* From a press release…
Today, Governor-Elect Bruce Rauner’s Transition Committee released its report on the state of Illinois. The committee, chaired by Lieutenant Governor-elect Evelyn Sanguinetti, and co-chaired by 28 of the top business, civic and non-profit leaders in Illinois, has outlined key recommendations to return the state to a position of prominence in the United States.
“The Transition Committee worked extremely hard on this report to ensure it was complete and thorough,” Evelyn Sanguinetti said. “I thank them for their hard work to ensure the administration is properly briefed with recommendations as we move forward. I am looking forward to Monday so we can start to shake up Springfield.”
The report details the challenges that must be overcome, and sets forth recommendations to propel Illinois into the future. Nearly 200 committee members, representing all aspects of the state, assisted the team to figure out how to best move the state forward. They reviewed more than 1,400 pages of policy memos, and interviewed local and national policy experts to come to their conclusions. In addition, they asked the people of Illinois for their recommendations and ideas, generating more than 2,500 responses through the website, MakeIllinoisGreat.com.
“The state of Illinois is in a death spiral and in desperate need of a turnaround. I look forward to reviewing these recommendations to ensure my administration can hit the ground running,” said Bruce Rauner. “I appreciate the hard work from Evelyn and the transition team, and am ready to work with all levels of government, business and civic leaders and residents throughout the state to bring back Illinois.”
* The full report is here. There are, of course, no specific budget recommendations…
As our work on these transition strategies concludes, the work to develop the budget is just beginning. We are not in a position to provide specific recommendations on budgetary solutions, however we want to emphasize that Illinois’ ability to chart a more prosperous course hinges upon our addressing the state’s dismal fiscal condition
* There’s a lot of empty rhetoric…
Setting department-specific goals, establishing transparency around the goals, and holding officials accountable for achieving them.
* In many ways, it looks like one of Rauner’s campaign documents…
Lower the cost of doing business in the state. Illinois should review legislation to ensure its corporate taxes, workers’ compensation rates, and unemployment insurance rates are in line with peer states. Currently, many companies choose to locate just across the border in states with more favorable rates, thereby saving significant sums while still taking advantage of Illinois’ transportation and logistics infrastructure. Lowering Illinois’ workers’ compensation rates, which are a key factor for executives in determining where to locate or expand operations, could support job retention, create new job opportunities, and significantly improve the business climate. Similarly, tort reform in Illinois could improve the legal environment, saving businesses $2.4 billion and creating up to 147,000 new jobs.
And that’s it on that topic.
* The report calls for a new public-private business development agency free of DCEO’s restrictions…
Redundant agencies should be consolidated into a new structure to streamline operations and enable better coordination. In addition, a restructured DCEO should be able to respond rapidly to business requests and, when necessary, raise outside funding. To enable this, consideration should be given to creating a new, public-private entity that would be freed of the restrictions DCEO currently contends with in exchange for meeting specific performance criteria. Several neighboring states, including Indiana, Iowa, and Wisconsin, have adopted this approach and reaped the benefits of a more nimble and responsive economic development arm geared to the needs of business.
* There are some buzz words…
Cultivate ecosystems in advantaged high-growth clusters.
* But we now have our first major hint of how Rauner wants to fund his infrastructure program: the service tax…
The state should optimize the use of existing funding sources and explore comprehensive tax reform proposals such as modernizing the sales tax, which could bring additional investment in infrastructure in general and transit in particular.
* They propose a new “czar”…
To coordinate communication across disparate energy and environmental stakeholders in the government, a senior policy position for energy and environment should be created.
* While desperately needed, I’m not sure where they’re gonna get the cash for this…
Design information technology (IT) systems to facilitate data integration and information sharing. IT platforms, systems, and databases are foundational components of efforts to reform health and human services, so the state should improve data transparency, report generation, and information accuracy to support health and human services programs and their administration. Ongoing efforts should be accelerated, including the Integrated Eligibility System (IES) program and the implementation of the Medicaid Management Information System (MMIS). Progress on the Child Care Management System (CCMS) should be assessed and adjusted as necessary. To facilitate the exchange of information among payers, providers, and the state, Illinois should expand its health information technology (HIT) infrastructure, including HIEs and electronic health records (EHRs). Other IT efforts to enable pay for value, enhance data analytics, and promote data storage and transparency should also be pursued.
* Easier said than done…
Assess areas of funding imbalance and sufficiency, from pre-K through postsecondary, across the entire system, and determine an appropriate formula that rebalances the system
* Good idea, not easy to do…
To reduce recidivism and increase prison safety, the state should embark on a sweeping effort to reform sentencing, ensure correctional supervision is commensurate with an offender’s risk profile, and allocate programming resources to increase positive outcomes.
* Another czar…
Currently, the provision of services to the residents is fragmented and, in many cases, redundant. To increase efficiency, Illinois should appoint a high-profile governmental official to lead efforts to rationalize and consolidate local government.
* Strengthen a current czar…
Illinois’ state CIO should drive a long-term IT strategic plan that is closely aligned with the governor’s priorities. This effort should lay out a unified vision on long-term priorities for investment governance, legacy migration, security, and procurement.
There’s lots more, so go read the whole thing.
- Been There - Friday, Jan 9, 15 @ 12:55 pm:
===There’s lots more, so go read the whole thing.===
No thanks. From what I read in your summary there no specifics anyway. Glad you are around to save us the time. So thanks for that.
- Aldyth - Friday, Jan 9, 15 @ 12:56 pm:
“Death spiral”? There’s an awesome start to a new administration.
- Yellow Dog Democrat - Friday, Jan 9, 15 @ 12:56 pm:
=== Setting department-specific goals, establishing transparency around the goals, and holding officials accountable for achieving them. ===
Apparently unfamiliar with Budgeting for Results.
Well, they aren’t alone really, but still.
- Frenchie Mendoza - Friday, Jan 9, 15 @ 12:59 pm:
All this language — “death spiral”, “far worse than imagined” — seem to be the groundwork for the miraculous transformation which is, of course, the groundwork for the White House.
It’s all very dreary and tiresome.
- Soccermom - Friday, Jan 9, 15 @ 1:09 pm:
First of all — it’s State when you are talking about the government thingy. The State of Illinois is a corporate entity, and you should always capitalize the name of a person.
Second — I believe the Commonwealth of Virginia issued GO bonds to redo its IT infrastructure. Given the age of the State’s present computer systems, I think this definitely counts as a long-term investment…
- And I Approved This Message - Friday, Jan 9, 15 @ 1:13 pm:
I think on their first date Bruce asked Diana if she would like to get together and “cultivate ecosystems in advantaged high-growth clusters” and she fell for him hook, line and sinker. What a way with words.
- PublicServant - Friday, Jan 9, 15 @ 1:15 pm:
Let’s implement that Millionaire’s surtax that the people approved last November before we place all our beans on expanding a regressive tax on sales.
- Oswego Willy - Friday, Jan 9, 15 @ 1:17 pm:
From the Twitters;
@rap30: Incoming #ILGov Rauner transition team report: “We are not in a position to provide specific recommendations on budgetary solutions.”
Yikes.
- Arizona Bob - Friday, Jan 9, 15 @ 1:26 pm:
Regarding the IT upgrade issues, Illinois is coming pretty late to the game. It would seem to make sense to find some state’s system that has a working program and copy it, with the help of the authors of the program.
If we can avoid the “Obamacare” level of mismanagement of the program, it could pay for itself rather quickly.
On workman’s comp and tort reform, how much will MJM dig in his heels and fight it for his trial lawyer buddies?
- VanillaMan - Friday, Jan 9, 15 @ 1:26 pm:
Well they got the “cluster” part right.
- Norseman - Friday, Jan 9, 15 @ 1:27 pm:
I agree with Been There, it’s not worth the time to read it. I never expected that it would. The purpose of the public transition work is to restate the Gov-elects theme that has already been stated in the campaign adding a few things from agency transition papers, such as the IT stuff.
The IT stuff basically reflects existing efforts that are hampered by the resources and staffing to make it work as desired.
Now put this in the library and move on to the real business of government.
- Gee Wiz - Friday, Jan 9, 15 @ 1:29 pm:
Were the cabinet nomination predictions not worth keeping as Illinois contemplates “no place for cronyism” in Illinois?
They don’t appear to be on the on sidebar.
- Concerned - Friday, Jan 9, 15 @ 1:31 pm:
Reads like a typical corporate strategy document. Long on buzz phrases and short on specifics.
My guess is that the result will be lots of pinstripe patronage and less dollars for programs serving the needy. But hey, trickle down! Let’s grab some low hanging fruit and start hitting on all cylinders once we get our headsets tuned.
- PolPal56 - Friday, Jan 9, 15 @ 1:33 pm:
That “mental health” is discussed in a section labeled “behavioral health” is a possible disheartening sign of how the transition committee may view mental illness. Behavioral problems are types of mental health issues, not the other way around.
- Getsold - Friday, Jan 9, 15 @ 1:35 pm:
“To increase efficiency, Illinois should appoint a high-profile governmental official to lead efforts to rationalize and consolidate local government.”
This should go over well.
- VanillaMan - Friday, Jan 9, 15 @ 1:39 pm:
Cultivate ecosystems in advantaged high-growth clusters in a death spiral that rebalances the system and lay out a unified vision on long-term priorities to rationalize and consolidate holding officials accountable for achieving them.
Is that shaking I feel or did someone just unload a nursing home onto an elderly gentleman thinking he just bought computer parts?
- D.P.Gumby - Friday, Jan 9, 15 @ 1:43 pm:
translation: “we have no clue”
- NotRMiller - Friday, Jan 9, 15 @ 1:43 pm:
Can’t wait for that budget address..
- Cassiopeia - Friday, Jan 9, 15 @ 1:49 pm:
Most of the proposed “solutions” have been in the planning stage off and on for the past decade. There is not much here that is new. The problem is that they all take time and cost money which is why they haven’t been done already.
- Yatzi - Friday, Jan 9, 15 @ 1:52 pm:
The IT plan was done three Gov’s ago - then another Gov was going to do another IT plan - the first one was brought out - again never implemented - we do lots of plans - we just don’t implement them - waste of time and money
- Skeptic - Friday, Jan 9, 15 @ 1:54 pm:
“Design information technology (IT) systems to facilitate data integration and information sharing” and “The IT stuff basically reflects existing efforts that are hampered by the resources and staffing to make it work as desired.”
Resources and staffing are the tip of the iceberg. If you’ve ever tried to consolidate two databases — much less the data systems from two separate organizations — your eyes are probably rolling … across the room and down the hallway and down the stairs. It’s a MONUMENTAL (in capitol letters) task.
And speaking of consolidations, remember that CMS that everyone is complaining about? That’s a result of Blago’s attempt at streamlining. Still sounds like a good idea?
- Yatzi - Friday, Jan 9, 15 @ 1:56 pm:
http://www.governing.com/gov-data/public-workforce-salaries
Illinois has one of the smallest per capita work forces in this country
- illinifan - Friday, Jan 9, 15 @ 1:58 pm:
Consolidation…we are still reeling from DHS and CMS happening. You can only consolidate so far before it begins one big messy ball.
- Anyone Remember - Friday, Jan 9, 15 @ 2:00 pm:
Arizona Bob -
“Regarding the IT upgrade issues, Illinois is coming pretty late to the game. It would seem to make sense to find some state’s system that has a working program and copy it, with the help of the authors of the program.”
And if the program is specific to a law different that Illinois’, then what? Change our laws to accommodate the software?
- Frenchie Mendoza - Friday, Jan 9, 15 @ 2:02 pm:
IT also requires bright folks to do the programming and problem solving. There’s a lot of people that figure, hey, government should be more automated. We can reduce headcount by automating!
Well, yeah, but “automation” (or whatever you want to call it) is incredibly complex — and it requires savvy folks to identify and then solve the problems. Moreover, the state is weirdly wedded to Microsoft and Oracle — two huge, huge expenses.
Personally, I’d like to see a push for more open source implementation. CMS wants to use Microsoft Sharepoint for everything — every website, everything. If you’ve used Sharepoint, you know it’s (a) incredibly expensive and (b) incredibly complex.
I’d like to see someone say, “Okay, maybe this website needs to be a plain, static website. We don’t need a database — we just need to serve information.”
Finally, I wish more state projects would end up on GitHub so other IT folks — in-state and out — can benefit from the brainwork of the agency IT folks. I’d love to clone a project from another agency, make updates and improvements, and then put it back on GitHub.
If you say, “GitHub” to anyone at CMS, they’ll give you a blank stare and say, “Well, we’ll charge your agency 500 bucks a months for a sharepoint site.” They wouldn’t know GitHub or Node or Bower from a hole in the ground.
The best web tools now are open sourced, readily available, and mostly free. Let’s see Rauner’s braniac squad wrap their head around that.
- get real - Friday, Jan 9, 15 @ 2:05 pm:
who signs off on an incomplete budget in the first place
- Smitty Irving - Friday, Jan 9, 15 @ 2:05 pm:
Ruh roh! Blaming CMS (there is plenty to blame them for) for delays in hiring State Troopers when that is done by the Merit Board doesn’t bode well for the accuracy and usefulness of this report.
- illinifan - Friday, Jan 9, 15 @ 2:12 pm:
Illinois in 2013 already started a partnership with Michigan to share MMIS. “Illinois will access Michigan’s MMIS as a cloud-based shared service instead of purchasing its own new system. The partnership should help both states to save millions of dollars in implementation and maintenance costs. Representatives from both states believe the shared MMIS will be the first of its kind in the U.S.” So let’s get a fresh idea and not rehash old talking points on MMIS
- 1776 - Friday, Jan 9, 15 @ 2:24 pm:
YDD - How’s that budgeting for results working? I’m not sure that the current year budget reflects it. It’s a great buzzword but an empty promise.
- Wordslinger - Friday, Jan 9, 15 @ 2:30 pm:
So we’re in a death spiral and need to turnaround and hit the ground running.
I think a tax on flacksterical mixed metaphors and purple prose could put a big dent in the revenue shortfall.
- Yatzi - Friday, Jan 9, 15 @ 2:32 pm:
There have been internet systems (really nice) available to Illinois for no cost from the feds - however - the process for approval from CMS is so difficult ot could not be done as a system - one of the prices to be paid for “consolidation” - the system is so far removed from the user as to become useless - the IT plan developed a while back involved key stake holders - full time for almost 5 months - plus hearings - never implemented
- Name Withheld - Friday, Jan 9, 15 @ 2:33 pm:
Not sure how you serve information without a database. Otherwise all you have are just static web pages, which are a bear to maintain whenever you want to update a page, schedule a page for update, rollback an update, or otherwise have any sort of managed control over your website that doesn’t require opening a web-page designer.
The biggest challenge to implementing IT, frankly, isn’t money or manpower - it’s mindset. There are some darn good canned packages out there that do a crapload of stuff and can make processes far more efficient. The problem is when people try to take their old, outmoded ways of doing things and shoehorn them into the new software. It’s like buying a new suit, and then complaining that the new suit stinks when you didn’t take a shower. I’ve seen more IT initiatives fail because a brand new wonder-app was built and then people kept trying to do things the old way.
If order for IT initiative of this scale to have success, there will have to be a very substantial willingness to re-examine past ‘truths’ and ways of doing things. Something akin to a forensic policy/procedure audit - where every policy is deemed to be questionable and each step needs to be examined and justified as necessary. Tall order in any sphere of operation - government or business.
- Anyone Remember - Friday, Jan 9, 15 @ 2:35 pm:
Yatzi -
“There have been internet systems (really nice) available to Illinois for no cost from the feds ”
Such as? Documentation?
- Anyone Remember - Friday, Jan 9, 15 @ 2:36 pm:
Name Withheld
“where every policy is deemed to be questionable and each step needs to be examined and justified as necessary.”
Many of those are directly tied to state statutes.
- Frenchie Mendoza - Friday, Jan 9, 15 @ 2:38 pm:
—
Otherwise all you have are just static web pages, which are a bear to maintain whenever you want to update a page, schedule a page for update, rollback an update, or otherwise have any sort of managed control over your website that doesn’t require opening a web-page designer.
—
Assemble.io, Bootstrap, and json. That’s all you need for a good chunk of the state’s agency webpages. That’s it. No Oracle, no SQL Server. If you need a database, there’s MySQL. There — I just saved the state a half million bucks.
I’m kidding but not really.
No need for all the overhead of databases when you don’t actually *need* a database. That’s a new mindset. Developers are coming around — have been for several years — but it’s the manager’s that need updating now.
- Frenchie Mendoza - Friday, Jan 9, 15 @ 2:40 pm:
BTW — you use a task runner like Grunt or Gulp to build, maintain the code on GitHub, and you’ve got an open sourced, transparent, and scalable build process.
This is not how CMS thinks, BTW. This is how the IT folks *within agencies* think. CMS — and Rauner — should take note.
- Name Withheld - Friday, Jan 9, 15 @ 2:48 pm:
—Many of those are directly tied to state statutes.–
Yes - if a policy is directly tied to a statute - we could probably make a safe assumption that it’s justified and necessary. Which is different from saying that the policy is implemented in the most efficient manner, but whatever. My point is that mindset and inertia (the way we’ve always done it) play a large part in things.
- Going nuclear - Friday, Jan 9, 15 @ 2:49 pm:
Creating a senior environmental/energy policy position is a good idea and was common in past Republican administrations. Karen Witter who advised former Governor Thompson on environmental and natural resource matters, in addition to coordinating sub-cabinet level activities, was very good at this job. On the other hand, I was disappointed to see no recommendations for consolidating some of the environmental and energy programs in state government.
- Yellow Dog Democrat - Friday, Jan 9, 15 @ 3:06 pm:
1776:
Aligning appropriations with performance-based priorities is the last step, but that is ultimately the responsibility of the General Assembly.
Measurable goals were set for the current fiscal year, so now folks can be held accountable.
I suppose you could say that they are already being held accountable.
- A Little S&T - Friday, Jan 9, 15 @ 3:27 pm:
Re: “Cultivate ecosystems in advantaged high-growth clusters.”
There’s literally a roadmap for that: http://www.illinoisinnovation.com/science-technology-roadmap
So, buzzword, yes, but it’s also got some roots in real ideas.
- anon - Friday, Jan 9, 15 @ 3:29 pm:
If new service taxes are going to fund infrastructure, then what will fill the $4B drop in revenues to fund core state services? Nada?
- Rich Miller - Friday, Jan 9, 15 @ 3:35 pm:
=== Nada?===
That’s what I’m betting. At least for February.
- Flash of brilliance - Friday, Jan 9, 15 @ 3:46 pm:
Oh how I wish this blog had a facebook-like thumbs up/thumbs down function for comments. There’s some good stuff here, especially for a Friday afternoon.
- Norseman - Friday, Jan 9, 15 @ 3:48 pm:
YDD, with all all due respect, the only ones being held accountable are the staff responsible for filling out the paperwork. I would love to see the performance management process work, but it’s going to take more leadership. There have been goals and objectives set by state agencies for decades and I’m not aware of any significant funding decisions made for failure to make the goals and objectives.
If Rauner is serious about performance management, we’ll see budget recommendations that reflect some negative consequence or change when program don’t meet performance measures. Then we’ll see if the legislature accepts that poor performing programs need to be defunded.
I really don’t think the leadership exists in the executive AND legislative branches of government to make this more than a paper exercise that will only offer up small low-hanging fruit to demonstrate the success of the process.
- Skeptic - Friday, Jan 9, 15 @ 3:52 pm:
“No need for all the overhead of databases when you don’t actually *need* a database” Not to get all technical in a political blog, but ASP and ASPX don’t require a database either. In fact, I’d bet you’d find very few non-Sharepoint apps use a database where one isn’t needed.
MySQL was bought by Oracle who is trying to kill it. And compared to SQL Server, it’s 10x slower. It has other problems too that I won’t go into.
“There are some darn good canned packages out there that do a crapload of stuff and can make processes far more efficient.” Yes, it *can*, but jamming a job to fit software can just as easily be a disaster. Been there. The thing is, a “process” might be in one small part of one agency. And buying that canned software would have absolutely no value to any other agency, so really, what have you saved?
- crazybleedingheart - Friday, Jan 9, 15 @ 4:00 pm:
Death spiral sets an appropriate bar. If any of us are still alive in 4 years: SUCCESS!