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Secretary of State proposes paperless system for business filings

California Secretary of State Debra Bowen is proposing to modernize the business-filing function within her agency to be paperless.

California Business Connect is a six-year project that aims to increase efficiency by eliminating paper-based manual transactions and associated risk of loss to vital state records. The project will also minimize processing delays through the creation of a uniform data entry platform.

The agency is currently soliciting proposals for a Systems Integration Contractor to develop and consolidate business-filing procedures.

"Many people would be surprised at how much business with state government still takes place on paper and how much paper all of those transactions produce," said Secretary Bowen. "While modernizing would be ideal for everyone, the cost of doing it in a state as large and diverse as California really just isn’t feasible, especially in the current budget climate. Once [this] project is complete, Californians will be able to do many of their transactions online and without delay—all without paying additional fees."

Another project goal is to make the Secretary of State’s office a model for how other state agencies process, store and retrieve electronic records by making records continuously available online.

With this project, paper-based processes—fee collections, filings, certificate orders, status reports and other services—will be automated, allowing businesses to file and request copies of records online 24 hours a day. It will provide greater public access to records housed at the Secretary of State’s office and fee payments will be processed within one business day.

The total cost for California Business Connect is $23.7 million—funded by reimbursements from businesses currently paying for services at the Secretary of State’s office.

The state agency files and maintains records related to corporations, limited liability companies, partnerships and other business entities in California.