from: Branson Agent [1]

Gov. Blunt Honored as Technology Statesman of the Year

Missouri Governor's Office Press Release

ST. LOUIS - Gov. Matt Blunt today was honored by the Missouri Enterprise Technology Association as the Technology Statesman of the Year.

"One of the commitments I made when I ran for governor was to create efficiencies in state government by putting Missouri on the cutting-edge of technology," Blunt said. "In health care, I want Missourians to benefit from the most technologically advanced systems of care. In communications, I want Missourians to benefit from the most robust competition possible, competition that includes video cable. In education, I want to provide our students with the tools they need to succeed in the Math, Engineering, Technology and Science based careers of the future."

Earlier this year, Gov. Blunt signed an executive order creating the Rural High-Speed Internet Access Task Force that will identify opportunities to increase access to technology across the state. The governor also created the Missouri Healthcare Information Technology Task Force in 2006 to help ensure that health care information can be readily available to health care providers, consumers, and public health agencies in order to make the best health care decisions and to improve patient safety by reducing medical errors.

Legislation he signed this year is bringing needed competition to Missouri's cable television industry that is resulting in new jobs and new investments in technology. The legislation enacts a statewide cable franchise agreement to promote lower prices and expanded options through increased competition for Missouri cable consumers. The legislation streamlines the process for new cable providers to enter Missouri markets. Companies may now work directly with the Missouri Public Service Commission to enter several local markets at one time without going through each individual city as required by the old state laws.

Governor Blunt also launched the Missouri Accountability Portal (MAP), one of the first comprehensive databases of financial records based on real-time data in the nation. The MAP site is updated at the close of each business day to provide up-to-date access to information about state spending over the Internet. Users can search the MAP site by budget category, vendor or contract. Links to other public information maintained by the state are also available on the MAP site. The MAP expenditure site has also been enhanced to allow Missourians to review state expenditures by state agency and information regarding tax credits administered by the Missouri Department of Economic Development since tax credit application year 2000. Blunt encourages all Missourians to visit the MAP site at http://mapyourtaxes.mo.gov.
In February of this year, Gov. Blunt and Secretary of State Carnahan launched the Missouri Business Portal. The Missouri Business Portal is a one-stop-shop that connects small business owners with state government resources to help them start their business and maintain reporting requirements with state government. The portal is organized into four categories: Research, Register, Maintain, and Resources. To access the Missouri Business Portal visit http://www.business.mo.gov.

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