Secretary of State's office will remain open regardless of budgetary woes
Article provided
Indiana Secretary of State Todd Rokita announced Sunday that if Indiana lawmakers are unable to pass a budget before this week’s deadline, the resulting state government shutdown will not adversely affect the services currently provided by his office.
Secretary Rokita and his staff have volunteered to man a skeleton crew to keep office services available to Hoosiers. Because of the 21st Century business model implemented by Secretary Rokita and his administration, only a small number of volunteers will be needed on a temporary basis to maintain the innovative and largely automated web-based services provided by the Secretary of State’s office.
“Government might shut down, but Indiana business won’t. We will work to make certain that Hoosiers will still be able to interact with our office,” said Secretary Rokita. “A government shutdown will be a real problem for many Indiana businesses, but with our user-friendly online services and capable staff, our office is part of the solution.”
Few places in government are as prepared as the Secretary of State’s office to handle a potential shutdown. Secretary Rokita has made the following services available 24/7 through his web site, www.in.gov/sos.
The one piece of the budget there should be no dispute about is the Secretary of State’s budget. Offering online services is just one of the latest efforts to increase government efficiency that is allowing Secretary Rokita to operate his division on the same budget, unadjusted for inflation, as that of the secretary of state in 1987.
In fact, Secretary Rokita states that he requested 2.3 percent less in his current two-year budget request than was appropriated for his office for fiscal years 2008 and 2009. The office also has been able to reduce costs through increased efficiency and use of new technology.
“Unreliability of government services and the cost of government, primarily taxes, are two major concerns for business leaders as they decide whether to move to or stay and grow here in Indiana,” said Secretary Rokita.
“For our part, the Secretary of State’s office is making sure that reliability, good service and low cost are guaranteed, no matter what the General Assembly does or does not do with regards to the budget,” added Rokita.