Madison, Wis. – The Wisconsin Department of Safety and Professional Services (DSPS) has earned additional recognition for a digital license option offered to state license holders earlier this year.
The Wisconsin Policy Forum announced its 33rd annual Salute to Local Government winners last week, which included DSPS. The agency won the La Follette/Gladfelter Award for Innovation in State Government.
“This is a big deal for our agency,” said DSPS Secretary Dan Hereth. “The Salute to Local Government awards celebrate ingenuity and innovations that benefit Wisconsin citizens. Providing better, more efficient service to our customers has been a focus for DSPS under the Evers Administration, and this award helps validate all the work we’ve put in to improve our processes and offerings for Wisconsin’s licensed workforce.”
The La Follette/Gladfelter Award, established with a gift from government reporter Lloyd D. Gladfelter, honors public employees whose innovations led to the improvement of public services in Wisconsin.
“The La Follette School is honored to be part of this annual celebration of the thoughtful and inspiring work happening every day in the public sector across our state,” said La Follette School Director and Professor Susan Webb Yackee. “We are excited to celebrate the innovation and customer-focused efficiencies developed by the team at DSPS.”
DSPS announced in February that professionals licensed through the agency would have the option of downloading a digital copy of their license to their Apple or Google wallet, making Wisconsin the first state to offer the option to all of its occupational license holders. Nearly 25,000 Wisconsin professionals have downloaded a digital license since the launch.
DSPS developed the digital license solution with Tyler Technologies, the leading provider of integrated software and technology services for the public sector.
“We’re always glad to see our agency partners honored for their work, especially when it’s for a project on which we collaborated,” said Chad Zadrazil, General Manager of Wisconsin for Tyler Technologies. “This project was a win-win for the people of Wisconsin. It delivers a more efficient service for hundreds of thousands of professional license holders while also enhancing safety for citizens across the state.”
The digital license solution allows license holders to carry proof of licensure on their phone or tablet, which makes it easier for citizens to confirm professionals are properly licensed. The front of the card includes information like name, profession, license number, and license status. The back side has more information on any specialties and license expiration date.
This marks the second award the project has won in a matter of weeks, following a Government Experience Award from the Center for Digital Government announced in late September.
The La Follette/Gladfelter Award honors a state government employee or program that demonstrates use of an innovative solution or management technique to address a challenge and produce budgetary savings and/or programmatic improvements. Secretary Hereth, Deputy Secretary Jennifer Garrett, and Assistant Deputy Secretary Niko Ruud will accept the award on behalf of the Department at the awards ceremony in November.
The Salute Awards honor local governments and school districts. Winners in other categories this year include the Forest County Potawatomi, Ashland and Bayfield counties, and the City of Milwaukee. You can see the full list of winners on the Wisconsin Policy Forum website.
About DSPS
DSPS issues more than 240 unique licenses, administers dozens of boards and councils that regulate professions, enforces state building codes, and maintains the Wisconsin Enhanced Prescription Drug Monitoring Program, which is a key tool in the multi-faceted public health campaign to stem excessive opioid prescribing. A fee-based agency, DSPS is self-sustaining and receives no general fund tax dollars for its day-to-day operations. With two offices and roughly 250 employees, DSPS collaborates with constituents and stakeholders across a wide range of industries to promote safety and advance the economy.
