National Association of Legislative Information Technology

2007 Legislative Staff Achievement Awards

Illinois Legislative Information System Chamber Services Team

The National Association of Legislative Information Technology (NALIT) is pleased to present the 2007 NALIT Staff Achievement Award to a team of individuals from the Illinois Legislative Information System. In 2004 the Chamber Services team of the Legislative Information System was charged with developing an electronic voting system for the Illinois Senate. The result was a state-of-the-art solution that provided all required and desired functionality along with direct responsibility for support, maintenance, and future enhancements. The House requested and received a similar solution in 2006, and both are performing quite well for the Illinois General Assembly.

Beyond the obvious service to Illinois, this work has been of broader benefit to the legislative community as a whole. The team has been willing to discuss and share their knowledge and experience with other states, both individually and at NALIT meetings. This level of cooperation has contributed substantially to the broadening of information about voting system options available to legislatures, to the good of all concerned.

Virginia Senate Clerk's Office and the Virginia Division of Legislative Automated Systems

The National Association of Legislative Information Technology is pleased to recognize the combined team of the Virginia Senate Clerk's Office and the Virginia Division of Legislative Automated Systems (DLAS) for the 2007 NALIT Staff Achievement Award. After visiting Illinois to learn about that state's newly developed electronic voting system, information technology staff of the Senate Clerk's Office and DLAS determined that a collaborative effort to develop a voting system by the two Virginia legislative agencies could save money and result in a faster and more efficient legislative process. Using new voting boards and controls allowed the Senate to present a clearer view of voting information in the chamber, as well as more flexibility in how the information is delivered through various reports.

This team project also involved personnel from the Senate's desk operations staff, journal staff, committee operations and other areas that impact directly on the desk, making this a true collaborative effort. Many of the staff involved also are active members of NCSL's National Association of Legislative Information Technology and American Society of Legislative Clerks and Secretaries.