NORTH DAKOTA LEGISLATIVE MANAGEMENT
Minutes of the
INFORMATION TECHNOLOGY COMMITTEE
Tuesday, October 20, 2009
Harvest Room, State Capitol
Bismarck, North Dakota
Senator Larry J. Robinson, Chairman, called the
meeting to order at 9:00 a.m.
Members present: Senators Larry J. Robinson,
Randel Christmann, Tom Seymour, Rich Wardner;
Representatives Corey Mock, Bob Skarphol, Gary R.
Sukut, Robin Weisz, Lonny Winrich
Members absent: Representative Craig
Headland; Chief Information Officer Lisa Feldner
Others present: Jim W. Smith, Jason J. Steckler;
Legislative Council, Bismarck
Senator David O’Connell, member of the
Legislative Management, was also in attendance.
See attached appendix for additional persons
present.
It was moved by Representative Skarphol,
seconded by Senator Wardner, and carried on a
voice vote that the minutes of the July 16, 2009,
meeting be approved as distributed.
REPORT FROM THE CHIEF
INFORMATION OFFICER
Information Technology Department –
Strategic Business Plan
Mr. Mike Ressler, Deputy Chief Information Officer,
Information Technology Department, distributed a
copy of the department’s 2009-11 strategic business
plan, a copy of which is on file in the Legislative
Council office. He said the department’s 2009-11
strategic business plan includes 23 objectives relating
to the department’s mission to provide leadership and
knowledge to assist customers in achieving
information technology goals. The following is a
summary of the objectives included in the plan:
Perspectives Objectives
Customer Meet customer service delivery
expectations
Provide an “easy to do business with”
environment
Provide a positive customer experience
Build and maintain strong relationships
Provide information technology services as
needed
Provide technology direction
Financial Make cost-effective investments
Manage revenue
Align rates with customer business needs
Manage statewide technology spending
Internal
processes
Standardize processes and approaches
Deliver reliable and available services
Deliver solutions on schedule
Deliver project on time and on budget
Capture and follow up on customer
feedback
Continuous sharing and understanding of
business needs
Plan for technology change
Provide guidance on information
technology best practices
Deploy enterprise solutions
Learning
and
growth
Attract and hire quality people
Maintain high employee satisfaction
Support employee growth and development
Retain talented employees
In response to a question from Senator Robinson,
Mr. Ressler said the department has established a
process for department employees to provide input
regarding the department’s strategic business plan.
Information Technology Department –
Annual Report
Mr. Ressler distributed a copy of the department’s
2008-09 annual report regarding projects, services,
plans, and benefits pursuant to North Dakota Century
Code Section 54-59-19, a copy of which is on file in
the Legislative Council office. He said the
department’s 2008-09 annual report includes an
executive summary, information on the department’s
divisions, information on the department’s
performance, and rate comparisons. He said for fiscal
year 2009, actual agency spending on information
technology services from the Information Technology
Department totaled approximately $46.5 million, of
which approximately 9 percent was for telephone
services, 14 percent for network services, 22 percent
for software development services, and 30 percent for
computer hosting services.
During fiscal year 2009, Mr. Ressler said state
agencies completed nine large information technology
projects. Of the nine projects, he said, seven projects
were completed on or under budget resulting in
savings of $399,711. He said four of the nine projects
were completed within the acceptable 20 percent
schedule variance. He said one project–the
Legislative Assembly’s legislative applications
Information Technology 2 October 20, 2009
replacement project–was terminated after spending
$2,428,848.
Mr. Ressler provided the following update on the
department’s performance measures:
Performance Measures
Baseline
(Previous
Years)
Current
Status
(June 2009) Target
Acceptable level of total net assets 2006 – 1.4
2007 – 1.7
2008 – 1.4
1.7 < or = to 2.0
Percentage of Information Technology Department rates reported in the
annual report that are competitive
2006 – 100%
2007 – 100%
2008 – 100%
100% 100%
Total number of customer projects and service requests completed: 2008
• Service requests 32,105 33,243 Monitor
• Incidents 53,738 55,421 Monitor
Customer satisfaction indexes (percentages satisfied or very satisfied)
related to: 2007 – 2008
• Value 87.3% – 86.9% 83.9% 92%
• Timeliness 87.4% – 86.9% 92.2% 97%
• Quality 95.5% – 93.0% 95.3% 97%
• Knowledge 94.8% – 97.0% 96.8% 98%
• Professionalism and courtesy 97.1% – 99.0% 100.0% 100%
Employee satisfaction index 2006-07 – 2.13
2007-08 – 2.13
2.14 2.0
Controllable employee turnover 2007 – 4.6%
2008 – 6.8%
3.6% Below 6.0%
Percentage of service levels met 100% 100% 100%
Percentage of strategic business plan objectives completed or on schedule 2007 – 46%
2008 – 43%
61.5% 75%
Mr. Ressler said the department monitors the cost
and revenue for each service to ensure that a service
is not subsidizing another service. He said the federal
government does not allow the department to charge
rates that generate revenues in excess of costs;
therefore, the department monitors its cash balances
and adjusts rates accordingly. He said the
department also monitors other entity’s fees for similar
services in an effort to maintain quality services at a
fair price. The following is a summary of rate
comparisons for the services that generate a majority
of the department’s total revenue:
Service
North Dakota
Information Technology
Department Rates
South Dakota
Bureau of
Information and
Telecommunications
Rates
Montana
Information Technology
Services Division Rates
Minnesota
Office of Enterprise
Technology Rates
Central computer central
processing unit (CPU
rates)
Batch CPU –
$1.17 per second
Batch CPU –
$1.59 per second
Batch CPU –
$2.80 per second
Batch CPU – N/A
CICS CPU –
$1.17 per second
CICS CPU –
$1.59 per second
CICS CPU –
$.93 per second
CICS CPU – N/A
ADABAS CPU –
$1.23 per second
ADABAS CPU –
$1.59 per second
ADABAS CPU –
$1.73 per second
ADABAS CPU – N/A
TSO CPU –
$1.17 per second
TSO CPU –
$1.59 per second
TSO CPU –
$3.71 per second
TSO CPU – N/A
Network fees Device fee –
$43.50 per device per
month
Device fee –
$39 per device per month
Device fee –
$90.50 per device per
month
Device fee –
$35 per device per month
DSL service –
Actual cost (ranges from
$40 to $199)
DSL service – N/A DSL service –
$250 per month
DSL service –
Cost plus 15 percent
ETS-5 service –
$890 per month
ETS-5 service – N/A ETS-5 service –
$650 per month
ETS-5 service –
Cost plus $140 (access)
$150/mbps (bandwidth)
Access fee –
$66 per device per month
Access fee –
$99 per device per month
Information Technology 3 October 20, 2009
Telephone Fees
North Dakota Information Technology Department rates Telephone line – $24 per device per month
Speaker function – $3 per month
Display function – $5 per month
Voice mail (unlimited) – $5 per month
South Dakota Bureau of Information and
Telecommunications rates
Telephone line – $13 per device per month
Speaker function – Actual cost
Display function – Actual cost
Voice mail (unlimited) – $6 per month
Montana Information Technology Services Division rates Telephone line – $14 per device per month
Speaker function – $7 to $11 per month
Display function – $10 to $18 per month
Voice mail (three-minute limit) – $5 per month
Voice mail (six-minute limit) – $8 per month
Voice mail (eight-minute limit) – $10 per month
Minnesota Office of Enterprise Technology rates Telephone line – $54 per device per month (Voice over Internet Protocol)
Speaker function – Actual cost
Display function – Actual cost
Voice mail (unlimited) – $6 per month
Long Distance
North Dakota Information Technology Department rates In state – $.075 per minute
Out of state – $.075 per minute
800 service – $.07 per minute
South Dakota Bureau of Information and
Telecommunications rates
In state – $.08 per minute
Out of state – $.09 per minute
800 service – $.09 per minute
Montana Information Technology Services Division rates In state – $.105 per minute
Out of state – $.105 per minute
800 service – $.10 per minute
Minnesota Department of Administration rates In state – $.07 per minute
Out of state – $.20 per minute
800 service – $.049 per minute
Software Development
Location Billing Rate Per Hour of Service
Information Technology Department Bismarck, North Dakota $63 to $75
Applied Engineering, Inc. Bismarck, North Dakota $75 to $125
Eide Bailly LLP Bismarck, North Dakota $95 to $155
Enterprise Solutions, Inc. Bismarck, North Dakota $95 to $140
Nexus Innovations Bismarck, North Dakota $95 to $125
Vision Technology, Inc. Bismarck, North Dakota $70 to $75
Everest Consultants, Inc. Beaverton, Oregon $63 to $100
CIBER, Inc. Vancouver, Washington $65 to $100
Compuware Plymouth, Minnesota $80 to $125
Maximus Rancho Cordova, California $145 to $185
In response to a question from Senator Robinson,
Mr. Ressler said the department anticipates phasing
out the mainframe computer in approximately four to
six years.
In response to a question from Representative
Skarphol, Mr. Ressler said the department’s
enterprise architecture teams are working on
developing a policy regarding the use of social
networking websites.
In response to a question from Senator Wardner,
Mr. Ressler said the department is having difficulties
recruiting employees in the areas of quality
assurance, database management, and disk systems.
Representative Skarphol suggested the committee
receive a summary of customer complaints received
through the department’s annual customer survey.
Chairman Robinson asked the Information
Technology Department to provide this information to
the committee at its next meeting.
In response to a question from Representative
Skarphol, Mr. Ressler said the department has
completed a study of the State Data Center. He said
the State Data Center will need electrical and
ventilation upgrades in the future. He said the
department is considering partnering with the private
sector for the State Data Center services.
Other Information
Mr. Ressler provided information regarding federal
grants anticipated to be received by the state for
information technology projects. He said the state has
been awarded a $912,722 grant from the United
States Department of Commerce and United States
Department of Transportation for the implementation
and operation of enhanced 911 services. He said the
Information Technology 4 October 20, 2009
purpose of the grant is to develop a 911 system that
can identify the location of all mobile users dialing
911. He said the grant will be administered by the
Emergency Services Communications Coordinating
Committee.
Mr. Ressler said the Information Technology
Department has applied for a $3.7 million grant from
the United States Department of Commerce National
Telecommunications and Information Administration
for identifying and documenting all the broadband
connectivity available in the state. He said the United
States Department of Commerce will award one grant
to each state to create a national broadband map.
Mr. Ressler said the Information Technology
Department is also applying for a federal grant for
costs associated with establishing a statewide
longitudinal data system. He said the Department of
Public Instruction has already been awarded a
$6 million federal grant for establishing the student
component of the statewide longitudinal data system.
ELEMENTARY AND SECONDARY
EDUCATION INFORMATION
TECHNOLOGY INITIATIVES
Mr. Dan Pullen, Director, Educational Technology
Council, provided information regarding elementary
and secondary education information technology
initiatives, including video utilization. A copy of the
information presented is on file in the Legislative
Council office. He said the Educational Technology
Council’s legislative appropriation for the 2009-11
biennium includes funding of $604,750 from the
general fund for grants, including $349,000 for
classroom transformation grants and $255,750 for
video classroom grants. He said the council
anticipates providing classroom transformation grants
of up to $20,000 each to approximately 18 to
24 schools and providing video classroom grants to
approximately 30 schools.
Mr. Pullen provided the following elementary and
secondary education video utilization statistics:
Elementary and Secondary Education Classrooms
Scheduled on the Statewide Wide Area Network
October 2, 2007 80
October 2, 2008 120
October 2, 2009 157
Video Endpoints (Elementary and
Secondary Education and State Government)
April 2008 6,200
April 2009 8,100
Elementary and Secondary Education
Video Classroom Grants
2005-07 biennium 23
2007-09 biennium 23
2009-11 biennium 30 estimated
Elementary and Secondary Education Core
Curriculum Course Enrollments Through Video
2008-09 school year 32 percent
2009-10 school year 40 percent
In response to a question from Senator
Christmann, Mr. Pullen said the number of core
curriculum courses offered through video is
increasing.
Representative Skarphol suggested the committee
receive information regarding the core curriculum
courses being offered through video, including the
types of courses and the schools offering the courses,
and information regarding dual-credit courses offered
through video. Chairman Robinson asked the
Educational Technology Council to provide this
information to the committee at its next meeting.
In response to a question from Representative
Skarphol, Mr. Pullen said the Information Technology
Department has completed an upgrade to the
elementary and secondary education portion of the
statewide wide area network. He said the upgrade
allows school districts to connect at 10 megabytes.
HIGHER EDUCATION INFORMATION
TECHNOLOGY INITIATIVES
Mr. Rich Lehn, Assistant to the Chief Information
Officer, North Dakota University System, provided
information regarding higher education information
technology planning, services, and major projects
pursuant to Section 15-10-44. A copy of the
information presented is on file in the Legislative
Council office. He said the University System is in the
preplanning phase of an integrated services initiative.
He said the objectives of the initiative are to:
• Improve the integration of systemwide
applications.
• Provide a more consistent end user experience
for students, faculty, and staff.
• Improve coordination of resources, applications,
and processes.
• Provide better support for collaborative
students.
Mr. Lehn said the initiative consists of the following
three projects:
• Project 1 – Phased migration to an active
directory single forest/domain model.
• Project 2 – Implementation of a common e-mail
and calendar system.
• Project 3 – Implementation of a common
framework for unified communications.
Mr. Lehn said other higher education information
technology projects include:
• Implementation of a data warehouse.
• Implementation of Wimba, a suite of interactive,
web-based software collaboration and
communication tools.
• Implementation of Moodle, an open source
learning management system.
In response to a question from Senator
Christmann, Mr. Lehn said higher education
institutions are currently using a variety of e-mail
systems. He said one of the objectives of the
integrated services initiative is to implement a
Information Technology 5 October 20, 2009
common e-mail system for the entire University
System.
In response to a question from Senator
Christmann, Mr. Lehn said the University System has
not yet prepared a budget for the integrated services
initiative.
Representative Mock suggested the committee
receive information regarding the usage by higher
education institutions of systems such as Moodle,
Blackboard, and other similar systems. Chairman
Robinson asked the University System to provide this
information to the committee at its next meeting.
HEALTH INFORMATION TECHNOLOGY
Mr. Sheldon Wolf, Health Information Technology
Director, Information Technology Department,
provided information regarding the status of health
information technology activities pursuant to 2009
Senate Bill No. 2332. A copy of the information
presented is on file in the Legislative Council office.
He said 2009 Senate Bill No. 2332 establishes a
Health Information Technology Advisory Committee
consisting of the Chief Information Officer, the State
Health Officer, the Governor, the executive director of
the Department of Human Services, and individuals
appointed by the Governor and the State Health
Officer to represent a broad range of public and
private health information technology stakeholders.
He said the bill also establishes a Health Information
Technology Office in the Information Technology
Department.
Mr. Wolf said the Information Technology
Department has been notified that the state will be
receiving a $5,343,733 grant from the Office of the
National Coordinator for Health Information
Technology for implementing a statewide health
information technology and exchange network. He
said the grant is for four years and the match
requirements are as follows:
Year 1 $0 of state funds for each federal dollar
Year 2 $1 of state funds for each $10 of federal dollars
Year 3 $1 of state funds for each $7 of federal dollars
Year 4 $1 of state funds for each $3 of federal dollars
Mr. Wolf said the official grant award
announcement will be made on December 15, 2009,
and the anticipated project start date is January 15,
2010.
Mr. Wolf said the next steps for the Health
Information Technology Office and the Health
Information Technology Advisory Committee are to:
• Complete a strategic plan for the statewide
health information technology and exchange
network.
• Complete an operational plan for the statewide
health information technology and exchange
network.
• Receive approval from the Office of the
National Coordinator for Health Information
Technology of both plans.
• Implement the statewide health information
technology and exchange network.
In response to a question from Representative
Skarphol, Mr. Wolf said the state will be applying for
additional health information technology grants.
In response to a question from Representative
Weisz, Mr. Wolf said the department is waiting for
information from the Office of the National Coordinator
for Health Information Technology regarding grants for
implementing electronic health record systems.
In response to a question from Representative
Skarphol, Mr. Wolf said the Health Information
Technology Advisory Committee will decide how the
grant funds from the Office of the National Coordinator
for Health Information Technology will be used.
Representative Skarphol suggested the committee
receive information regarding statutory provisions
regarding the Information Technology Department
providing network services to health care providers.
Chairman Robinson asked the Legislative Council
staff to provide this information.
LARGE INFORMATION TECHNOLOGY
PROJECT REPORTING
Quarterly Summary Status Report
Mr. Mark Molesworth, Information Technology
Business Analyst, Information Technology
Department, provided information regarding the
quarterly summary status report on large information
technology projects, including any department
concerns regarding the projects. A copy of the
information presented is on file in the Legislative
Council office. For the period ending September 30,
2009, he said, the following three projects were
reported in the planning stage:
• Office of Management and Budget –
ConnectND system enterprise learning module.
• Department of Public Instruction – North Dakota
state longitudinal education data system
planning project – Phase 1.
• Department of Transportation – Facial
recognition project.
Mr. Molesworth said the following two projects
were moved into the execution phase:
• Tax Department – Taxpayer access program
and oil and tax integration.
• Legislative Council – Legislative enterprise
North Dakota (LEGEND) project.
Mr. Molesworth said the following projects were
reported complete:
Agency Project
Budget
Variance
Schedule
Variance
Department of
Human
Services
Master client
index
Within budget
variance
Within
schedule
variance
Department of
Human
Services
Office Vision
mail
replacement
project
Within budget
variance
On schedule
Information Technology 6 October 20, 2009
Mr. Molesworth said the following five projects
have reported budget or schedule variances and are
being monitored:
Agency Project Budget or Schedule Variance
State Treasurer’s
office
Tax distribution rewrite The project is behind schedule largely due to tax-related changes
approved by the 2009 Legislative Assembly being incorporated into the
project.
Department
of Corrections
and Rehabilitation
Inmate medical system The project is behind schedule. The implementation of the application at
the initial site was successful, but implementation of the application at
subsequent sites is taking longer than anticipated.
State Department
of Health
Disease surveillance and
management system
The project is expected to be implemented in October 2009
approximately two months after the project’s baseline end date.
Department
of Human
Services
Medicaid management
information system replacement
project
The project’s implementation date has been extended from May 2010 to
April 2011.
Workforce Safety
and Insurance
Information technology transformation
project
The project continues to experience delays in schedule.
Other Information
Mr. Molesworth said information technology project
management standards define a stakeholder as a
person or organization that is actively involved in the
project; has interests that may be positively or
negatively affected by the performance or completion
of the project; or may exert influence over the project,
its deliverables, or its team members. He said the
Information Technology Committee meets these
requirements, and, therefore, he believes the
committee is a stakeholder in information technology
projects. He said it is his understanding that the
Information Technology Committee has authorized the
department’s large project oversight personnel to
engage in information technology projects, including
reviewing documents, attending meetings, and
offering advice. He asked the committee to reaffirm
this authority.
Chairman Robinson said the committee will review
statutory provisions regarding the oversight of
information technology projects at the committee’s
next meeting.
Mr. Molesworth distributed a sample large
information technology project variance report. A
copy of the report is on file in the Legislative Council
office. He asked for the committee’s support
regarding the inclusion of current project schedule and
budget variance information on the department’s
quarterly summary status report.
It was moved by Representative Skarphol,
seconded by Representative Weisz, and carried on
a roll call vote that the Information Technology
Committee supports the inclusion of project
schedule and cost variance information on the
Information Technology Department’s quarterly
summary status report. Senators Robinson,
Seymour, and Wardner and Representatives Mock,
Skarphol, Sukut, Weisz, and Winrich voted “aye.”
Senator Christmann voted “nay.”
The committee recessed for lunch at 12:10 p.m.
and reconvened at 1:00 p.m.
Department of Human Services
Ms. Jennifer Witham, Director, Information
Technology Services, Department of Human Services,
provided information regarding the status of the
department’s Medicaid management information
system replacement project. A copy of the
information presented is on file in the Legislative
Council office. On August 18, 2009, she said, ACS–
the project vendor– formally proposed a change to the
project schedule requesting to extend the go-live date
from May 2010 to April 2011 due to product
development issues. She said the department is in
the process of assessing the revised project workplan
and the effect the revised workplan will have on the
department and other third-party vendors. At this
time, she said, the department does not anticipate any
additional costs to the state for the delay in the
schedule. She provided the following project funding
summary through September 2009:
Description Budget
Spent
Through
September
2009 Remaining
General fund $3,643,133 $2,647,533 $995,600
Federal funds 55,218,418 29,340,111 25,878,307
Other funds 3,667,820 1,190,564 2,477,256
Total $62,529,371 $33,178,208 $29,351,163
In response to a question from Representative
Skarphol, Ms. Witham said the regional office for the
Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services is
monitoring the project.
In response to a question from Senator
Christmann, Ms. Witham said the department’s
stakeholders are disappointed with the project delay.
Chairman Robinson asked the department to keep
the committee informed on the status of the project.
Ms. Witham provided a project closeout report for
the department’s electronic benefits transfer
reprocurement project. A copy of the report is on file
in the Legislative Council office. She said the purpose
of the project was to reprocure a vendor to provide
electronic benefits transfer of food stamp benefits.
Information Technology 7 October 20, 2009
She said the project was completed in June 2009
approximately two months earlier than the scheduled
completion date of August 2009. She said the project
was completed under budget with actual expenditures
of $130,278 compared to a project budget of
$320,000.
LEGEND Update
Mr. Jason J. Steckler, Information Technology
Director, Legislative Council, provided information
regarding the status of the LEGEND project. He said
the project is currently 13.4 percent under budget and
2.3 percent ahead of schedule. He said the project
team has completed 3 of 10 payment milestone
points, developed and tested integration points, and
developed a data conversion strategy document and
schedule. He said staff will continue to provide
updates to the Legislative Management and the
interim Information Technology Committee.
At the request of Chairman Robinson, Mr. Steckler
provided information regarding handheld
communications devices for members of the
Legislative Assembly. He said the 2009 Legislative
Assembly appropriated funds for paying a legislator’s
initial connection fee, monthly fees for access to the
state’s BlackBerry server, and monthly data plan fee.
He said legislators are responsible for the cost of
purchasing a handheld communications device and
for the monthly voice plan.
INFORMATION SYSTEM AUDIT
Mr. Donald LaFleur, Audit Manager, Information
Systems Audit Section, State Auditor’s office, provided
information regarding an information system audit of
the Information Technology Department. A copy of
the information presented is on file in the Legislative
Council office. He said the State Auditor’s office
conducts tests of the state’s security processes and
procedures every two years. As part of the current
audit process, he said, a “spear phishing attack” was
launched against state employees on the morning of
October 1, 2009. He said a spear phishing attack is
an e-mail fraud attempt that seeks unauthorized
access to confidential data. He said the attack was
targeted at approximately 530 employees at 14 state
agencies. He said the purpose of the attack was to
determine if employees were vulnerable to an attack
and to test the state’s processes for identifying and
responding to an attack. He said results of the spear
phishing attack and other security tests will be
available at the committee’s next meeting.
LARGE INFORMATION TECHNOLOGY
PROJECT REPORTING
State Department of Health – Disease
Surveillance Management System Project
Mr. Kirby Kruger, State Epidemiologist, State
Department of Health, provided information regarding
the status of the department’s disease surveillance
management system project. A copy of the
information presented is on file in the Legislative
Council office. He said the project consists of the
implementation of a flexible and configurable,
commercial, off-the-shelf electronic disease
surveillance and outbreak management system. He
said the project began in July 2008 with an estimated
completion date of July 2009. He said the project has
been delayed due to the resignation of the project
manager in the fall of 2008 and due to the department
needing to respond to spring flooding and the H1N1
influenza outbreak. He said the department
anticipates the project will be completed by the end of
October 2009.
Workforce Safety and Insurance – Information
Technology Transformation Project
Mr. Bryan Klipfel, Executive Director and CEO,
Workforce Safety and Insurance, provided information
regarding the status of the agency’s information
technology transformation project. A copy of the
information presented is on file in the Legislative
Council office. He said the project has experienced
schedule delays due to delays in completion of
technical specifications and corresponding custom
development. As a result of the delays, he said,
AON–the project vendor–has waived the annual
maintenance fee for the software for the first
12 months after implementation. He said this
represents a value of approximately $500,000. He
said the project management team continues to
monitor schedule variance on a weekly basis and
measure quality following every software delivery.
In response to a question from Senator Robinson,
Mr. Klipfel said the agency’s contract with AON is a
fixed-price contract. He said AON has not
volunteered to assist with the additional project costs
incurred by other related parties due to the delays in
the project schedule.
In response to a question from Representative
Skarphol, Mr. Klipfel said the Legislative Assembly
appropriated $14 million for the information
technology transformation project. Of the $14 million,
he said, $1.5 million is management reserve for the
project.
Representative Skarphol requested information
regarding additional project costs incurred by the
agency due to the project delays. Chairman Robinson
asked Workforce Safety and Insurance to provide this
information to the committee.
Chairman Robinson asked Workforce Safety and
Insurance to keep the committee informed on the
status of the project.
Bank of North Dakota –
Cash Management Project
Ms. Linda Rosen, Bank of North Dakota, provided
a project startup report for the Bank’s cash
management project. A copy of the report is on file in
the Legislative Council office. She said the Bank of
North Dakota is in the process of replacing its current
Information Technology 8 October 20, 2009
online system utilized by its customers with a cash
management system. She said the new system will
allow customers the ability to initiate transactions
online in a secure environment and allow the Bank to
offer additional services for the daily management of
cash positions. She said the estimated cost of the
project is $255,625, and the project is anticipated to
be completed in February 2010.
Department of Public Instruction –
Direct Certification Process Project
Mr. Steve Snow, Director, Management
Information Systems, Department of Public
Instruction, provided a project startup report for the
department’s direct certification project. A copy of the
report is on file in the Legislative Council office. He
said the purpose of the project is to implement a direct
certification process within the department for the
purpose of simplifying the process of providing free
meals at school to low-income children. He said
direct certification identifies children who are eligible
for free meals because their households are approved
for food stamp or temporary assistance for needy
families benefits. School districts can certify these
“categorically eligible” children for the National School
Lunch Program benefits based on information
provided by other agencies and thereby eliminate the
need for households to submit an application for meal
benefits. He said the estimated cost of the project is
$717,178, and the project is anticipated to be
completed in June 2010.
Department of Emergency Services –
Computer-Aided Dispatch System Project
Mr. Mike Lynk, Director, Division of State Radio,
Department of Emergency Services, provided a
project startup report for the department’s computeraided
dispatch system project. A copy of the report is
on file in the Legislative Council office. He said the
Department of Emergency Services’ Division of State
Radio will acquire and implement a computer-aided
dispatch system. He said a computer-aided dispatch
system is a method of dispatching emergency
services assisted by computer. He said the estimated
cost of the project is $1,794,276, and the project is
anticipated to be completed in May 2010. He said the
project is currently approximately 13 percent behind
schedule and approximately 28 percent under budget.
COMMITTEE DISCUSSION AND
STAFF DIRECTIVES
Chairman Robinson said he is concerned with the
delays with the Department of Human Services’
Medicaid management information system
replacement project and Workforce Safety and
Insurance’s information technology transformation
project.
Chairman Robinson said tentatively, the
committee’s next meeting will be in January 2010
followed by a spring meeting in Minot and a summer
meeting in Fargo.
Senator O’Connell asked for information regarding
statewide information technology estimated
expenditures for the 2009-11 biennium. Chairman
Robinson asked the Information Technology
Department and the Legislative Council to provide
information to the committee and Senator O’Connell
on statewide information technology funding identified
in agency information technology plans.
The committee adjourned subject to the call of the
chairman at 2:33 p.m.
___________________________________________
Roxanne Woeste
Assistant Legislative Budget Analyst and Auditor
___________________________________________
Allen H. Knudson
Legislative Budget Analyst and Auditor
ATTACH:1