Exporting to the 21st Century
October 25, 1998--Believe it or not, in this age of computers, most American exporters and their agents complete a federally-required "Shipper's Export Declaration" (SED) by hand. The SED is then hand-delivered by messenger to the cargo carrier and then to the U.S. Customs Service. Sounds like 19th Century technology to us! The U.S. Customs Service and the Foreign Trade Division of the Census Bureau have developed a free, voluntary, electronic filing program they hope will make exporters jump to join.

The Census Is Coming, the Census Is Coming
October 25, 1998--We're not talking the Census Bureau counting people, we're talking the Agricultural Research Service counting bugs. We are not making this up. ARS scientists in Gainsville, Florida, have developed a high-tech system that finds and counts hungry rice weevils, sawtoothed grain beetles, and other insects that feast on commercially-stored food products. Pinpointing the pests will help companies zap these gluttonous invaders. You'll find more stories like this from the Agricultural Research Magazine. It's one of the best government online magazines we've found.

VA Patients Get Face-to-Face Service Across the Miles
October 2, 1998--Psychiatrist John Lehrmann has face-to-face sessions with veterans seeking mental health therapy served by Iron Mountain's Veterans Affairs Medical Center in Michigan's Upper Peninsula. However, doctor and patient aren't in the same room. They aren't even in the same state.

Treasury Proposes a Single "Electronic Face" for Government to Collect Trade Data
Attention, importers, exporters, brokers, carriers, and others associated with international trade transactions. The Department of the Treasury has announced a draft report and a public meeting on an interagency Trade Data System. You can find out more about the meeting and access the draft report at http://www.itds.treas.gov.

The briefing is set for Thursday, November 5 at 9 a.m. in the Commerce Auditorium at 14th and Constitution Ave., NW, Washington, DC. If you want to attend to present your views, you must call (202) 216-2760 or send an e-mail from the web site by October. 21. If you just want to attend, your deadline to respond is November 2. And here's another deadline. If you want to comment on the proposal but don't want to go to the briefing, you have until November 12 to get your comments in. Send your written comments to the Department of the Treasury, International Trade Data System Project Office, 1300 Pennsylvania Avenue, NW, Suite 4000, Washington, D.C. 20229, or by e-mail at: ITDS@usa.net.

It's Time for Innovative Government Programs to Apply for Prestigious Award
Applications for the Innovations in American Government Award program are due January 8, 1999. Many winners of the annual cash awards are innovative information technology successes by state, local, and federal government programs that can be replicated by others.