Archive

Appendix D

History of the
National Partnership for Reinventing Government
Reinvention Websites
1993-2001

National Partnership for Reinventing Government
NPR's site, opened in 1993, is targeted to reinventors and their partners, but it reaches students, researchers, the general public, and international visitors. NPR posts all official reinvention documents, including vision, strategy, reports, news releases, and many speeches. Updated almost daily, it features all major NPR initiatives, such as High Impact Agencies, Electronic Government, Hassle-Free Communities, Conversations with America, Reinventing Regulations, Plain Language, Hammer Awards, Reinvention Labs, and many more. The site features a reinvention calendar, tools and resources, and reinvention news, including agency news and activities.

The Government Printing Office's Federal Depository Library Program and its partner, the Government Documents Department, University of North Texas Libraries, will archive this and several other reinvention websites below as they appear in late January 2001.

Reinventing Government (REGO)
REGO is an e-zine that tells stories about the impact of reinvention on the lives of individual people. REGO has a wide range of features, including stories of medical advances, improvements in fighting crime, interviews, and more. Highlighting the successes of reinvention in this fashion helps to give it a human face, taking it out of the realm of abstraction and showing its importance in a tangible way. It was launched in September 1999 as the NPR's 1999 annual report and was updated several times during 2000 to highlight the reinvention contributions of federal employees throughout government. (To be archived. See above.)

FinanceNet
Since 1994, this site has been the home for public financial management worldwide. FinanceNet reaches across geopolitical boundaries to link government financial management administrators, educators and taxpayers worldwide. Its purpose is to catalyze continuous improvements in the productivity of government personnel and in the stewardship and accountability for taxpayer resources. It has many interesting features. For example, it's a one-stop for the sale or auction of public assets and surplus property from federal, state, or local government or international sources. FinanceNet is operated by the National Science Foundation and sponsored by the U.S. Chief Financial Officers Council.

Budget Net
BudgetNet is a networking resource for professionals interested in governmental budgeting and the policy, program, economic, financial, and managerial issues associated with reinvention. BudgetNet was initiated by NPR in 1994 and is hosted by its sister network, FinanceNet, above.

Acquisitions Reform Network (ARNET)
This site, launched in 1993, supplies information across agency lines and provides an electronic forum so a network of procurement professionals can discuss issues. This electronic tool played a key role in government-wide procurement reform.

Reinvention Lab /Waiver Clearinghouse.
This site, hosted by the Alliance for Redesigning Government at the National Academy of Public Administration, includes a database of all labs and waivers. It also provides a means for reinventors to share information and tools, including practices and policies by which reinventors get waivers to deviate from internal agency policies and procedures so they can improve internal operations.

The Business Advisor
This site was NPR' first interagency website targeted toward a specific customer group. NPR developed it in 1995 with partners from government and the private sector. It became the prototype for the customer-focused sites developed to implement the recommendations of Vice President Gore's 1997 report, Access America. The site is administered by the Small Business Administration.

US State and Local Gateway
NPR worked with 17 agencies and seven associations to open the site in 1998. This site provides federal information that state and local government employees over the country need to do their jobs. The Department of Housing and Urban Development hosts the site and serves as the lead agency.

Plain Language
This one-stop site, initiated in 1998, helps federal agencies implement the government-wide Plain Language initiative. The site includes the President's Executive Order, the Vice President's No Gobbledygook Awards, samples, tools, tips, and other aids for federal workers who are writing and re-writing government regulations and other documents so people can understand them.

Access America E-Gov E-zine (formerly Access America Online Magazine)
Delivering services electronically and using IT to improve government productivity is the vision of the Vice President's 1997 report, "Access America: Reengineering Through Information Technology." This site, begun in 1998, features electronic stories about electronic government. A new issue is published every Monday, featuring federal, state and local government IT innovations. It has a free subscription service that alerts subscribers to the new weekly headlines. The site is administered by an interagency team and sponsored by the former Government Information Technology Services Board (GITSB) and the Federal Chief Information Officers Council. Co-sponsors are NPR and the Federal Communicators Network. (GPO will archive the site as it appears in late January 2001, but the content will convert to an e-zine for FirstGov.gov, a governmentwide portal and search engine launched in 2000.)

Access America for Seniors
NPR worked with the Social Security Administration and many other agencies and organizations to open a comprehensive one-stop site for seniors in 1999. On this site, which features a rapidly growing free subscription service, seniors can get information and services related to their needs and issues they care about--benefits, health care, veterans, nutrition, taxes, and volunteer opportunities, among other topics. In late 2000, it was the first Access America site to adopt the FirstGov brand.

Access America for Students
NPR worked with the Department of Education, selected colleges and other agencies and organizations to launch a one-stop demonstration site for students in 1999. College students serve as advisors to determine the online services and information on this site. The site features information on scholarships, grants, managing finances, selecting courses, recreation, travel, and more. In early 2001, it adopted the FirstGov brand.

Access America for People with DisAbilities
This site, launched July 24, 2001, by the Presidential Task Force on Employment of Adults with Disabilities and the Labor Department, consolidates information needed for employment of people with disabilities and employers. It assembles information from many federal programs, services, and resources specifically for Americans with disabilities, their families, and businesses who employ people with disabilities. DisAbility.gov also highlights current events of general interest, especially with the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) and includes success stories, information about employment trends, and identifies emerging opportunities for people with disabilities in the public and private sector.

Access America for Exporters
The Small Business Administration, NPR, and an interagency team developed this sophisticated portal. It takes the U.S. exporter, particularly the small and medium- sized enterprise, to a wealth of information, services, and contacts from both government and industry. Launched in 1999, but still a work-in-progress, the site seeks feedback from its customers to improve its content and functionality. The site features a range of information and services ranging from tailored links in “getting started” in exporting to local export contacts searchable by zip code, trade finance information. It also has searchable international business opportunities or trade leads, export answers accessible by keyword search, and an export library with scores of export promotion links. TradeNet also allows the user to create a personalized page called My TradeNet that is updated dynamically.

Transforming Governments in the 21st Century
In 1999, NPR worked with the United States Information Agency to convene the Vice President's Global Conference on Reinventing Government and to open its attendant website. The site shares reinvention documents and tools from that conference and from governments around the world. GPO will archive this site.

21st Century Skills Network
This dynamic, database-driven site supports the 21st Century Skills Network Project developed by NPR, the Department of Education and community partners. The resources and shared projects help communities that are working to close the skill gap and support lifelong learning.

21st Century Skills
NPR and the Labor Department created this site and its collaborative workspace to support 1000 satellite downlink locations for Vice President Gore's National Summit On 21st Century Skills for 21st Century Jobs in 1999.

Workers.gov
This interagency site developed by NPR and the Department of Labor, connects American workers and their families to government services and information. The site offers not only employment resources but also links to other areas of interest to American workers such as learning, families and health, transportation and housing, money management, rights and protections, disabilities resources, citizenship, and recreation and travel.

Recreation.gov
This interagency site, specifically created at the request of Vice President Gore, is a one-stop information center for recreational opportunities on federal lands such as boating, biking, camping, fishing, and hiking. The site pools information from several federal agencies, including the National Park Service, National Forest Service, Army Corps of Engineers, and the Bureau of Land Management.

Boost4kids
This dynamic database-driven site, developed by NPR and now administered by the Health Resources and Services Administration, is for local, state, and national partners working together to get results that matter to children and families. The B4kids network includes over 75 communities nationwide. Features include a link that allows parents to download State Child Health Insurance Program (SCHIP) applications for all 50 states.

SafeCities.gov
This project is a joint effort of NPR and the Department of Justice in collaboration with local, state, and national partners working to reduce gun violence in communities. The SafeCities website is a dynamic, database-driven website that provides tools and links to the SafeCities network of communities, public safety resources, crime maps and statistics, and data sources.

Afterschool Resources
This dynamic, database-driven site connects parents, teachers, childcare-givers, and kids to federal resources and activities for youth of all ages. It includes a database of more than 100 grant and loan programs; community success stories and opportunities to network; government guides, reports, and links to publications; safe, fun websites for kids and teens; and a host of other resources that support children and youth during afterschool hours.

America's Teens
This is a database-driven website for teens developed by GSA and NPR. Its dynamic format makes information on Learning for Teens, Teen Issues, and Exploring the Internet appealing as well as useful.

E-Government Success Stories (CIO)
NPR developed this dynamic, database-driven website in response to President Clinton's December 17, 1999 Memorandum directing the heads of executive departments and agencies to take specific actions to further the development of an electronic e-government to meet the needs of its citizens. One item called for identifying and adopting “best practices” implemented by leading public and private sector organizations. Currently, there are 204 records (i.e., best practices or success stories) in the database representing e-government sites/applications at the federal, state, and local levels.

Federal Geographic Data Committee
The Vice President supported the use of geographic information systems (GIS) technologies and encouraged increased public access and sharing of geographic data to put more control, more information, more decision-making power into the hands of families, communities, and regions. The Federal Geographic Data Committee, spurred by NPR, coordinates the development of the National Spatial Data Infrastructure (NSDI). The NSDI encompasses policies, standards, and procedures for organizations to cooperatively produce and share geographic data. The 17 federal agencies that make up the FGDC are developing the NSDI in cooperation with organizations from state, local and tribal governments, the academic community, and the private sector. For NPR involvement and support, visit http://www.npr.gov/initiati/linkinginfo.html.

Welfare-to-Work
This webpage, administered by the U.S. Office of Personnel Management, features the achievements of federal agencies in hiring welfare recipients. In March 1997, the federal government committed to hiring 10,000 welfare recipients by the year 2000. As of February 2000, the government achieved 165 percent of that goal hiring more than 17,500 people off welfare rolls. Recent OPM data shows that Welfare-to-Work hires get off welfare rolls and stay off welfare rolls. This site includes historical information on this major initiative, as well as links to government-wide and individual agency reports of accomplishments.

Family Reunion
The Family Re-Union web site, hosted by the University of Minnesota, is a collection of reports, speeches, and resources from the annual Family Reunion conferences moderated by Vice President Gore and Mrs. Gore. This initiative provides those who make policy at the federal, state and local levels an opportunity to learn from the experiences of families and those who work with them.

Government-wide Employee Surveys
This joint NPR and Office of Personnel Management initiative surveyed random samples of federal employees is to show the importance of employee satisfaction in achieving agency missions and customers satisfaction. This site, hosted by OPM, includes the results of the three government-wide employee surveys conducted in 1998, 1999, and 2000, as well as reports on agency improvement plans and accomplishments.

Customer Service
This site, developed by NPR and the Federal Consulting Group, is the federal government's official customer service site. It includes information on what the government has done, and will continue to do, to improve customer service throughout the government.

Federal Communicators Network
This site, hosted by Department of the Treasury, is the homepage of the Federal Communicators Network, a voluntary group formed by NPR in 1996. It now has more than 800 members involved in disseminating information within and outside the government. The site includes useful communication resources, including the Communicators Handbook, reports of conferences and events, a calendar of communication events, and links to help communicators learn from each other.

Government Services
The Denver Federal Executive Board started a project to reinvent government blue pages - organizing government services by familiar topics, not agency names. NPR and the General Services Administration made this a national effort. Today, GSA provides this website linking the public to a wide variety of federal government services. Like the reinvented hardcopy blue pages, services are listed functionally. If you're looking for “tax help,” you'll find it under “I” (IRS) and under “T” (taxes). Listings include agency names, Internet listings, toll-free telephone numbers, and special program telephone numbers.

FirstGov
On June 24, 2000, in a web cast address to the nation, President Clinton announced a plan to create FirstGov a single Internet portal connecting users to all government sites. The President challenged government and industry to create a site that allows citizens to find every online resource offered by the federal government at one easy-to-use location, and to search government information faster and more efficiently than ever before and by topic rather than by agency. He also challenged government and industry to finish it within 90 days. FirstGov launched on schedule in September 2000.

FirstGov is a project of the President's Management Council. Administered by the General Services Administration, it introduces a single point-of-entry to one of the largest and most useful collection of webpages in the world. It allows users to search all 27 million federal agency web pages at one time. The FirstGov search engine can search half a billion documents in less than one-quarter of a second. To speed searches, FirstGov allows citizens to find information intuitively -- by subject or by keyword.