Information technology standards are being set and effectively enforced for the first time. The state's telecommunications contract has been renegotiated and is open for bidding. And Virginia government is on-line. I'm proud to say, the Governor's Office. My web site's hits alone have increased from 16,000 per month to more than 180,000 in just over a year.
State government is more efficient, open, and accessible.
That's a victory for the taxpayers and for our democracy. While our government is moving forward on the hi-tech front, our public colleges and universities are advancing as well. The American Electronics Association recently reported that between 1990 and 1996, Virginia graduates earned 1,200 more technology-related degrees. That's a 24 percent rise in Virginia compared to a 5 percent decline nationwide. They are taking technology training seriously.