Office of Electronic Services Duties

from Act 772 of the 2001 Legislative Session

SB NO. 455,
R.S. 39:16.1, 16.2, 16.3, 16.4, 16.5

The Office of Electronic Services shall have the following duties:

1. To identify the policy and planning data needs of the state.
2. To provide for a catalog maintained in electronic format of databases in the state.
3. To coordinate mutual data needs of the state.
4. To encourage cooperative endeavors between public entities and private individuals, businesses, or nonprofit corporations in the development, enhancement, and sharing of databases, information and information services.
5. To provide for the uniformity, accuracy, format, and timeliness of the catalog.
6. To create or to authorize or contract with another public entity to provide a clearinghouse for information on location, scope, format, access, and availability of data in Louisiana.
7. To provide for the voluntary inclusion of private sector and nonprofit corporation data and information resources in the catalog.
8. To define the Louisiana Database.
9. To establish and maintain a statewide plan for using electronic technology to enhance and improve the effectiveness,
   efficiency, and timeliness of providing access to information, delivery of state services, and conduct of state business.
10. To coordinate with state agencies to provide and maintain an electronic directory of all state services.
11. To ensure that the directory of state services is electronically accessible to state personnel, other public sector, private
    sector, nonprofits, and citizens.
12. To facilitate a process among state agencies to identify services that are favorable for electronic delivery.
13. To coordinate endeavors to implement electronic delivery of services for which electronic delivery has been determined to be
    favorable.
14. To determine mutual technology and process needs of state agencies to provide for information access and electronic delivery of services and to coordinate endeavors to promote technology sharing and facilitation of statewide capabilities to meet these needs.
15. To provide an Internet portal to serve as the gateway to all state information that is electronically available online from agency
    web sites.
16. To coordinate statewide standards for electronic access to and dissemination of information and resources made available through
    state agency web sites.
17. To ensure that the Louisiana Database and other state data, informational resources, and electronically delivered services are
    accessible to all departments and branches of state government, other public sectors, the private sectors, nonprofits, and citizens.
18. To maintain the confidentiality and privacy of protected data while encouraging as much access to state information as possible
    by government entities and other interested persons.
19. To provide for coordination of geographic data, geographic technology, and geographic standards of the state.
20. To facilitate access to state online resources by individuals with disabilities, economic, or geographic impediments.
21. To charge respective user agencies for the cost of the information technology services provided by the office of electronic
    services, including the cost of the operation of the office. These costs shall be charged in a consistent and equitable manner.

The office of electronic services shall provide for the creation of a catalog in electronic format of databases in Louisiana. The catalog shall contain relevant information that identifies the existence, location, scope, format, access, and other information as determined by the office; however, no information that is declared confidential or otherwise exempt from disclosure as a public record by law or is
protected by a valid license agreement or contract shall be included in the catalog entry identifying that database. The catalog entry shall contain a notation as prescribed by the office that the data is confidential or otherwise protected from public disclosure.

A. All departments and agencies of all branches of government shall cooperate with the office of electronic services in providing and maintaining information related to the Louisiana Database and other electronically available state data, informational resources, and electronically delivered services of the state.

B. No department or agency shall be required to furnish information that is declared confidential or otherwise exempt from disclosure as a public record by law or data protected by contract or licensing agreements. However, every department and agency shall provide information on such data that is required to catalog the data.