CHAPTER 554
H.P. 1133 - L.D. 1589
An Act to Amend the Composition of the Information Services Policy Board and Establish a Task Force on Information Technology in the Public Sector
Be it enacted by the People of the State of Maine as follows:
Sec. 1. 5 MRSA §1892, sub-§§2 to 4, as amended by PL 1989, c. 857, §36, are further amended to read:
2. Advisory members. Advisory members must be appointed by the Legislative Council to represent the agencies of the Legislature that provide research and information to the Legislature and its committees and an advisory member must be appointed by the Chief Justice of the Supreme Judicial Court to assure ensure that the needs of the Legislature and the Judiciary are known and to inform them of available information, access and innovations to be considered. In addition, the Chancellor of the University of Maine System and the President of the Maine Technical College System each shall appoint an advisory member to ensure that the needs of state institutions of higher education are known and to encourage the development of compatible information systems and the sharing of information and technologies between educational institutions and agencies of State Government.
3. Terms of office. The voting and advisory members representing state agencies of the Legislature, the Judiciary, the University of Maine System, the Maine Technical College System and the office of the Governor shall serve for a period that coincides with the term of appointment to the agency they represent or to the term designated by the appointing authority, unless revoked sooner by the appointing authority. The members of the private sector serve 3-year terms, except that the initial term of one member is 2 years and the initial term of the other members is 3 years.
4. Expenses and compensation. All members are entitled to reimbursement for expenses in accordance with chapter 379. Members representing state agencies, the Executive Office, the Legislature, the University of Maine System, the Maine Technical College System and the Judiciary are reimbursed for expenses from the budgets of the departments they represent.
A. The members of the board are not entitled to compensation.
Sec. 2. Task Force on Information Technology in the Public Sector.
1. Task force established. There is established the Task Force on Information Technology in the Public Sector, referred to in this Act as the "task force." The purpose of the task force is to study the ways in which information regarding state information and information technology is being accessed by local government, schools, libraries and institutions of higher learning and to ensure that access to this information is maximized by compatible technologies.
2. Task force membership. The task force membership must include but not be limited to:
A. The Commissioner of Administrative and Financial Services or the commissioner's designee;
B. Two members of the Legislature, one to be appointed by the President of the Senate and one to be appointed by the Speaker of the House;
C. The Executive Director of the Legislative Council or the executive director's designee;
D. The Chair of the Information Services Policy Board or the chair's designee;
E. The Commissioner of Education or the commissioner's designee;
F. The State Librarian or the librarian's designee;
G. The Secretary of State or the secretary's designee;
H. The Chair of Public Utilities Commission or the chair's designee;
I. The Public Advocate or the advocate's designee;
J. The Director of the State Planning Office or the director's designee;
K. The Commissioner of Public Safety or the commissioner's designee;
L. The Director of the Bureau of Information Services or the director's designee;
M. The Chancellor of the University of Maine System or the chancellor's designee;
N. The President of the Maine Technical College System or the president's designee;
O. A representative from the Maine Science and Technology Foundation, appointed by the foundation;
P. A representative from the Maine Municipal Association, appointed by the association;
Q. A representative from the Maine School Board Association, appointed by the association; and
R. Five members of the public, appointed by the chairs of the task force.
The task force may extend an invitation to the Chief Justice of the Supreme Judicial Court to appoint a liaison to participate on the task force.The task force may supplement its membership as needed and create working groups with representatives from state agencies and the private sector to assist it in its work.
3. Appointments; meetings; chairs. Appointing authorities shall make all appointments to the task force by September 15, 1997 and report those appointments to the Governor, who shall call the first meeting by September 30, 1997. A legislative representative and the Commissioner of the Department of Administrative and Financial Services or the commissioner's designee serve as cochairs.
4. Responsibilities of task force. The task force shall:
A. Study and recommend whether the State should create a board or invest an existing board with the authority to serve as the lead coordinating and policy agency on information technology expenditures by State Government and state-funded educational institutions;
B. Identify current and pending public technology initiatives undertaken by State Government or state-funded educational institutions that are of significance to the State;
C. Identify innovative ways to improve the return on the public's investment in those initiatives;
D. Recommend ways in which those initiatives should be coordinated to provide for optimum public and private benefits;
E. Recommend continued clearinghouse arrangements for sharing and distributing information on new technology initiatives;
F. Recommend standards that allow the greatest possible compatibility for the resulting technology; and
G. Recommend policies and actions that will enhance the acquisition, storage, retrieval and accessibility of public information from electronic data bases of State Government.
5. Staff assistance. The Department of Administrative and Financial Services and the State Planning Office shall provide staffing assistance to the task force.
6. Reimbursement; mileage and other costs associated with participation on task force. The task force members who are legislators are entitled to receive the legislative per diem, as defined in the Maine Revised Statutes, Title 3, section 2 and expenses for attendance at meetings of the task force. Other members are not entitled to compensation.
7. Funding. The task force is empowered to receive and expend funds and contract for services as required.
8. Report. The task force shall prepare and submit a report, including any necessary implementing legislation, to the Governor, the Chief Justice of the Supreme Judicial Court, the Executive Director of the Legislative Council and the Joint Standing Committee on State and Local Government by January 1, 1998 to be submitted to the First Regular Session of the 119th Legislature.
Sec. 3. Appropriation. The following funds are appropriated from the General Fund to carry out the purposes of this Act.
1997-98
LEGISLATURE
Task Force on Information Technology in the Public Sector
Personal Services $440
All Other 400
Provides funds for the per diem and expenses of legislative members of the Task Force on Information Technology in the Public Sector.
LEGISLATURE __________
TOTAL $840
Effective September 19, 1997, unless otherwise indicated.
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