2013 Minnesota Statutes

116J.6581 MINNESOTA ENTREPRENEUR RESOURCE VIRTUAL NETWORK (MERVN).

(a) The commissioner shall seek sufficient private sector funding for the Office of Entrepreneurship and Small Business Development (OESBD) to develop, maintain, and market a virtual network to provide seamless access to statewide resources and expertise for entrepreneurs and existing businesses using private sector funding. Private sector funding must be for general support of the virtual network and must not be used to sponsor specific portions of the network. The network must disclose the value of the donations and names of private sector organizations providing funding for the network. The network must connect Minnesota entrepreneurs to available state and nonstate supported services and technical assistance. In developing and maintaining the network, OESBD must ensure that all listed resources meet established standards. The goal of the network is to assist in the creation of new Minnesota ventures, the growth of existing businesses, and the ability of Minnesota entrepreneurs to compete globally. To the greatest extent possible, the network should be built on and linked to existing resources designed to make business assistance resources more accessible to Minnesota business.

(b) Any portion of the network that involves state information systems or state Web sites is subject to the authority of the Office of MN.IT Services in chapter 16E, including, but not limited to:

(1) evaluation and approval as specified in section 16E.03, subdivisions 3 and 4;

(2) review to ensure compliance with security policies, guidelines, and standards as specified in section 16E.03, subdivision 7; and

(3) assurance of compliance with accessibility standards developed under section 16E.03, subdivision 9.

History:

2010 c 283 s 1; 2013 c 134 s 30; 2013 c 142 art 3 s 36