S.B. 70

             1     

STATE DATA PORTAL AMENDMENTS

             2     
2014 GENERAL SESSION

             3     
STATE OF UTAH

             4     
Chief Sponsor: Deidre M. Henderson

             5     
House Sponsor: Steve Eliason

             6     
             7      LONG TITLE
             8      General Description:
             9          This bill modifies provisions related to the availability of public information and the
             10      duties of the Utah Transparency Advisory Board.
             11      Highlighted Provisions:
             12          This bill:
             13          .    directs the Utah Transparency Advisory Board to analyze ways to make the
             14      information on the Utah Public Finance Website more relevant to citizens;
             15          .    directs the Utah Transparency Advisory Board to identify and prioritize public
             16      information in the possession of a state agency or political subdivision that may be
             17      appropriate for publication on the public information website;
             18          .    directs the Division of Finance to:
             19              .    by certain dates, modify the public information website to include a single point
             20      of access for all Government Records Access and Management requests for
             21      executive agencies, political subdivisions, and special districts; and
             22              .    modify the public information website to include links to already existing public
             23      information, provide multiple download options, provide additional public
             24      information when identified, and include technical elements that the Utah
             25      Transparency Advisory Board identifies as useful to a citizen using the website;
             26      and
             27          .    makes technical changes.


             28      Money Appropriated in this Bill:
             29          None
             30      Other Special Clauses:
             31          None
             32      Utah Code Sections Affected:
             33      AMENDS:
             34           63A-3-403 , as last amended by Laws of Utah 2013, Chapters 84 and 310
             35           63A-3-404 , as last amended by Laws of Utah 2009, Chapter 310
             36     
             37      Be it enacted by the Legislature of the state of Utah:
             38          Section 1. Section 63A-3-403 is amended to read:
             39           63A-3-403. Utah Transparency Advisory Board -- Creation -- Membership --
             40      Duties.
             41          (1) There is created within the department the Utah Transparency Advisory Board
             42      comprised of members knowledgeable about public finance or providing public access to
             43      public information.
             44          (2) The board consists of:
             45          (a) an individual appointed by the director of the Division of Finance;
             46          (b) an individual appointed by the executive director of the Governor's Office of
             47      Management and Budget;
             48          (c) an individual appointed by the governor on advice from the Legislative Fiscal
             49      Analyst;
             50          (d) one member of the Senate, appointed by the governor on advice from the president
             51      of the Senate;
             52          (e) one member of the House of Representatives, appointed by the governor on advice
             53      from the speaker of the House of Representatives;
             54          (f) an individual appointed by the director of the Department of Technology Services;
             55          (g) the director of the Division of Archives created in Section 63A-12-101 or the
             56      director's designee;
             57          (h) an individual who is a member of the State Records Committee created in Section
             58      63G-2-501 , appointed by the governor;


             59          (i) an individual representing counties, appointed by the governor;
             60          (j) an individual representing municipalities, appointed by the governor; and
             61          (k) two individuals who are members of the public and who have knowledge,
             62      expertise, or experience in matters relating to the board's duties under Subsection (10),
             63      appointed by the board members identified in Subsections (2)(a) through (j).
             64          (3) The board shall:
             65          (a) advise the division on matters related to the implementation and administration of
             66      this part;
             67          (b) develop plans, make recommendations, and assist in implementing the provisions
             68      of this part;
             69          (c) determine what public financial information shall be provided by participating state
             70      and local entities, if the public financial information:
             71          (i) only includes records that:
             72          (A) are classified as public under Title 63G, Chapter 2, Government Records Access
             73      and Management Act;
             74          (B) are an accounting of money, funds, accounts, bonds, loans, expenditures, or
             75      revenues, regardless of the source; and
             76          (C) are owned, held, or administered by the participating state or local entity that is
             77      required to provide the record; and
             78          (ii) is of the type or nature that should be accessible to the public via a website based
             79      on considerations of:
             80          (A) the cost effectiveness of providing the information;
             81          (B) the value of providing the information to the public; and
             82          (C) privacy and security considerations;
             83          (d) evaluate the cost effectiveness of implementing specific information resources and
             84      features on the website;
             85          (e) establish size or budget thresholds to identify those local entities that qualify as
             86      participating local entities as defined in this part, giving special consideration to the budget and
             87      resource limitations of an entity with a current annual budget of less than $10,000,000;
             88          (f) require participating local entities to provide public financial information in
             89      accordance with the requirements of this part, with a specified content, reporting frequency,


             90      and form;
             91          (g) require a participating local entity's website to be accessible by link or other direct
             92      route from the Utah Public Finance Website if the participating local entity does not use the
             93      Utah Public Finance Website; [and]
             94          (h) determine the search methods and the search criteria that shall be made available to
             95      the public as part of a website used by a participating local entity under the requirements of this
             96      part, which criteria may include:
             97          (i) fiscal year;
             98          (ii) expenditure type;
             99          (iii) name of the agency;
             100          (iv) payee;
             101          (v) date; and
             102          (vi) amount[.]; and
             103          (i) analyze ways to improve the information on the Utah Public Finance Website so the
             104      information is more relevant to citizens, including through the use of:
             105          (i) infographics that provide more context to the data; and
             106          (ii) geolocation services, if possible.
             107          (4) The board shall annually elect a chair and a vice chair from its members.
             108          (5) (a) Each member shall serve a two-year term.
             109          (b) When a vacancy occurs in the membership for any reason, the replacement shall be
             110      appointed for the remainder of the unexpired term.
             111          (6) To accomplish its duties, the board[: (a) may meet as many as eight times during
             112      2013; and (b) shall, after 2013,] shall meet as it determines necessary.
             113          (7) Reasonable notice shall be given to each member of the board before any meeting.
             114          (8) A majority of the board constitutes a quorum for the transaction of business.
             115          (9) A member may not receive compensation or benefits for the member's service, but
             116      may receive per diem and travel expenses in accordance with:
             117          (a) Section 63A-3-106 ;
             118          (b) Section 63A-3-107 ; and
             119          (c) rules made by the Division of Finance pursuant to Sections 63A-3-106 and
             120      63A-3-107 .


             121          (10) (a) As used in [this Subsection] Subsections (10) and (11):
             122          (i) "Information website" means a single Internet website containing public information
             123      or links to public information.
             124          (ii) "Public information" means records of state or local government that are classified
             125      as public under Title 63G, Chapter 2, Government Records Access and Management Act.
             126          (b) The board shall:
             127          (i) study the establishment of an information website and develop recommendations for
             128      its establishment;
             129          (ii) develop recommendations about how to make public information more readily
             130      available to the public through the information website;
             131          (iii) develop standards to make uniform the format and accessibility of public
             132      information posted to the information website; and
             133          [(iv) no later than November 30, 2013, report the board's recommendations and
             134      standards developed under Subsections (10)(b)(i) through (iii) to the executive director and the
             135      Legislative Management Committee.]
             136          (iv) identify and prioritize public information in the possession of a state agency or
             137      political subdivision that may be appropriate for publication on the information website.
             138          (c) In fulfilling its duties under Subsection (10)(b), the board shall be guided by
             139      principles that encourage:
             140          (i) (A) the establishment of a standardized format of public information that makes the
             141      information more easily accessible by the public;
             142          (B) the removal of restrictions on the reuse of public information;
             143          (C) minimizing limitations on the disclosure of public information while appropriately
             144      safeguarding sensitive information; and
             145          (D) balancing factors in favor of excluding public information from an information
             146      website against the public interest in having the information accessible on an information
             147      website;
             148          (ii) (A) permanent, lasting, open access to public information; and
             149          (B) the publication of bulk public information;
             150          (iii) the implementation of well-designed public information systems that ensure data
             151      quality, create a public, comprehensive list or index of public information, and define a process


             152      for continuous publication of and updates to public information;
             153          (iv) the identification of public information not currently made available online and the
             154      implementation of a process, including a timeline and benchmarks, for making that public
             155      information available online; and
             156          (v) accountability on the part of those who create, maintain, manage, or store public
             157      information or post it to an information website.
             158          (d) The department shall implement the board's recommendations, including the
             159      establishment of an information website, to the extent that implementation:
             160          (i) is approved by the Legislative Management Committee;
             161          (ii) does not require further legislative appropriation; and
             162          (iii) is within the department's existing statutory authority.
             163          (11) The department shall, in consultation with the board, modify the information
             164      website described in Subsection (10) to:
             165          (a) by January 1, 2015, serve as a single point of access for Government Records
             166      Access and Management requests for all executive agencies;
             167          (b) by January 1, 2016, serve as a single point of access for Government Records
             168      Access and Management requests for all political subdivisions;
             169          (c) by January 1, 2017, serve as a single point of access for Government Records
             170      Access and Management requests for all special districts;
             171          (d) provide link capabilities to other existing repositories of public information,
             172      including maps, photograph collections, legislatively required reports, election data, statute,
             173      rules, regulations, and local ordinances that exist on other agency and political subdivision
             174      websites;
             175          (e) provide multiple download options in different formats, including nonproprietary,
             176      open formats where possible;
             177          (f) provide any other public information that the board, under Subsection (10),
             178      identifies as appropriate for publication on the information website; and
             179          (g) incorporate technical elements the board identifies as useful to a citizen using the
             180      information website.
             181          Section 2. Section 63A-3-404 is amended to read:
             182           63A-3-404. Rulemaking authority.


             183          (1) After consultation with the board, and in accordance with Title 63G, Chapter 3,
             184      Utah Administrative Rulemaking Act, the Division of Finance shall make rules to:
             185          (a) require participating state entities to provide public financial information for
             186      inclusion on the Utah Public Finance Website;
             187          (b) define, either uniformly for all participating state entities, or on an entity by entity
             188      basis, the term "public financial information" using the standards provided in Subsection
             189      63A-3-403 [(2)](3)(c); and
             190          (c) establish procedures for obtaining, submitting, reporting, storing, and providing
             191      public financial information on the Utah Public Finance Website, which may include a
             192      specified reporting frequency and form.
             193          (2) After consultation with the board, and in accordance with Title 63G, Chapter 3,
             194      Utah Administrative Rulemaking Act, the Division of Finance may make rules to:
             195          (a) require a participating state or local entity to list certain expenditures made by a
             196      person under a contract with the entity; and
             197          (b) if a list is required under Subsection (2)(a), require the following information to be
             198      included:
             199          (i) the name of the participating state or local entity making the expenditure;
             200          (ii) the name of the person receiving the expenditure;
             201          (iii) the date of the expenditure;
             202          (iv) the amount of the expenditure;
             203          (v) the purpose of the expenditure;
             204          (vi) the name of each party to the contract;
             205          (vii) an electronic copy of the contract; or
             206          (viii) any other criteria designated by rule.




Legislative Review Note
    as of 2-14-14 9:53 AM


Office of Legislative Research and General Counsel


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