Secretary of State Kate Brown recently sponsored a Design Lab for Special Education in Oregon, aimed at creating breakthrough ideas for the future of that system. Over seventy stakeholders met to identify desired outcomes, and then a team of twelve people used those goals to craft proposals to transform Special Education. The original stakeholders were then given the opportunity to provide input and commentary on the ideas, resulting in the attached report that we hope will be part of the conversation and deliberations of the new Oregon Education Investment Board. Click here to read the report.
Tag Archive for '2011'
SALEM – Secretary of State Kate Brown announced today that Oregon flags are now available for Oregon soldiers serving overseas.
“I believe it is important to express our gratitude to our service men and women for their commitment, dedication and sacrifice,” said Secretary of State Kate Brown. “That is why State Senator Betsy Johnson, State Representative Sal Esquivel and I have revived the Secretary of State’s Flag Fund with the assistance of generous private donations.”
This flag program is near and dear to Representative Esquivel’s heart. While serving in Vietnam 40 years ago, he wrote a letter to then-Secretary of State Clay Myers requesting an Oregon flag, which was funded by then-State Representative Sam Johnson from Redmond, Oregon, whose daughter State Senator Betsy Johnson now serves in the Oregon Legislature. Senator Johnson is 100 percent committed to the Secretary of State’s Flag Fund, has made a generous contribution and is actively seeking funds.
State Representative Sal Esquivel said he will never forget the day he received that flag that arrived with a letter from Myers thanking him for his service. This memory will remain with him forever and he would like to give others serving in the armed forces the same unforgettable experience.
Secretary Brown agrees. “At a time when our nation continues to deploy troops overseas, I believe it is important to show support for these men and women in any way we can. Sending them a piece of home is a small token of our appreciation and gratitude.”
In 1969, the Oregon Legislature gave the Secretary of State authority to provide Oregon State flags to Oregonians serving abroad in the armed forces. Although multiple requests were submitted by soldiers and families between 2007 and 2011, they went unfulfilled because the legislature has not been able to allocate resources to the State Flag Fund program for many years.
The average cost of each flag is approximately $30 dollars. Donations to the Secretary of State Flag Fund can be sent to Secretary of State’s Office, c/o Flag Fund, Business Services Division, 255 Capitol Street NE, Salem Oregon 97310 or by calling 503-986-2204.
For more information, please contact:
Gina Mattioda
Director of Communications
gina.mattioda@state.or.us
503-986-2368
Oregon Secretary of State Announces Public-Private Partnership
Aimed at Creating Jobs and Preserving Oregon’s History
SALEM, OR. – Secretary of State Kate Brown and Chaves Consulting, Inc. (CCI) have formed a unique public-private partnership to offer state and local government agencies Oregon’s Electronic Management Solution (ORMS) to save time and money, and create jobs in Eastern Oregon.
ORMS is powered by HP TRIM software, a robust, cost-effective, enterprise records management solution, which can manage the state’s public records whether they are electronic, paper or any other number of formats. ORMS allows the public to more easily access government records using a public interface or web portal.
CCI, headquartered in Baker City, Oregon, will use HP TRIM software to provide an innovative SaaS (Software as a Service) model, which will involve charging a decreasing monthly cost per user with no upfront investment required by users. CCI will supply the hardware, software, and services as part of the SaaS model. As managing General Partner of the state-of-the-art Synergy Data Center (www.synergydcs.com), CCI will utilize Synergy as the repository for the ORMS data.
“As keeper of Oregon’s history, it is crucial our agency has a reliable system in which to store public records,” said Secretary of State Kate Brown. “By partnering with Chaves Consulting and using HP TRIM software, we have a win-win for all Oregonians. It allows my office to build a cost-effective way of managing information, increasing transparency, and creating jobs.”
Through this project, all state and local government agencies will have access to a current technology records management solution. The pilot phase in addition to the Secretary of State’s Office includes: Oregon Department of Energy, Oregon Department of Human Services’ Children, Adult, and Families Division, Public Utility Commission, Tualatin Hills Parks and Recreation District, and the cities of Beaverton, Milwaukie, and West Linn.
CCI President Richard Chaves said, “The partnership formed between the Secretary of State’s Office, CCI, and the use of HP TRIM software represents a willingness by all parties to work together to develop a solution that will greatly benefit the State of Oregon. It also supports CCI and the Secretary of State’s vision to positively impact economic development in rural Oregon.”
“The State of Oregon is taking an innovative approach with its shared services model, so it can centrally manage state agency records,” said June Manley, worldwide director of product marketing, Information Management, Software, HP. “HP is providing an advanced information management solution that improves transparency, business process efficiency and employee productivity.”
For more information, please contact:
Gina Mattioda
Director of Communications
gina.mattioda@state.or.us
503-986-2368
Secretary of State recommends better contracting procedures for the Department of Energy
SALEM – A state audit released on Thursday found that the Oregon Department of Energy should strengthen its contracting procedures and take other actions to improve its business processes.
Since 2009 the Department of Energy has experienced substantial growth and change, with a new management team and a $70 million budget increase, largely resulting from the federal American Recovery and Reinvestment Act. In February 2010, Interim Department Director Mark Long requested the Secretary of State audit three areas: contracting and procurement, accounts payable and receivable, and information security.
The auditors concluded that the department needed to improve its contractor selection, its sponsorship decisions, energy supplier assessment data monitoring, accounts receivable collection, and electronic information security. A contracting issue identified during the audit prompted an investigation by the Department of Justice, and other legal actions, which prevented the release of the audit report until June 16.
Auditors found the department’s contractor selection procedures could better ensure impartiality, some contract deliverable requirements lacked specificity, and selection decisions needed better documentation. Similarly, auditors found that decisions to sponsor energy-related conferences and organizations were lacking in documentation. The department spent $157,500 from fiscal year 2008 through fiscal year 2010 to sponsor 63 efforts, but auditors found no evaluations of benefits relative to costs, or procedures for determining which efforts to sponsor.
“It’s a fundamental necessity if we are going to make government more effective and efficient that state agencies ensure best practices in contracting, sponsorships, and accounting are used,” said Secretary of State Kate Brown.
The audit report including the agency response can be found at www.sos.state.or.us/audits
For more information, please contact:
Gina Mattioda
Director of Communications
gina.mattioda@state.or.us
503-986-2368
Audit provides assurances about new Medicaid computer system
Operates as intended, but some clean up is still needed
SALEM – An audit report issued on Thursday concluded that Oregon’s major new computer system that processes Medicaid payments is operating as intended. The Medicaid Management Information System (MMIS) used by the Department of Human Services (DHS) has adequate checks over the accuracy of the payment calculations, the data is protected, and programming changes are well-managed. About 530,000 Oregonians depended upon the Medicaid payment system, which paid approximately $2.6 billion to medical providers in fiscal year 2010.
“This is an important element of our Medicaid system and the upgrade was a multi-year effort by DHS,” said Secretary of State Kate Brown. “We are pleased to see it functioning as it should.”
While the audit found that the MMIS was currently operating as intended, problems during startup caused some over- and under-payments to health care providers. In total, these errors represented less than one percent of Medicaid payments processed through the system. The audit recommended that DHS resolve these matters. In addition, some minor security issues were reported to the agency in a confidential letter.
“Because of the Oregon Health Plan the MMIS has unique design features, while also ensuring that providers are not paid more than permitted,” said Audits Director Gary Blackmer. “For example, the software performs 800 edits and audits on transactions, which we checked for appropriateness.”
The audit report including the agency response can be found at www.sos.state.or.us/audits
For more information, please contact:
Gina Mattioda
Director of Communications
gina.mattioda@state.or.us
503-986-2368
Statement from Secretary of State Kate Brown on the Legislative Redistricting Agreement
SALEM – I applaud the work done by the four lead negotiators on the legislative redistricting plan.
I have said from the beginning that the diverse, unique, and knowledgeable perspectives of the 90 legislators, augmented by considerable public input, could produce a sound and reasonable plan. Having these varied voices at the table is better for Oregonians than one person drawing a map, no matter how much public involvement is included.
I will closely watch this proposed agreement play out through the process and continue to encourage the legislature to meet their constitutional obligation to redraw legislative and congressional districts. If the votes are there, this legislature could do what hasn’t been done in decades.
If both chambers pass the bill and the Governor signs it, Oregonians will have been well- served and I offer my congratulations to the countless members of the public who provided testimony and to the legislators who made this potential agreement possible. This is an accomplishment each legislator should be proud of – a job well done.
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For more information, please contact:
Gina Mattioda
Director of Communications
gina.mattioda@state.or.us
503-986-2368
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