Feds, states mull business registry

The federal government's General Services Administration is leading an intergovernmental project to create a single place on the Internet for businesses to access information on government registration and reporting requirements.

The site would reduce the paperwork when it comes to registering a business, researching and registering company names, applying for an employer identification number and other requirements.

The goal is to have the site provide links to the applicable information and allow business owners to fill out forms online regardless of the "government level of responsibility," said Terri Hobson, a project manager in GSA's Office of Electronic Government.

GSA officials are in discussions with several state and federal agencies to create a prototype they can demonstrate at the fall meeting of the National Association of State Chief Information Officers, Hobson said. NASCIO and the federal CIO Council's E-government Committee are co-sponsoring the pilot program with GSA.

The prototype system would operate under the FirstGov for Employers(employers.gov) Web site.

In addition to numerous federal agencies, officials from Illinois, New Jersey and Washington have expressed interest in participating in thepilot program.