Kansas.gov - The Official Web site of the State of Kansas

Vision

To positively transform the relationship between citizens, business and governments through eGovernment applications and services.

Guiding Principles

• Access Anytime. Provide Kansas citizens and businesses 24-hour access to state government information and services.
• Accessibility. Ensure sites are accessible to people with disabilities.
• Cost-containment. Build a comprehensive electronic gateway to government information and transactions, and do so without using new tax dollars.
• Best Practices. Protect the privacy of users and fully inform them how their information will be used. Kansas.gov also uses industry best practices to protect the security of data transacted through the Web portal.
• Electronic Commerce. Focus on building electronic methods of doing business with government.

Webmaster Resource Center - Get information and advice on creating, maintaining and improving government Web sites.

Facts

• Nearly 290,000 pages of information are available through Kansas.gov.
• Average more than 500,000 visits to Kansas.gov per month.
• Ranked #1 in the U.S. in 2001 for the delivery of eGovernment services by the Center for Digital Government.
• Ranked #2 in the U.S. – Sustained Leadership Award from 1997 - 2002.
• 90% of all UCC Searches through the KS Secretary of State are performed via the Internet.
• 99% of respondents to a WebFile survey said they feel confident in their online filing.
• More than 300 interactive services available to citizens and businesses.

History

Kansas is considered the birthplace of eGovernment. Kansas legislation (K.S.A. 74-9301 et seq.) was passed in 1990 authorizing the creation of the Information Network of Kansas, Inc. (INK). In 1991, INK awarded Kansas Information Consortium, Inc. (now a subsidiary of NIC Inc., [NASDAQ: EGOV]) the network manager contract and began eGovernment operations.

The first service provided in 1991 was an e-mail service for subscribers. Other services were added to meet the needs of a growing computerized government and business audience. In 1994, INK offered a wide range of electronic services including legislative legal, banking and educational services.

INK launched the official state Web site for Kansas in January 1995. Kansas had one of the first state sites in the U.S. In 1999 hunting and fishing licenses were made available online. INK launched a new state portal with the name accessKansas in 2000. In 2005, the portal was redesigned and renamed Kansas.gov

Kansas has launched many new and varied Web-based applications including business filings, professional license renewals and license verifications. Kansas.gov continues to add services and information to improve online access to Kansas government. View a list of services.

Kansas.gov - Your government online, anytime!

Awards

2006 e-Gov Government Solutions Center Awards

• Pioneer Award – Kansas Highway Patrol Online Crash Logs

2005 NASCIO Recognition Awards

• Honorable Mention in Government to Citizen category – Kansas WebFile

2004 Digital Government Achievement Awards

• Finalist in Government-to-Business category – Kansas Online UCC Services

2004 Brown University Study

• #2 Ranking in the U.S. – Accessibility

2004 e-Gov Government Solutions Center

• Pioneer Award – TruckingKS.org

2003 Brown University Study

• #2 Ranking in the U.S. – Accessibility
• #2 Ranking in the U.S. – Online Services Provided

2003 e-Gov Government Solutions Center Awards

• Trailblazer Award – Kansas Department of Revenue WebFile

2002 Center for Digital Government

• #2 Ranking in the U.S. – 2002 Sustained Leadership
• Best of Breed – Motor Carrier/Trucking Permit Portal

2002 MIT and Accenture eGovernment Awards

2002 Agent of Change Award – Secretary of State Ron Thornburgh

2002 Federation of Government Information Processing Council

2002 Intergovernmental Solutions Award – Motor Carrier/Trucking Permit Portal

2002 Digital State Survey, Digital State Award

• #1 Ranking in the U.S. – Social Services; Law Enforcement and the Courts

2001 Digital State Survey, Digital State Award

• #1 Ranking in the U.S. – Overall
• #1 Ranking in the U.S. – GIS Transportation
• #1 Ranking in the U.S. – Social Services
• #3 Ranking in the U.S. – Taxation/Revenue
• #4 Ranking in the U.S. – Digital Democracy
• #7 Ranking in the U.S. – K-12 Education
• #10 Ranking in the U.S. – Management and Administration
• #15 Ranking in the U.S. – eCommerce/Business Regulation

2001 Center for Digital Government

• Best of Breed – Board of Nursing
• Best of Breed – Trucking Permit Portal
• Best of Breed – UCC Filing

2001 PriceWaterhouse Coopers Endowment for Business of Government

• #7 Ranking in the U.S. – Overall

2000 Brown University Study:

• “Assessing E-Government: The Internet, Democracy, and Service Delivery, by State and Federal Governments” – Kansas was profiled in this study for its excellence in eGovernment.

• #1 Ranking in the U.S. – Percentage of Web sites Showing Security Policy
• #1 Ranking in the U.S. – Percentage of Web sites Offering Services
• #4 Ranking in the U.S. – Percentage of Web sites with Privacy Features
• #6 Ranking in the U.S. – Overall ranking

2000 Digital State Survey, Digital State Award

• #3 Ranking in the U.S. – Digital Democracy
• #3 Ranking in the U.S. – electronic Commerce

1998 Digital State Survey, Digital State Award

• #1 Ranking in the U.S. – Digital Democracy
• #1 Ranking in the U.S. – Other Initiatives

Business Model

In 1991, the State of Kansas initiated one of the most successful business models in the country. This model is called a “self-funding portal.” The model is currently used in many states across the U.S. In this model the state incurs almost no costs, while the contracted Network Manager absorbs the technology risk and operational costs. In return the network manager develops eGovernment solutions that better enable citizens and businesses to interact with the state.

Organizational Structure

Kansas.gov operates under the authority of the Information Network of Kansas, Inc. (INK). INK was created by an act of the Kansas Legislature in 1990 to provide Kansans equal electronic access to state, county, local and other public information. INK provides Kansans equal access to governmental data via the Internet.

A ten-member board appointed by the Governor of Kansas administers the policy for INK. The board includes the Kansas Secretaries of State, Transportation and Revenue; the president of Kansas, Inc.; a representative from the Kansas Association of Libraries; and private Kansas citizens. The board ensures information in the public domain is administered for the public good.

Public-Private Partnership

• The Information Network of Kansas, Inc. contracts with Kansas Information Consortium, Inc., a wholly-owned subsidiary of NIC Inc., to be the network manager.
  
  
• NIC Inc., the leading eGovernment solutions provider, has similar agreements with the following 20 states: Alabama, Arizona, Arkansas, Colorado, Hawaii, Idaho, Indiana, Iowa, Kentucky, Maine, Montana, Nebraska, Oklahoma, South Carolina, Rhode Island, Tennessee, Utah, Vermont, Virginia and West Virginia.
  
  
• KIC provides state agencies with Web hosting, maintenance, application development and marketing support.
  
  
• KIC's offices are located in the state capitol city, in downtown Topeka, Kansas.
  
  
• Primary funding for the portal comes from modest convenience fees and subscription fees for a select set of commercially-valuable information and services.
  
  
• Kansas.gov has not replaced the traditional methods of obtaining any government records or services. If any record or service is normally available for free, it can continue to be obtained for free through traditional methods of delivery.
  
  
• Most of the fee-based online services are geared toward business users. Research has shown businesses are willing to pay a fee for instant access to records that might otherwise take weeks to obtain.