House Bill 649

AN ACT TO CREATE THE MISSISSIPPI DATA MANAGEMENT WORKING GROUP; TO PROVIDE THAT THE MISSISSIPPI DATA MANAGEMENT WORKING GROUP SHALL BE RESPONSIBLE FOR STUDYING STATE AGENCY DATA SOURCES; TO ESTABLISH THE MEMBERSHIP AND REPORTING REQUIREMENTS OF THE MISSISSIPPI DATA MANAGEMENT WORKING GROUP; TO PROVIDE THE DATE OF REPEAL FOR THE MISSISSIPPI DATA MANAGEMENT WORKING GROUP; AND FOR RELATED PURPOSES.

BE IT ENACTED BY THE LEGISLATURE OF THE STATE OF MISSISSIPPI:

SECTION 1. (1) The Legislature finds that the public expects the programs of state government to be managed effectively and efficiently.

(2) The Legislature further finds that to facilitate a state government that is managed effectively and efficiently, the lawmakers and other managers must make data-driven decisions.

(3) The Legislature further finds that the quality of any data-driven decision will be impacted by the quality, utility and accessibility of the data that is maintained and analyzed by the different state government entities.

(4) The Legislature further finds that the volume of state government data that is contained in unstructured formats is dramatically rising due to the use of new technologies.

SECTION 2. (1) There is hereby created the Mississippi Data Management Working Group. The purpose of the Mississippi Data Management Working Group is to provide assistance that enables the state government to be managed in an effective and efficient manner.

(2) The Mississippi Data Management Working Group shall be composed of the following nine (9) members:

(a) The Executive Director of the Mississippi Department of Information Technology Services, or his or her designee;

(b) The Executive Director of the Mississippi Department of Finance and Administration, or his or her designee;

(c) The Director of the Joint Legislative Committee on Performance Evaluation and Expenditure Review (PEER), or his or her designee;

(d) The Director of the Mississippi Legislative Budget Office, or his or her designee;

(e) The Mississippi State Health Officer, or his or her designee;

(f) The Executive Director of the Mississippi Division of Medicaid, or his or her designee;

(g) The Commissioner of Higher Education, or his or her designee;

(h) The Director of the Mississippi Administrative Office of the Courts, or his or her designee; and

(i) The Commissioner of Revenue, or his or her designee.

(3) No later than July 31, 2017, the Executive Director of the Mississippi Department of Information Technology Services, or his or her designee, shall call the first meeting of the Mississippi Data Management Working Group. At its first meeting, the group shall elect a chairperson and vice chairperson from its membership and adopt rules for transacting its business and keeping records. The group shall also develop a plan for completing the responsibilities of the group. The elected chairperson may create committees and appoint group members to serve on each committee as he or she deems necessary to complete the responsibilities of the group.

(4) When required to travel as part of their official duties, members of the Mississippi Data Management Working Group shall be entitled to receive travel reimbursement as provided in Section 25-3-41.

(5) All agencies, boards, commissions, departments and committees of each branch of government shall be required to cooperate with the Mississippi Data Management Working Group in carrying out its responsibilities as provided in this act.

(6) The Mississippi Data Management Working Group shall research and report on issues related to the quality, utility and accessibility of data maintained by the agencies, boards, commissions, departments and committees of each branch of state government. Based on its research, the Mississippi Data Management Working Group shall determine the following:

(a) Whether the entities maintain financial or nonfinancial databases;

(b) Whether the databases are current and what standards, if any, each entity has in place to ensure that the databases are maintained and updated timely and accurately;

(c) Whether the entities have established policies to regulate the retention and archiving of database files from previous years;

(d) Whether the entities have established database standards that provide for uniformity of the database architecture;

(e) Whether the databases are designed and maintained in such a way as to allow transparency and Internet accessibility for public access and use;

(f) Whether organizations that have a duty to assess agency and program effectiveness and efficiency are able to access the databases through the Internet and the level of difficulty such Internet accessibility presents;

(g) The general volume, source and format of the unstructured data that is not currently found in a database;

(h) Whether state or federal legal requirements exist that impact the access and use of confidential or otherwise legally protected information;

(i) Whether one or more data dictionaries for any database exists;

(j) Whether the entities have implemented audit procedures to ensure the reliability of data;

(k) Whether issues exist regarding the public ownership of the entities' databases;

(l) Whether issues exist regarding the security of the databases;

(m) The costs of maintaining the databases; and

(n) Any other matter that merits study and comment as determined by the Mississippi Data Management Working Group.

SECTION 3. (1) Not later than December 1, 2018, the Mississippi Data Management Working Group shall prepare and present a report to the Speaker of the Mississippi House of Representatives, the Lieutenant Governor of the State of Mississippi, the Governor of the State of Mississippi and the Chairs of the Appropriations Committees in the Mississippi House of Representatives and the Mississippi Senate. The final report shall be available for public viewing on the website of the Mississippi Department of Information Technology Services. The report shall contain the following issues:

(a) Findings or conclusions regarding the quality, accessibility and utility of the databases of state government;

(b) Findings or conclusions regarding the volume, source, format and expected growth of unstructured data of the state government;

(d) Any other issue related to managing data as a strategic asset that merits reporting as determined by the Mississippi Data Management Working Group.

(2) The report required under the provisions of this Section 3 shall also contain draft legislation that addresses the concerns stated in the report. Upon presenting the report, all files, research and records gathered by the Mississippi Data Management Working Group shall become work files of the PEER Committee.

SECTION 4. Sections 1 through 4 of House Bill No. 649, 2017 Regular Session, shall stand repealed on December 2, 2018.

SECTION 5. This act shall take effect and be in force from and after July 1, 2017.