State to provide
public access to
agencies via ’Net
Tax payments and license
By Peter Wagner
renewals will be among some
of the uses of the site
Star-BulletinHawaii will soon join 10 other states allowing residents to pay taxes, renew licenses, apply for jobs, or just wander the halls of government from the comfort of cyberspace.
The Office of the Governor last week signed a contract with Kansas-based National Information Consortium Inc. to set up an Internet "portal" -- a large Web site connecting other Web sites -- that will let people deal directly with state agencies by computer.
"It's a one-stop shop," said Kathryn Matayoshi, director of the state Department of Commerce and Consumer Affairs and a key player in the high-tech move.
"People on the neighbor islands can't hop on a plane to Honolulu every time they need something from the state," she said.
"With a site like this, you're serving all the people of Hawaii."
The portal, called "Access Hawaii," is to go online in a few months with conveniences including electronic applications and payment by credit card.
Founded in 1991, NIC targets government agencies to help them cut costs and improve services.
The company plans to set up and operate the portal at no cost to the state, deriving profits from small commissions -- 25 cents to $2 a transaction -- on high-volume transactions like marriage licenses and business registrations that already have a fee.
"Ninety-five percent of services provided though the portal will be free," said Joseph Nemelka, executive vice president of NIC. "Five percent are what we call commercially valuable services that have fees associated with them."
Big users are likely to include businesses needing to register with the state, professionals renewing licenses and anyone seeking information or wanting to avoid the hassle of waiting in line.
"It's not that people will have to start paying for services," said Joseph Blanco, executive assistant to Gov. Ben Cayetano. "They can continue to go to the counter to get what they want. But some people are willing to pay a premium for convenience."
Matayoshi noted the service could be a plus for eco-tourism as well, allowing travelers to research camping trips and obtain permits from anywhere in the world -- impossible now because current rules require obtaining camping permits in person.
NIC has similar contracts in Arkansas; Georgia; Idaho; Indiana; Iowa; Kansas, Maine, Nebraska; Utah and Virginia. It has set up a subsidiary in Honolulu -- Hawaii Information Consortium Inc. -- to operate the portal.
Among the 7,000 programs it has developed for its portal sites, NIC sells products like "Lobbiest in a Box" which tracks legislative bills tailored to the interests of individual subscribers. The package sells for $200 in Arkansas.
In Kansas, NIC collected about $3 million in fees last year, 90 percent of it returned to state coffers. The remaining 10 percent -- about $300,000 -- went to the company, Nemelka said
Matayoshi said the service should ease demands on her staff, which process 180,000 registrations and licenses a year.
"We need to find ways to meet increasing demands without increasing our staff," she said. "One way is to find ways to let people help themselves."
http://www.hawaii.gov/
