Washington Technology Solutions is building something many residents have wanted for years – one place to handle all their state government business. No more hunting through dozens of agency websites. No more creating separate accounts for licensing, benefits, and permits. Just one login, one portal, one experience.
House Bill 2491, which received a public hearing last week, adds a critical privacy protection layer to that effort. The legislation, heard in the House State Government & Tribal Relations Committee on Jan. 27, would establish public records protections for personal information submitted through WaTech’s digital experience platform.
Bill Kehoe, WaTech Director and State Chief Information Officer, told lawmakers the legislation complements the technical work underway.
“WaTech is the agency responsible for creating the state’s unified digital experience platform, WA.gov, a single front door or portal to connect residents and businesses to their government,” he said. “We’re very excited about this and feel like this is the time where our residents deserve this service.”
The bill ensures that personal information submitted to WaTech through WA.gov is protected, as well as made available to the right agencies as appropriate, he said. Individual agencies already have public records exemptions for personal information in their systems. House Bill 2491 extends equivalent protection to data submitted through WaTech’s digital experience platform, ensuring the privacy and protection of customer data.
WA.gov represents a fundamental shift in how residents interact with state government. For example, instead of needing to know that vehicle tabs go through the Department of Licensing, unemployment claims through Employment Security, and business taxes through the Department of Revenue, residents simply go to one place, WA.gov. The portal also represents a transition from SecureAccess Washington (SAW), the state’s 20-year-old single sign-on solution.
Rep. Beth Doglio (D-Olympia) at the hearing described the impact WA.gov represents: “Through this one single front door, I could do my own B&O taxes – which I do on a regular basis – residents can renew their tabs, get a hunting license, apply for food stamps, or unemployment benefits,” she said. “It just means that you really wouldn’t need a huge deep knowledge of how to access services. It would be pretty simple.”
The underlying philosophy is people-centered design. Government organizes itself in ways that make sense to government. People just want to get things done. The portal bridges that gap.
You can hear all the testimony regarding the legislation on TVW. (Testimony starts at the 52 minute mark)