The bill would mandate that each state agency assess its website and online service portals to improve user accessibility, reduce paperwork, and implement user-centered design principles. The bill would require agencies to eliminate unnecessary forms, automate processes, and adopt best practices for digital service delivery while ensuring compliance with accessibility standards. The bill would also require the Department of Information Resources (DIR) to provide technical assistance, developing guidelines for modernization efforts, and coordinating interagency collaborations to meet the provisions of the bill.
This analysis assumes that costs associated with implementing the bill at DIR could be absorbed within existing resources. However, costs at other state agencies cannot be determined but could be fiscally significant, depending upon implementation of the bill. For example, the Health and Human Services Commission (HHSC) and The Texas Commission on Environmental Quality (TCEQ) indicated that there could be costs associated with implementing the bill, as described below.
HHSC does not anticipate a fiscal impact from compliance with the user access forms, accessibility standards, and website responsiveness portions of the bill. However, the agency does anticipate that the website modernization requirements could not be made without other required updates to their interconnected legacy information technology systems, which could require a cost. However, the extent of these costs cannot be determined.
According to TCEQ, web and application updates could result in significant expenses due to the digital conversion of numerous forms. Since implementation costs are uncertain and depend on the rollout timeline, costs for TCEQ cannot be determined.
No significant fiscal implication to units of local government is anticipated.