MISSISSIPPI LEGISLATURE
2003 Regular Session
To: County Affairs; Appropriations
By: Senator(s) Canon, Dearing, Bryan, Hewes, Walls
AN ACT TO CREATE A TASK FORCE ON LOCAL GOVERNMENT INFORMATION SYSTEMS; TO PROVIDE FOR THE MEMBERSHIP OF THE TASK FORCE AND TO PRESCRIBE ITS DUTIES; 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 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 hereby created the statewide task force on local government information systems. The task force shall consist of the following members:
(a) The Executive Director of the Department of Information Technology Services;
(b) The Executive Director of the Administrative Office of Courts;
(c) The Executive Director of the Department of Environmental Quality;
(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 Emergency Management Agency;
(j) One (1) member of the Mississippi Chancery Clerks' Association, appointed by the president of the association;
(k) One (1) member of the Mississippi Circuit Clerks' Association, appointed by the president of the association;
(l) One (1) member of the Mississippi Association of Supervisors, appointed by the president of the association;
(m) One (1) member of the Tax Assessors' and Collectors' Association, appointed by the president of the association;
(n) One (1) member appointed by the Mississippi Sheriffs' Association, appointed by the presiding officer of the 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 of Representatives;
(q) One (1) member of the Mississippi State Senate, appointed by the Lieutenant Governor;
(r) One (1) member appointed by the Mississippi Association of Planning and Development Districts; and
(s) The Executive Director of the Local Government Records Office, Department of Archives and History.
(2) The Executive Director of the Administrative Office of Courts shall serve as the chairman of the task force. No appointed member shall have a material financial interest in any business that sells, distributes or manufactures computer software, hardware or any telecommunications services.
(3) Nonlegislative members shall serve without salary or per diem compensation; however, all members shall be entitled to actual travel expenses as provided for in Section 25-3-41.
(4) Legislative members shall be entitled to per diem as authorized in Section 25-3-69 and a mileage and expense allowance as authorized in Section 5-1-47.
SECTION 2. (1) 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 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 PL-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).
(2) To carry out the responsibilities for in this act, the task force shall have the authority to cooperate and establish a liaison with the Advisory Committee created to assist the Secretary of State in development statewide voter registration systems. The task force shall also have the authority to cooperate and 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 (GIS).
(3) Upon receipt of the task force's report, 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.
(4) The chairman of the task force shall have the authority to request staff support from any state agency enumerated in Section 1 of this act to assist the task force in carrying out its responsibilities under this act.
SECTION 3. Sections 1 through 3 of this act shall stand repealed from and after June 30, 2004.
SECTION 4. This act shall take effect and be in force from and after its passage.