1.1                          A bill for an act 
  1.2             relating to state government; creating an advisory 
  1.3             council to investigate improvements in communicating 
  1.4             government information to the public. 
  1.5   BE IT ENACTED BY THE LEGISLATURE OF THE STATE OF MINNESOTA: 
  1.6      Section 1.  [ADVISORY COUNCIL ON OFFICIAL PUBLICATIONS.] 
  1.7      An advisory council on official publications is created to 
  1.8   evaluate how state and local government information is currently 
  1.9   communicated to the public and develop recommendations for 
  1.10  cost-effective improvements.  The council shall investigate the 
  1.11  effectiveness of various means of communicating with the public, 
  1.12  including, but not limited to, newspaper notices, the internet, 
  1.13  local government newsletters, and cable television broadcasts.  
  1.14  In evaluating the different communication means, the council 
  1.15  shall report on the effectiveness of reaching a high percentage 
  1.16  of the public, the certainty and ease with which an interested 
  1.17  party is able to obtain the information, and the relative cost.  
  1.18  The council shall report to the committees of the senate and 
  1.19  house of representatives with jurisdiction over governmental 
  1.20  operations by February 1, 1999.  
  1.21     The chair of the council shall be the secretary of state or 
  1.22  the secretary of state's designee.  Each of the following 
  1.23  organizations shall appoint one member:  the Association of 
  1.24  Minnesota Counties, the Minnesota League of Cities, the 
  1.25  Association of Small Cities, the Minnesota Clerks and Finance 
  2.1   Officers Association, the Association of Townships, the 
  2.2   Minnesota Newspaper Association, the office of the secretary of 
  2.3   state, the Minnesota School Boards Association, the state 
  2.4   auditor, the Minnesota Association of Broadcasters, the 
  2.5   Minnesota office of technology, and the intergovernmental 
  2.6   systems advisory council.  The chair shall appoint an additional 
  2.7   member representing Internet service providers.  The council is 
  2.8   governed by Minnesota Statutes, section 15.059, except that it 
  2.9   expires February 1, 1999.