MISSISSIPPI LEGISLATURE
2019 Regular Session
To: Judiciary A
By: Representative Baker
AN ACT TO CREATE THE DISTRICT ATTORNEY FILE MANAGEMENT TASK FORCE; TO SPECIFY THE DUTIES OF THE TASK FORCE; TO PROVIDE FOR THE MEMBERSHIP OF THE TASK FORCE; AND FOR RELATED PURPOSES.
WHEREAS, district attorneys across the State of Mississippi are adopting their own unique software to manage files, which has the tendency to become inefficient and ineffective when sharing files with other district attorney's offices throughout the state; and
WHEREAS, it is important to create a task force to consider recommendations for a uniform system of file management for all district attorney's offices throughout the state, with its general mission being to increase accessibility, uniformity and integration regarding file management; NOW, THEREFORE,
BE IT ENACTED BY THE LEGISLATURE OF THE STATE OF MISSISSIPPI:
SECTION 1. (1) There is created a District Attorney File Management Task Force to examine policies, programs and other issues related to developing a uniform file management system to be used in each district attorney's office throughout the State of Mississippi.
(2) Duties of the task force shall include the following:
(a) Review data regarding the current file management software systems being used by district attorney's offices throughout the state;
(b) Evaluate file management software which is currently available; and
(c) Develop recommendations for a uniform file management software system to be used by each district attorney's office throughout the state.
(3) The task force shall make a report of its findings and recommendations to the Legislature by December 1, 2019, including any recommended legislation.
(4) The task force shall be composed of thirteen (13) members, as follows:
(a) Two (2) members of the House of Representatives to be appointed by the Speaker of the House of Representatives;
(b) Two (2) members of the Senate to be appointed by the Lieutenant Governor;
(c) Three (3) district attorneys to be appointed by the Governor;
(d) Two (2) judges to be appointed by the Governor;
(e) Two (2) members of the Mississippi Department of Information Technology Services (MDITS), to be appointed by the Executive Director of MDITS; and
(f) Two (2) members of the Joint Legislative Committee on Performance Evaluation and Expenditure Review (PEER), to be appointed by the chair of the committee, with one (1) member being from the House of Representatives and one (1) member being from the Senate.
(5) Legislative appointments shall be made within thirty (30) days after the effective date of this act. Within fifteen (15) days thereafter on a day to be designated jointly by the Speaker of the House of Representatives and the Lieutenant Governor, the task force shall meet and organize by selecting from its membership a chair and a vice chair. The vice chair shall also serve as secretary and shall be responsible for keeping all records of the task force. A majority of the members of the task force shall constitute a quorum. In the selection of its officers and the adoption of rules, resolutions and reports, an affirmative vote of a majority of the task force shall be required. All members shall be notified in writing of all meetings, and those notices shall be mailed at least fifteen (15) days before the date on which a meeting is to be held.
(6) The members of the task force who are not legislators shall be compensated at the per diem rate authorized by Section 25-3-69 and shall be reimbursed in accordance with Section 25-3-41 for mileage and actual expenses incurred in the performance of their duties. Legislative members of the task force shall be paid from the contingent expense funds of their respective houses in the same manner as provided for committee meetings when the Legislature is not in session. However, no per diem or expenses for attending meetings of the task force will be paid to legislative members of the task force while the Legislature is in session. No task force members may incur per diem, travel or other expense unless previously authorized by vote, at a meeting of the task force, which action shall be recorded in the official minutes of the meeting. The nonlegislative members shall be paid from any funds made available to the task force for that purpose.
SECTION 2. This act shall take effect and be in force from and after its passage.