From the Empire State to the portal gate

User friendly. Government without walls. Those are the types of phrases being used by the governor to promote the redesign of New York’s state government home page.

The new “portal page” is designed to provide better access to government information and services on the Internet, according to a news release from American Management Systems (AMS), which collaborated with the N.Y. State Office of Technology to implement the page. The project is said to deliver on Gov. George E. Pataki’s commitment to “Government Without Walls”--a more accessible, less intrusive government that is available to anyone, anytime, anywhere, according to AMS.

Unveiling the redesign in March, Pataki said, “Our state is committed to taking full advantage of new technologies and the boundless opportunities provided by the Internet to make our government more accessible and responsive to the needs of New Yorkers. [This] announcement shows that our administration is fully embracing the era of e-commerce/e-government, and demonstrates our commitment to providing state services and transactions more effectively and efficiently.”

Citizens can use the site to re-register motor vehicles, order custom license plates, file state income taxes, obtain environmental permits and apply for higher education tuition assistance. They also can order Empire Passports to state parks and recreational facilities, E-ZPass accounts and more.

A new Web banner contains several entryways to government information, services and transactions including:

• "Governor Pataki," which brings users to the Governor's Home Page where they can, for example, e-mail the governor or read about previous governors.

• "e-bizNYS," which is a doorway for doing business in and with the state. It enables businesses and citizens to gain access to online state transactions and downloadable business forms.

• "Map-NY,” which is the gateway to locating government information, services and transactions geographically.

• "Citizen Guide,” which is where citizens locate government-related information, find the answers to their most frequently asked questions and access online government services.

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