Autobús Legislativo: Digital legislative files - Observatory of Public Sector Innovation

The Autobús Legislativo: digital legislative files is a unique technological innovation in Mexico with the objective of making available to citizens all information related to a legislative bill and its drafting process in a single digital platform. In this way citizens are informed on the "route" and "itinerary" of legislation, from its conception until it is approved.

Innovation Summary

Innovation Overview

The Autobús Legislativo: digital legislative files arises from the need of the Congress of the State of Guanajuato, as well as the citizenry to locate and process information related to the drafting of laws. This information was previously distributed in different places.
The challenge opens a window of opportunity, as it seeks to consolidate an ecological policy of zero paper and to speed up the search for information, thus positioning our parliament on a par with other success stories in governmental technological development.
The main objective is divided into two aspects: first, an internal objective that consisted of creating a digital environment to facilitate legislative activity where the main working and analysis documents are housed; second, externally, the aim was to reinforce institutional openness to encourage informed citizen participation and proactive transparency. Thus, the direct beneficiaries are the population that seeks to influence the government agenda and matters of public interest, as well as to streamline the administrative apparatus of the Congress of the State of Guanajuato to deliver better results.
Finally, the vision of the future that is being built thanks to the common political will of the deputies is the transition to a completely digital and modern institution, giving priority to openness and accessibility to benefit a citizenry that seeks to have an impact on the decision-making process.

Innovation Description

What Makes Your Project Innovative?

The project is innovative, as it not only seeks to digitise government documents and host them on a website, but also to digitise the entire legislative process and provide a user-friendly and interactive environment, where both civil servants and citizens can access videos, analysis documents, laws, images, methodologies, so that they have all the information available in a technological and open data portal to be able to influence decision-making. Thus, eventually avoiding the use of paper and substituting it with electronic signatures, remote attention, assisted consultation, etc. Therefore, it is affirmed that the innovation presented is unique in Mexico and even more so in public institutions in the region, taking into account that it is a development from a sub-national government.

What is the current status of your innovation?

N/A

Innovation Development

Collaborations & Partnerships

The innovation presented is the result of the vision of the local deputies, with the institutional coordination of the General Secretariat and the areas involved in supporting legislative and parliamentary work. In such a way that the areas specialised in advising on legal technical issues collaborated with the area in charge of technological development, as well as the area of design and creativity within the Congress.

Users, Stakeholders & Beneficiaries

The beneficiaries are the citizens who can access the site to consult the information of their interest and have another way to access the Congress of the State of Guanajuato digitally and participate in the decisions and matters dealt with by the legislative bodies. Likewise, the civil servants who, thanks to this tool, can provide more and better results by having updated information.

Innovation Reflections

Results, Outcomes & Impacts

The results have been clear through the number of visits and consultations to the site, as well as having been awarded prizes and recognition by national institutions related to transparency and open government. In the future, it is expected to consolidate the digital environment and cover processes that have not yet been digitised and standardised to open data formats. Finally, significant budget savings have been achieved, which were previously used for stationery supplies.

Challenges and Failures

The main challenges have been related to the socio-economic conditions of the population and people who do not have access to the internet or digital tools. Thus, strategies have been sought to make the use of the tool accessible to the entire population, such as enabling computer spaces in the facilities.

Conditions for Success

N/A

Replication

The State Congress has sought intergovernmental cooperation in order to share good practices and successful experiences. In this context, the replicability of the Autobús Legislativo: digital legislative files was analysed from the outset, so that other local or national parliaments can implement a similar digital architecture, making this innovation project perfectly replicable.

Lessons Learned

Thanks to the development of this innovation, it has been possible to break down generational barriers and obstacles that prevented progress towards a digital Congress, and thanks to this, it has demonstrated the benefits for the fulfilment of the commitments to consolidate a transparent, proactive and participatory institution.

Anything Else?

The Autobús Legislativo: digital legislative files represents a step forward and an experience that can be considered a local success in the efforts of the institutions of our democracies to bet on the digitisation of governments. Congresses, municipal governments, state and federal governments, and ministries must move forward into a new panorama where information technologies do not take a step backwards and governments must have the capacity to adapt to an increasingly complex world.

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