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	General Counsel Ron Meisburg oversees the NLRB's first paperless agenda meeting

The Agency Enters the 21^st Century Electronic Age

	In May 2001, Acting General Counsel John E. Higgins, Jr., was sworn-in by his father John Higgins, a notary public, former Director of Labor Relations and a labor arbitrator, in the living room of his parents' home in Melrose, Massachusetts.

The Agency rose to new challenges as it approached the 21st Century. As the Board evolved from appointees of President Bill Clinton to a transitional Board with two recess appointees, and then returned to a full Board under President George W. Bush, the Agency invested significantly in electronic technology to support its mission. In 2006, the Agency first launched its interactive Website, and in 2008-2009, new features were added to allow users to transact business with the Agency online. These include issuance and posting of Board and administrative law judge decisions, and the ability for parties to file case-related documents with the Agency electronically.

In February 2009, the NLRB instituted changes to its electronic filing program that are meant to simplify and encourage electronic filing by the public. This program allows users to register, receive Board and ALJ decisions electronically, maintain their own contact information, and save searches. This project was selected as a finalist in the prestigious 2009 Excellence.Gov Awards Program. The award recognizes best practices in the Federal Government's management and use of information technology and those programs that have achieved exceptional results in supporting the government's mission and serving citizens.

The Agency also has begun the process of converting from paper case management to electronic case management. The Agency's pioneering "NxGen" project will support electronic processing of cases from filing of a charge or petition to resolution and closure of the case. At present, the Office of Appeals processes its cases electronically in NxGen, and eventually the entire Agency will process cases electronically.