Subd. 1. Creation; chief information officer.

The Office of MN.IT Services, referred to in this chapter as the "office," is an agency in the executive branch headed by a commissioner, who also is the state chief information officer. The appointment of the commissioner is subject to the advice and consent of the senate under section 15.066.

Subd. 1a. Responsibilities.

The office shall provide oversight, leadership, and direction for information and telecommunications technology policy and the management, delivery, accessibility, and security of information and telecommunications technology systems and services in Minnesota. The office shall manage strategic investments in information and telecommunications technology systems and services to encourage the development of a technically literate society, to ensure sufficient access to and efficient delivery of accessible government services, and to maximize benefits for the state government as an enterprise.

Subd. 2. Discretionary powers.

The office may:

1. (1) enter into contracts for goods or services with public or private organizations and charge fees for services it provides;
2. (2) apply for, receive, and expend money from public agencies;
3. (3) apply for, accept, and disburse grants and other aids from the federal government and other public or private sources;
4. (4) enter into contracts with agencies of the federal government, local governmental units, the University of Minnesota and other educational institutions, and private persons and other nongovernmental organizations as necessary to perform its statutory duties;
5. (5) sponsor and conduct conferences and studies, collect and disseminate information, and issue reports relating to information and communications technology issues;
6. (6) review the technology infrastructure of regions of the state and cooperate with and make recommendations to the governor, legislature, state agencies, local governments, local technology development agencies, the federal government, private businesses, and individuals for the realization of information and communications technology infrastructure development potential;
7. (7) sponsor, support, and facilitate innovative and collaborative economic and community development and government services projects, including technology initiatives related to culture and the arts, with public and private organizations; and
8. (8) review and recommend alternative sourcing strategies for state information and communications systems.

Subd. 3. Duties.

1. (a) The office shall:

   1. (1) manage the efficient and effective use of available federal, state, local, and public-private resources to develop statewide information and telecommunications technology systems and services and its infrastructure;
   2. (2) approve state agency and intergovernmental information and telecommunications technology systems and services development efforts involving state or intergovernmental funding, including federal funding, provide information to the legislature regarding projects reviewed, and recommend projects for inclusion in the governor's budget under section 16A.11;
   3. (3) ensure cooperation and collaboration among state and local governments in developing intergovernmental information and telecommunications technology systems and services, and define the structure and responsibilities of a representative governance structure;
   4. (4) cooperate and collaborate with the legislative and judicial branches in the development of information and communications systems in those branches;
   5. (5) continue the development of North Star, the state's official comprehensive online service and information initiative;
   6. (6) promote and collaborate with the state's agencies in the state's transition to an effectively competitive telecommunications market;
   7. (7) collaborate with entities carrying out education and lifelong learning initiatives to assist Minnesotans in developing technical literacy and obtaining access to ongoing learning resources;
   8. (8) promote and coordinate public information access and network initiatives, consistent with chapter 13, to connect Minnesota's citizens and communities to each other, to their governments, and to the world;
   9. (9) promote and coordinate electronic commerce initiatives to ensure that Minnesota businesses and citizens can successfully compete in the global economy;
   10. (10) manage and promote the regular and periodic reinvestment in the information and telecommunications technology systems and services infrastructure so that state and local government agencies can effectively and efficiently serve their customers;
   11. (11) facilitate the cooperative development of and ensure compliance with standards and policies for information and telecommunications technology systems and services, electronic data practices and privacy, and electronic commerce among international, national, state, and local public and private organizations;
   12. (12) eliminate unnecessary duplication of existing information and telecommunications technology systems and services provided by state agencies;
   13. (13) identify, sponsor, develop, and execute shared information and telecommunications technology projects and ongoing operations;
   14. (14) ensure overall security of the state's information and technology systems and services; and
   15. (15) manage and direct compliance with accessibility standards for informational technology, including hardware, software, Web sites, online forms, and online surveys.
2. (b) The chief information officer, in consultation with the commissioner of management and budget, must determine when it is cost-effective for agencies to develop and use shared information and telecommunications technology systems and services for the delivery of electronic government services. The chief information officer may require agencies to use shared information and telecommunications technology systems and services. The chief information officer shall establish reimbursement rates in cooperation with the commissioner of management and budget to be billed to agencies and other governmental entities sufficient to cover the actual development, operating, maintenance, and administrative costs of the shared systems. The methodology for billing may include the use of interagency agreements, or other means as allowed by law.
3. (c) A state agency that has an information and telecommunications technology project with a total expected project cost of more than $1,000,000, whether funded as part of the biennial budget or by any other means, shall register with the office by submitting basic project startup documentation, as specified by the chief information officer in both format and content, before any project funding is requested or committed and before the project commences. State agency project leaders must demonstrate that the project will be properly managed, provide updates to the project documentation as changes are proposed, and regularly report on the current status of the project on a schedule agreed to with the chief information officer.
4. (d) The chief information officer shall monitor progress on any active information and telecommunications technology project with a total expected project cost of more than $5,000,000 and report on the performance of the project in comparison with the plans for the project in terms of time, scope, and budget. The chief information officer may conduct an independent project audit of the project. The audit analysis and evaluation of the projects subject to paragraph (c) must be presented to agency executive sponsors, the project governance bodies, and the chief information officer. All reports and responses must become part of the project record.
5. (e) For any active information and telecommunications technology project with a total expected project cost of more than $10,000,000, the state agency must perform an annual independent audit that conforms to published project audit principles promulgated by the office.
6. (f) The chief information officer shall report by January 15 of each year to the chairs and ranking minority members of the legislative committees and divisions with jurisdiction over the office regarding projects the office has reviewed under paragraph (a), clause (13). The report must include the reasons for the determinations made in the review of each project and a description of its current status.