BILL ANALYSIS

S.B. 819

By: Nelson

State Affairs

Committee Report (Unamended)

BACKGROUND AND PURPOSE

There have been calls for the state to continue improving the effectiveness of statewide information technology and cybersecurity by implementing recent recommendations by the Department of Information Resources. S.B. 819 seeks to provide for such improvement.

CRIMINAL JUSTICE IMPACT

It is the committee's opinion that this bill does not expressly create a criminal offense, increase the punishment for an existing criminal offense or category of offenses, or change the eligibility of a person for community supervision, parole, or mandatory supervision.

RULEMAKING AUTHORITY

It is the committee's opinion that this bill does not expressly grant any additional rulemaking authority to a state officer, department, agency, or institution.

ANALYSIS

S.B. 819 amends the Government Code to redesignate the statewide data coordinator employed by the Department of Information Resources (DIR) as the chief data officer. The bill includes among the chief data officer's duties assisting DIR in the development and management of a data portal for use by state agencies. The bill revises the requirement for the chief data officer to develop and implement best practices among state agencies to encourage agencies to collect and post information related to agency functions on the agency's website by including other data maintained by the agency among the information to be collected and posted and by authorizing the posting of such information on the data portal managed by DIR as an alternative to posting that information on the agency's website. The bill removes the provision setting September 1, 2021, as the expiration date for statutory provisions relating to the chief data officer.

S.B. 819 requires DIR to establish a digital transformation guide to assist state agencies with modernizing agency operations and services with respect to electronic data and converting agency information into electronic data. The bill authorizes DIR to provide mobile application development assistance, paper document and form inventory assistance, paperless or paper‑on‑request operational process planning and development, and electronic notification and digital communication between an agency and the public. The bill requires DIR to do the following:

· establish a central repository of publicly accessible electronic data as the official open data website for the state;

· designate the repository as the Texas Open Data Portal; and

· ensure that state agencies and political subdivisions of the state are granted shared access to the repository that allows the agencies and political subdivisions to easily post publicly accessible information to the repository.

The bill requires each applicable state agency to prioritize using the repository and actively collaborate with DIR on publicly accessible data issues.

S.B. 819 changes the person who serves as a state agency's information resources manager from the presiding officer of the agency's governing body or the agency's executive director, as applicable, or the designated representative of the presiding officer or executive director to an agency employee designated by the agency.

S.B. 819 requires an applicable state agency to consider cloud computing service options and compatibility with cloud computing services in the development of new information technology software applications.

EFFECTIVE DATE

September 1, 2019.