Reports to the General Assembly System
Overview
DLAS is charged with oversight of Reports to the General Assembly (RGA), which is publicly available as an online application and a print publication. A Report to the General Assembly can either be defined as a legislative study (House or Senate Document) or a recurring report (Report Document). DLAS issues publication guidelines to promote format consistency, control cost of reproduction, and provide similar information components (i.e., preface, executive summary).
Challenge
The RGA is currently a Lotus Notes application. Content is publicly accessible through Web applications and print publications. Data is updated and maintained in the Lotus Notes native environment. PDF report content is not indexed for searching which leaves only metadata to be queried. Notes support is limited. The Web layout of the RGA is limited by Notes data conventions and presentation style. While straightforward, many of the features do not respond smoothly and require much vertical navigation. Key features such as accessing the report PDF are not readily apparent. Additionally, DLAS is committed to retire the Notes application development platform.
Solution
The RGA application will be replaced as part of the Legislative Information System upgrade using current application development and Web design standards. The focus of the upgrade is to streamline notification processes, simplify data input, and modernize Web page design and print publications. Searching will be enhanced to include report PDF content. Accessibility will be improved by the use of Responsive Design.
