1.1                          A bill for an act 
  1.2             relating to state government; modifying provisions 
  1.3             relating to the office of technology; amending 
  1.4             Minnesota Statutes 1998, sections 16E.01, subdivision 
  1.5             3; 16E.03, subdivision 3; and 16E.04, subdivision 2. 
  1.6   BE IT ENACTED BY THE LEGISLATURE OF THE STATE OF MINNESOTA: 
  1.7      Section 1.  Minnesota Statutes 1998, section 16E.01, 
  1.8   subdivision 3, is amended to read: 
  1.9      Subd. 3.  [DUTIES.] The office shall: 
  1.10     (1) coordinate the efficient and effective use of available 
  1.11  federal, state, local, and private resources to develop 
  1.12  statewide information and communications technology and its 
  1.13  infrastructure; 
  1.14     (2) review and approve state agency and intergovernmental 
  1.15  information and communications systems development efforts 
  1.16  technology investments involving state or intergovernmental 
  1.17  funding, provide information; 
  1.18     (3) review, approve, and recommend to the governor and 
  1.19  legislature regarding projects reviewed, and recommend projects, 
  1.20  in accordance with section 16A.11, technology investments for 
  1.21  inclusion in the governor's budget under section 16A.11; 
  1.22     (3) (4) encourage cooperation and collaboration among state 
  1.23  and local governments in developing intergovernmental 
  1.24  communication and information systems, and define the structure 
  1.25  and responsibilities of the information policy council; 
  2.1      (4) (5) cooperate and collaborate with the legislative and 
  2.2   judicial branches in the development of information and 
  2.3   communications systems in those branches; 
  2.4      (5) (6) continue the development of North Star, the state's 
  2.5   official comprehensive online service and information 
  2.6   initiative; 
  2.7      (6) (7) promote and collaborate with the state's agencies 
  2.8   in the state's transition to an effectively competitive 
  2.9   telecommunications market; 
  2.10     (7) (8) collaborate with entities carrying out education 
  2.11  and lifelong learning initiatives to assist Minnesotans in 
  2.12  developing technical literacy and obtaining access to ongoing 
  2.13  learning resources; 
  2.14     (8) (9) promote and coordinate public information access 
  2.15  and network initiatives, consistent with chapter 13, to connect 
  2.16  Minnesota's citizens and communities to each other, to their 
  2.17  governments, and to the world; 
  2.18     (9) (10) promote and coordinate electronic commerce 
  2.19  initiatives to ensure that Minnesota businesses and citizens can 
  2.20  successfully compete in the global economy; 
  2.21     (10) (11) promote and coordinate the regular and periodic 
  2.22  reinvestment in the core information and communications 
  2.23  technology infrastructure so that state and local government 
  2.24  agencies can effectively and efficiently serve their customers; 
  2.25     (11) (12) facilitate the cooperative development of 
  2.26  standards for information systems, electronic data practices and 
  2.27  privacy, and electronic commerce among international, national, 
  2.28  state, and local public and private organizations; and 
  2.29     (12) (13) work with others to avoid unnecessary duplication 
  2.30  of existing services provided by other public and private 
  2.31  organizations while building on the existing governmental, 
  2.32  educational, business, health care, and economic development 
  2.33  infrastructures. 
  2.34     Sec. 2.  Minnesota Statutes 1998, section 16E.03, 
  2.35  subdivision 3, is amended to read: 
  2.36     Subd. 3.  [EVALUATION AND APPROVAL.] As described in 
  3.1   section 16E.01, subdivision 3, clause (2), a state agency may 
  3.2   not undertake an information and communications technology 
  3.3   project until it has been evaluated according to the procedures 
  3.4   developed under subdivision 4.  The governor or governor's 
  3.5   designee office shall give written approval of the proposed 
  3.6   project.  If the proposed project is not approved, the 
  3.7   commissioner of finance shall cancel the unencumbered balance of 
  3.8   any appropriation allotted for the project.  This subdivision 
  3.9   does not apply to acquisitions or development of information and 
  3.10  communications systems that have anticipated total cost of less 
  3.11  than $100,000 and are funded within existing agency budgets.  
  3.12  The Minnesota state colleges and universities shall submit for 
  3.13  approval any project related to acquisitions or development of 
  3.14  information and communications systems that has a total 
  3.15  anticipated cost of more than $250,000. 
  3.16     Sec. 3.  Minnesota Statutes 1998, section 16E.04, 
  3.17  subdivision 2, is amended to read: 
  3.18     Subd. 2.  [RESPONSIBILITIES.] (a) In addition to other 
  3.19  activities prescribed by law, the office shall carry out the 
  3.20  duties set out in this subdivision. 
  3.21     (b) The office shall develop and establish a state 
  3.22  information architecture to ensure that further state agency 
  3.23  development and purchase of information and communications 
  3.24  systems, equipment, and services is designed to ensure that 
  3.25  individual agency information systems complement and do not 
  3.26  needlessly duplicate or conflict with the systems of other 
  3.27  agencies.When state agencies have need for the same or similar 
  3.28  public data, the executive director, in coordination with the 
  3.29  affected agencies, shall promote the most efficient and 
  3.30  cost-effective method of producing and storing data for or 
  3.31  sharing data between those agencies.  The development of this 
  3.32  information architecture must include the establishment of 
  3.33  standards and guidelines to be followed by state agencies. 
  3.34     (c) The office shall assist state agencies in the planning 
  3.35  and management of information systems so that an individual 
  3.36  information system reflects and supports the state agency's 
  4.1   mission and the state's requirements and functions. 
  4.2      (d) The office shall review agency requests for legislative 
  4.3   appropriations for the development or purchase of information 
  4.4   systems equipment or software. 
  4.5      (e) The office shall review and approve major purchases of 
  4.6   information systems equipment to: 
  4.7      (1) ensure that the equipment follows the standards and 
  4.8   guidelines of the state information architecture; 
  4.9      (2) ensure that the equipment is consistent with the 
  4.10  information management principles adopted by the information 
  4.11  policy council; 
  4.12     (3) evaluate whether the agency's proposed purchase 
  4.13  reflects a cost-effective policy regarding volume purchasing; 
  4.14  and 
  4.15     (4) ensure that the equipment is consistent with other 
  4.16  systems in other state agencies so that data can be shared among 
  4.17  agencies, unless the office determines that the agency 
  4.18  purchasing the equipment has special needs justifying the 
  4.19  inconsistency. 
  4.20     (f) (e) The office shall review the operation of 
  4.21  information systems by state agencies and provide advice and 
  4.22  assistance to ensure that these systems are operated efficiently 
  4.23  and continually meet the standards and guidelines established by 
  4.24  the office.  The standards and guidelines must emphasize 
  4.25  uniformity that encourages information interchange, open systems 
  4.26  environments, and portability of information whenever 
  4.27  practicable and consistent with an agency's authority and 
  4.28  chapter 13.  The office, in consultation with the 
  4.29  intergovernmental information systems advisory council and the 
  4.30  legislative reference library, shall recommend specific 
  4.31  standards and guidelines for each state agency within a time 
  4.32  period fixed by the office in regard to the following: 
  4.33     (1) establishing methods and systems directed at reducing 
  4.34  and ultimately eliminating redundant storage of data; and 
  4.35     (2) establishing information sales systems that utilize 
  4.36  licensing and royalty agreements to the greatest extent 
  5.1   possible, together with procedures for agency denial of requests 
  5.2   for licenses or royalty agreements by commercial users or 
  5.3   resellers of the information.  Section 3.751 does not apply to 
  5.4   those licensing and royalty agreements, and the agreements must 
  5.5   include provisions that section 3.751 does not apply and that 
  5.6   the state is immune from liability under the agreement. 
  5.7      (g) (f) The office shall conduct a comprehensive review at 
  5.8   least every three years of the information systems investments 
  5.9   that have been made by state agencies and higher education 
  5.10  institutions.  The review must include recommendations on any 
  5.11  information systems applications that could be provided in a 
  5.12  more cost-beneficial manner by an outside source.  The office 
  5.13  must report the results of its review to the legislature and the 
  5.14  governor. 
  5.15     (h) (g) The office shall report to the legislature by 
  5.16  January 15 of each year on progress in implementing paragraph 
  5.17  (f) (e), clauses (1) and (2).