NASHVILLE – Speaker Beth Harwell (R-Nashville) today announced that the Tennessee General Assembly’s revamped website has won the prestigious “Online Democracy Award” awarded by the National Conference of State Legislatures (NCSL). NCSL’s Online Democracy Award is presented each year to the legislature whose website “makes democracy user-friendly in an outstanding way.”
Tennessee also won the award in 2009, although this year the website is updated with an even more user-friendly format. The site was praised for an appealing design, direct access to legislators and legislative schedules, bill summaries written in plain English, and fully integrated audio and video. The legislative website is operated and maintained by the Tennessee General Assembly’s Legislative Information Services division, under the supervision of director Vinay Dattu.
“I am so proud of our team here at the Tennessee General Assembly for creating a user-friendly website that benefits all Tennesseans. It is an honor to be recognized by NCSL for our efforts,” said Speaker Harwell. “Transparency is a priority in the democratic process, and enables citizens to be engaged, informed, and in touch with their elected representatives. Utilizing the technology available to promote transparency will continue to be a priority of mine as Speaker of the House.”
More information can be found at the award-winning website, www.capitol.tn.gov.
NCSL is a bipartisan organization that serves legislators and staffs of the states with research, technical assistance and opportunities to exchanges ideas.
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