Senate Bill 2259

(As Passed the Senate)

AN ACT TO AMEND SECTION 25-53-151, MISSISSIPPI CODE OF 1972, TO REQUIRE THE MISSISSIPPI DEPARTMENT OF INFORMATION TECHNOLOGY SERVICES (MDITS) TO DEVELOP A STATE PORTAL TO PROVIDE POTENTIAL VENDORS OF GOODS AND SERVICES AND NECESSARY INFORMATION TO ASSIST THEM IN PROCURING CONTRACTS WITH THE STATE OF MISSISSIPPI; TO CREATE NEW CODE SECTION 27-104-165, MISSISSIPPI CODE OF 1972, TO REQUIRE THAT THE PORTAL BE INCORPORATED INTO THE CURRENT TRANSPARENCY MISSISSIPPI WEBSITE; AND FOR RELATED PURPOSES.

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

SECTION 1. Section 25-53-151, Mississippi Code of 1972, is amended as follows:

25-53-151. (1) There is established in the State Treasury the "Electronic Government Services Fund," into which shall be deposited specific funds appropriated by the Legislature for developing and providing electronic government services within the State of Mississippi. Any funds in the Electronic Government Services Fund at the end of a fiscal year shall not lapse into the State General Fund, but shall be available for expenditure in the subsequent fiscal year. The funds in the Electronic Government Fund shall be available for expenditure pursuant to specific appropriation by the Legislature beginning in fiscal year 2002, to the Mississippi Department of Information Technology Services.

(2) There is hereby established an Electronic Government Oversight Committee to oversee the implementation of E-Government and related technology initiatives. Duties of this committee would include: (a) prioritize and make recommendations for all electronic government services, in order to cut across state and local governmental organizational structures; (b) address policy issues such as privacy, security, transaction fees and accessibility; (c) review ongoing fiscal and operational management and support of portal; (d) provide a mechanism for gathering input from citizens, businesses and government entities; (e) encourage self-service models for citizens through state websites and other electronic services; and (f) promote economic development and efficient delivery of government services by encouraging governmental and private sector entities to conduct their business and transactions using electronic media. The Electronic Government Oversight Committee shall be composed of the following: (a) the Executive Director of the Mississippi Department of Information Technology Services, or his designee;

(b) the State Auditor, or his designee; (c) the State Treasurer, or his designee; (d) the Secretary of State, or his designee; (e) the Executive Director of the Department of Finance and Administration, or his designee; (f) the Commissioner of Public Safety, or his designee; (g) the Commissioner of Revenue, or his designee. The committee shall annually elect one (1) member to serve as chairman and one (1) member to serve as vice chairman, who shall act as chairman in the absence of the chairman. The committee shall meet monthly or upon the call of the chairman, and shall make necessary reports and recommendations to the Legislature and the appropriate agencies of state government. All agencies of state government shall cooperate with the committee in providing requested information, shall work closely with and provide information to the committee and shall report to the committee at its request. The Mississippi Department of Information Technology Services shall provide administrative support for the committee. Nonlegislative members of the committee shall serve without compensation.

(3) In addition to any other duties that may be hereinafter assigned to the Electronic Government Oversight Committee, the committee shall be responsible for developing a procurement portal which will enable potential vendors of goods and services access to relevant and necessary information related to the sale of the following to the State of Mississippi and its agencies. The types of goods and services for which the portal shall include information are:

(a) Commodities as defined by Section 31-7-1;

(b) Contract personnel as defined by Sections 25-9-107 and 25-9-120; and

(4) The portal provided for in subsection (3) shall provide potential vendors with:

(a) A searchable database of business opportunities with the state that includes a breakdown by product/service and by the organization seeking the product/service;

(b) Listings of the published date and closing date for each contract;

(d) A searchable database of contract types, contract number, commodity, supplier, organization or keywords;

(e) A breakdown of "Frequently Asked Questions" regarding the selection process with the respective agencies;

(f) An open-air forum for questions and answers relating to the procurement process in general and/or specific to a single contract; and

(g) Links to individual agency websites and contacts to enable potential vendors to obtain more specific information if necessary.

(5) The portal shall be maintained as part of the Transparency Mississippi website provided for in Sections 27-104-151 through 27-104-163. The Mississippi Department of Information Technology Services shall develop and maintain a link to the portal from the state website.

SECTION 2. The following shall be codified as Section 27-104-165, Mississippi Code of 1972:

27-104-165. The Department of Finance and Administration, with assistance from the Mississippi Department of Information Technology Services and the State Personnel Board, shall insure that the portal provided for in Section 1 of this act shall be made a part of the Transparency Mississippi website.

SECTION 3. This act shall take effect and be in force from and after July 1, 2014.