The laptops and an updated, faster computer system should be in place at their desks in the House and Senate when they start the spring session.

The $5 million project will give lawmakers instantaneous access to bill-making information.

The NEC laptop computers with color monitors and touch screens will allow legislators to review bills, amendments and bill analyses on the screen instead of wading through mounds of paper.

Beyond faster access to information on pending bills, legislators argued it was time to update the computer system. "As our membership gets younger, a number of them are computer literate, and they wanted to see our system improved," says Patty Schuh, spokeswoman for the Senate Republicans.

Illinois' new system, which will contain copies of all bills introduced during the session, will have specially designed software.

The state contracted with Pythia Corp. of Indianapolis, Ind., for $1.1 million to help design and implement the software. The new system will link the Legislative Reference Bureau, Legislative Information System and the legislative chambers, says Schuh.

Central Management Services, which is coordinating the purchase and installation of the computers, has allocated $3.5 million out of this year's budget for the project, according to Judy Pardonnet, spokeswoman for the agency.

Pardonnet says the total cost of updating the legislature's computer system will be $5 million. The legislature will reimburse CMS for half of that cost from existing appropriations.

Though, as Schuh says, many lawmakers will already know how to use the system, many still aren't computer literate. So, for those wary of the newfangled technology, paper copies of documents will still be available. 

Beverley Scobell

Saving more paper...
Local governments and the state comptroller's office could save time and money using a computerized version of the required Annual Financial Report.

According to the comptroller's office, for an investment of $6, 000 in software, the state could realize savings of more than $43, 000 with the new Express Filing system.

In place of a paper report, local governments will compile all required information on a computer diskette. The diskette contains the annual financial report in computerized form with easily understood instructions.

Users, whatever their computer knowledge, only have to slip in the disk, turn on the computer, fill in the blanks, save a copy on their own machines and mail the disk to the comptroller's office. 

4 / November 1995/ Illinois Issues