EXECUTIVE ORDER MJF 01-13

EXECUTIVE ORDER MJF 01-13

Information Technology Expenditure Freeze

WHEREAS, the Office of Information Technology and the position of chief information officer (hereafter "CIO") were created within the executive department, Division of Administration, by Executive Order No. MJF 98-32, issued on July 9, 1998, as amended by Executive Order No. MJF 2001-12, issued on March 13, 2001, to provide strategic direction, planning, and coordination of information technology (hereafter "IT") operations, programs, activities, and/or services for all the executive departments, agencies, entities, offices, boards, and/or commissions in the executive branch of state government with the exception of those operating under the authority of the Board of Regents, Board of Supervisors for the University of Louisiana System, Board of Supervisors of Louisiana State University and Agricultural and Mechanical College, Board of Supervisors of Southern University and Agricultural and Mechanical College, Board of Supervisors of Community and Technical Colleges, or a statewide elected official other than the governor, unless their inclusion is requested, (hereafter "executive agencies");

WHEREAS, the CIO is in the process of developing an IT master plan for the executive agencies which will include IT standards and guidelines for hardware, software, contracts, systems and consolidation and/or management of systems, and encompass the millions of dollars expended annually on IT by the executive agencies (hereafter "master plan");

WHEREAS, the development of the master plan may take several months and, during that period, there is a significant likelihood that sizeable IT expenditures will be made by executive agencies which may be inconsistent with the master plan; and

WHEREAS, prudent money management practices dictate that the best interests of the citizens of the state of Louisiana will be served by preventing fiscal waste by instituting a freeze on new and/or additional IT expenditures over fifteen thousand dollars ($15,000) until the master plan is adopted and implemented;

NOW THEREFORE I, M. J. "MIKE" FOSTER, JR., Governor of the state of Louisiana, by virtue of the authority vested by the Constitution and laws of this state, do hereby order and direct as follows:

SECTION 1:

A. Unless specifically exempted by a provision of this Order, no information technology expenditure (hereafter "IT expenditure") described in and/or funded by an appropriation through Act No. 2 of the 2000 Second Extraordinary Session of the Louisiana Legislature (hereafter "Act No. 2") and/or Act No. 11 of the 2000 Second Extraordinary Session of the Louisiana Legislature (hereafter "Act No. 11") in an amount in excess of fifteen thousand dollars ($15,000), alone or in aggregate, (hereafter "IT expenditure freeze") shall be made without the express written approval of the chief information officer (hereafter "CIO").

B. The IT expenditure freeze ordered in subsection 1(A) of this Order shall not apply to 1) IT expenditures which the state of Louisiana and/or an agency, department, office, entity, board, and/or commission in the executive branch of state government is legally obligated to make and/or complete as a result of a fully executed and perfected purchase order, contract, and/or other contractual commitment in effect at the time of issuance of this Order; 2) appropriations in schedules 04 and/or 19 of Act No. 2 and/or Act No. 11, except for appropriations to (a) the Office of Student Financial Assistance (19-661), (b) the Louisiana Educational Television Authority (19-662), (c) the Council for Development of French in Louisiana (19-663), and/or (d) the Department of Education (19-678); 3) IT items funded through the following budget categories (a) salaries and/or other forms of compensation and related benefits, (b) travel, (c) major repairs, and/or (d) interagency transfers; or 4) IT expenditures for training.

 SECTION 2:

A. The CIO is authorized to grant any agency, department, office, entity, board and/or commission in the executive branch of state government an exemption, on a case by case basis, or by category, from all or a part of the IT expenditure freeze ordered in subsection 1(A) of this Order, as he deems necessary and appropriate. Such an exemption shall be express and in writing.

B. Requests for an exemption from all or part of the IT expenditure freeze ordered in subsection 1(A) of this Order, on a case by case basis, or by category, shall be submitted only by the secretary or head of a department or by the head of an agency, office, entity, board, or commission which is not within a department. Each request shall be in writing and contain full justification for the request. Requests for an exemption for an IT expenditure of one hundred thousand dollars ($100,000) or more shall also be submitted with a Budget Request Form IT-10.

C. The CIO is authorized to develop guidelines for requests for exemption from all or a part of the IT expenditure freeze ordered in subsection 1(A) of this Order and/or to facilitate the administration of this Order.

D. If necessary, the CIO may develop definitions for the terms and/or the descriptions used in this Order.

 SECTION 3: All departments, commissions, boards, offices, entities, agencies, and officers of the state of Louisiana, or any political subdivision thereof, are authorized and directed to cooperate in the implementation of the provisions of this Order.

SECTION 4: This Order is effective upon signature and shall continue in effect through May 1, 2001, or until amended, modified, terminated, or rescinded by the governor, or terminated by operation of law.

IN WITNESS WHEREOF, I have set my hand officially and caused to be affixed the Great Seal of Louisiana, at the Capitol, in the city of Baton Rouge, on this 13th day of March, 2001.

M.J. "Mike" Foster, Jr.
Governor

ATTEST BY
THE GOVERNOR
Fox McKeithen
Secretary of State