2004 Winner: Priorities of Government (POG)

This program establishes results-oriented priorities for state services to help develop the state budget based on what citizens expect from state government.  Lawmakers propose results they believe citizens want from government, establish priorities and allocate funds accordingly in a strategic approach to state government budgeting.

2004 Alternate: Spokane Youth Social Responsibility Project

In a cooperative effort between the state Department of Corrections and high schools in the Spokane area, this program offers social responsibility training classes to at-risk high school students. The idea behind the program is to correct the negative behavior of at-risk students before they become involved in the criminal justice system.

2004 Finalist: Professional-Based Discipline: A Settlement Agreement Process

This method for disciplining professional and sworn employees of the Washington State Patrol without resorting to a lengthy, formal investigation is designed to enable an employee to admit a mistake, discern and accept an appropriate sanction, provide rapid resolution of their case and handle minor acts of misconduct at the lowest possible administrative level.

2004 Finalist: Comprehensive Irrigation District Management Plan

This program provides a framework and guidelines for irrigation districts and farmers to voluntarily develop comprehensive management plans that simultaneously comply with the federal Endangered Species Act and Clean Water Act and maintain economic viability.

2004 Finalist: 24-Hour Shellfish Safety Screen

Using a new genetic test to quickly detect bacterial pathogen in shellfish, the Washington State Public Health Laboratories developed this test, which is more sensitive and yields results more quickly than prior methods. This new test enables state shellfish regulators to stop shipments of contaminated products before the shipments reach consumers.

2003 Winner: Tri-Phase Initiative

State architects, engineers, project managers and facility planners provide condition assessment, project cost estimates, capital planning, project management and public works training to the state’s 297 school districts, bringing professional state facilities expertise and resources to K-12 school facility projects.

2003 Alternate: Strategic Forecast Support System

This program integrates proven emergency management tools, such as Geographic Information Systems, the Federal Emergency Management Information System and satellite data, to identify and assess all hazards in the state.

2003 Finalist: Burn Team: Reducing Smoke in Eastern Washington State from Agricultural Burning

This Department of Ecology program seeks to reduce the amount of field crop residue that directly impacts the safety and health of citizens breathing in the smoke-filled air. The burn team makes daily burn/no burn decisions for agricultural burning permit holders and provides air quality reports and forecasts to citizens with respiratory illnesses.

2003 Finalist: Barrier-Free Checklist for Leased Facilities

This program is used by state government to make leased facilities more accessible to people with disabilities. General Administration and tenant agencies use the checklist to assess accessibility when initially leasing space, renewing leases, evaluating accessibility in existing facilities and in planning barrier removal.

2003 Finalist: Utilization and Cost Containment Initiative

This program was designed to find inefficiencies and lower expenditures in the state’s Medicaid program, without reducing benefits or eligibility. This initiative saved the state $50 million between July 2001 and June 2003.

2003 Finalist: DCS Secure Card

This card allows transmittal of child support payments to custodial parents through Electronic Funds Transfer, thereby decreasing the Division of Child Support’s costs of distributing payments. Custodial parents may use their card at a bank teller, ATM or any other merchant that accepts debit or credit cards to access child support funds.

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