(Austin)--An overview of doing business with the State of Texas is the focus of Texas Comptroller Carole Keeton Rylander's March 21 e-Texas public hearing in Austin. The e-Texas competitive government task force hearing will run from 10 a.m. to 12 p.m. in Room E2.012 of the Capitol Extension.

"Competitive government encompasses all aspects of Texas state government," Comptroller Rylander said. "Bottomline, I want to make sure that it's easy to do business with the state.

"This hearing will help us find ideas to improve the state's procurement system. I encourage folks to come out, listen to our experts, and give us feedback on the issues they think are critical to improving the state's procurement system."

Comptroller Rylander and Bill Hammond of Austin, the e-Texas competitive government task force commissioner, will lead discussions on how private sector trends impact partnerships and outsourcing in government, how labor views the Internet's impact on state contract opportunities, and how to streamline the state procurement process.

Steve Papermaster of Austin is scheduled to lead a panel discussion. He is co-founder, president and chief executive officer of Agillion, which provides Internet services for small and mid-sized businesses. Other speakers include Joe Gunn of Madisonville, president of the Texas AFL-CIO, and Odysseus M. Lanier, president of Houston-based Empirical Management Services and an expert on state procurement processes.

The hearing is part of Comptroller Rylander's e-Texas citizen commission, which is charged with developing recommendations to help Texas state government meet the challenges of the Internet age.

Those who cannot attend the hearing can make suggestions on improving transportation at : www.e-texas.org.