is directly attributed to each of the agencies that improved their websites during the past year. These include governor.alabama.gov (Governor’s Office), ado.alabama.gov (Alabama Development Office), sos.alabama.gov (Secretary of State), and auditor.alabama.gov (State Auditor).
Other state agencies contributing to Alabama’s high ranking include:
Forestry www.forestry.alabama.gov
Education www.alsde.edu
Corrections www.doc.alabama.gov
Conservation & Natural Resources www.dcnr.alabama.gov
Human Resources www.dhr.alabama.gov
Homeland Security www.dhs.alabama.gov
Industrial Relations www.dir.alabama.gov
Public Safety www.dps.alabama.gov
Comptroller www.comptroller.alabama.gov
Economic & Community Affairs www.adeca.alabama.gov
Finance Department www.finance.alabama.gov
Supreme Court www.judicial.state.al.us
Veterans Affairs www.va.alabama.gov
Personnel www.personnel.alabama.gov
Public Health www.adph.org
Revenue www.ador.alabama.gov
Ethics Commission www.ethics.alabama.gov
Alabama Manufactured Housing Commission www.amhc.alabama.gov
Finance/Information Services Division www.media.alabama.gov
The full report is available online at http://www.brookings.edu/~/media/Files/rc/reports/2008/0826_egovernment_west/0826_egovernment_west.pdf.