House Bill 992

AN ACT TO CREATE A TASK FORCE ON LOCAL GOVERNMENT INFORMATION SYSTEMS; TO REQUIRE THE DEPARTMENT OF INFORMATION TECHNOLOGY SERVICES TO REVIEW ALL RECOMMENDATIONS OF THE TASK FORCE AND TO PROPOSE LEGISLATION TO IMPLEMENT THESE RECOMMENDATIONS; TO PROVIDE FOR THE MEMBERSHIP OF THE TASK FORCE AND TO PRESCRIBE ITS DUTIES; TO REQUIRE THAT CERTAIN STATE AGENCIES PROVIDE STAFF SUPPORT TO THE TASK FORCE; AND FOR RELATED PURPOSES.

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

SECTION 1. (1) There is created a Task Force on Local Government Information Systems, hereinafter referred to as "task force." The task force shall develop a report to the Department of Information Technology Services to be delivered no later than October 1, 2003. This report shall address at a minimum:

(a) A description of the current condition of information technology services available to the public in the offices of the chancery clerks, circuit clerks, tax assessors and tax collectors of the State of Mississippi;

(b) Recommendations on the hardware and software needs to create user-friendly, uniform systems for public access to court records, land records, tax records and all other public documents maintained by chancery clerks, circuit clerks, tax assessors and tax collectors in all counties of the state;

(c) Recommendations or comments regarding system compatibility and economy of those systems being developed under the Secretary of State's authority to develop and implement a statewide voter registration system, as required by Congress in Public Law 107-252;

(d) Recommendations or comments on any initiative to establish and implement a uniform Geographic Information System (GIS) in each county of the state;

(e) Recommendations on methods of funding software, hardware and telecommunications acquisitions necessary for each county to comply with the task force recommendations; and

(f) Recommendations for the use of world wide web-based systems for accessing the public information systems recommended in paragraph (b) of this section.

Upon receiving the report of the task force, the Department of Information Technology Services shall review the report and make recommendations to the Legislature no later than December 15, 2003, regarding legislation that would be necessary to implement the recommendations of the task force.

(2) The membership of the task force includes the following members:

(a) The Executive Director of the Mississippi Department of Information Technology Services;

(b) The Executive Director of the Administrative Office of Courts;

(d) The Secretary of State or his designee;

(e) The Chairman of the State Tax Commission or his designee;

(f) The Executive Director of the Mississippi Automated Resource Information System;

(g) The State Auditor or his designee;

(h) The Commissioner of Public Safety;

(i) The Executive Director of the Mississippi Emergency Management Agency;

(j) One (1) member of the Mississippi Chancery Clerks' Association, appointed by the president of that association;

(k) One (1) member of the Mississippi Circuit Clerks' Association, appointed by the president of that association;

(l) One (1) member of the Mississippi Association of Supervisors, appointed by the president of that association;

(m) One (1) member of the Tax Assessors' and Collectors' Association, appointed by the president of that association;

(n) One (1) member of the Mississippi Sheriffs' Association, appointed by the president of that association;

(o) Two (2) citizen members, appointed by the Governor;

(p) One (1) member of the Mississippi House of Representatives, appointed by the Speaker of the House;

(q) One (1) member of the Mississippi State Senate, appointed by the Lieutenant Governor; and

(r) One (1) member appointed by the Mississippi Association of Planning and Development Districts.

No appointed member of the board shall have a material financial interest in any business that sells, distributes or manufactures computer software, hardware or any telecommunication services.

(3) The Executive Director of the Administrative Office of Courts shall serve as the chairman of the task force. A majority of the members constitutes a quorum. All members must be notified of all meetings, and such notices must be mailed at least five (5) days before the date on which a meeting is to be held.

(4) Any member of the task force who is also a state employee may not receive per diem compensation for attending meetings of the task force, but may be reimbursed in accordance with Section 25-3-41 for mileage and actual expenses incurred in the performance of the duties. Legislative members of the task force will be paid from the contingent expense funds of their respective houses in the same amounts as provided for committee meetings when the Legislature is not in session.

(5) To carry out the responsibilities provided for in this act, the task force may establish a liaison with the advisory committee created to assist the Secretary of State in developing statewide voter registration systems. The task force may establish a liaison with any statewide task force that may be established to devise or recommend standards for the implementation of statewide geographic information systems.

(6) The task force may utilize staff employed by the agencies affected by this act and any other assistance made available to it.

(7) This section shall stand repealed on June 30, 2004.

SECTION 2. This act shall take effect and be in force from and after its passage.