Going paperless: there may never be a completely electronic legislature, but some are getting close.

• Author: Boulard, Garry

For John Brueggeman, who was in his early teens when e-mail first became available and his early 20s when the dot-com bubble burst, instant electronic information and communication is life-long and natural.

"I've been using computers as long as I can remember," says Brueggeman, who is 27. "And I pretty much do everything that I can with them, such as having all of my banking online. I admit it, I am very much a part of the generation that has grown up and is totally comfortable with computers."

For that reason, it is perhaps no surprise to those who know him that Brueggeman, who is in his first term in the Montana Senate after serving two terms in the House, is an enthusiastic supporter of a proposal to greatly enhance the electronic capabilities of the Montana Legislature.

"There are so many things that we could be doing in terms of installing a new kind of system that would allow for a 'real-time' legislature where anything that is taking place on the floor would be available on-screen instantly," says Brueggeman. "And not just for the members, but for anyone anywhere who is interested in the proceedings of the Montana Legislature."

Brueggeman is particularly excited about a report released this past October by the Montana Legislative Branch Computer System Planning Council. It outlines the ways the Legislature could significantly extend its electronic services to help lawmakers go about their duties more efficiently and increase contact with constituents.

In the process, the Legislature would be taking a big step forward in becoming paperless, a goal that in recent years has enticed lawmakers across the country.

"Gradually we have become more and more web-based. People can now access either PDF or HTML copies of our bills on our web page," says Susan Fox, the executive director of Montana's legislative services division. "So going paperless really has not been just a goal for us, but something we have been working on day to day."

Fox says the computer system plan that Senator Brueggeman and others are talking about would include a stipend for lawmakers to purchase their own laptops. "If that becomes a reality, we will be much, much closer to being truly paperless."

Since at least the mid-'90s, the world of computers has become more affordable and accessible. Legislatures have been experimenting with the idea of increasing citizen access electronically while also making the documents essential to the lawmaking process available to members online.

That move has taken place at the same time that both the public and private sectors have raised concerns about the increasing amount of paper being used--and often discarded--in the modern work-day world.

"It isn't just your imagination playing tricks on you," says Alvin Keene, the president of the Information Management Institute, which sponsors digital printing industry conferences. "In many circumstances, more paper is being used today than ever before, despite the move toward...