New York State to Go Digital

Governor Cuomo’s office is developing a way for New Yorkers to apply for licenses and do other state business online, while encouraging software developers to create an all-digital “New York app store,” according to the New York Post.

A senior Cuomo administration official told the paper that the plan is expected to save taxpayers $100 million annually when fully operational next year.

Developers are encouraged to create New York-specific apps for smartphones and computers that would allow free and easy access to state records stored in the "cloud."

“We’re a high-tech state in the private sector and we’re going to become a high-tech state in the public sector so that people can use their iPhones or iPads to access state services,” the official told the Post.

So in the near future, license applications issued by the Motor Vehicles, Environmental Conservation and Agriculture & Markets departments, as well by as the State Liquor Authority, the Department of State and the Empire State Development Corp. can all be found online.

“It shouldn’t be any different than getting an airline ticket: You sign in, fill out a form and then you print the ticket — or, in this case the permit — online,’’ the official told the paper.

Cuomo’s office is also toying with the idea of opening some state offices – like the DMV – on Saturdays and closing them on Mondays, as well as changing working hours from the traditional 9-to-5 day to noon to 8 p.m.

Cuomo is expected to present details of each of the proposals in his State of the State Address in early January.