Senate Bill No. 612
(By Senator Sprouse, By Request)
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[Introduced March 26, 2001; referred to the Committee on
Government Organization; and then to the Committee on Finance.]
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A BILL to amend and reenact section five, article three, chapter
four of the code of West Virginia, one thousand nine hundred
thirty-one, as amended, relating to the creation of a
government website to receive suggestions from the citizenry
concerning more efficient ways to conduct government
operations.
Be it enacted by the Legislature of West Virginia:
That section five, article three, chapter four of the code of
West Virginia, one thousand nine hundred thirty-one, as amended,
be amended and reenacted to read as follows:
ARTICLE 3. JOINT COMMITTEE ON GOVERNMENT AND FINANCE.
§4-3-5. Computer subscriber system; website for citizen
suggestions.
(a) The joint committee on government and finance is
authorized to provide information from portions of the
Legislature's computer data to persons through the internet, or
through other means approved by the committee, for noncommercial
use, with or without charge. The committee may charge and collect
fees for providing or licensing portions of the data maintained in
the Legislature's computer databases to persons requesting the
data.
(b) The joint committee on government and finance shall, prior
to the twelfth day of January, two thousand, consider how best to
provide, through the internet or other means, free public-access to
appropriate information maintained in the Legislature's computer
databases. The committee shall consider providing free public
access through the internet, or other appropriate means, to bill
status information, the text of pending bills, the daily journals
of the House of Delegates and the Senate, the West Virginia code,
and any other information determined appropriate by the committee,
all as maintained by the Legislature in its computer databases. In
determining what information to which to provide free access, the
committee shall consider how the access may affect the integrity,
security and functionality of the Legislature's computer system and its primary use of supporting its legislative functions.
(c) No part of the information contained in the Legislature's
computer system databases in its magnetic or electronic form is a
public record as that term is defined in section two, article one,
chapter twenty-nine-b of this code. Notwithstanding any provisions
of section three, article one, chapter twenty-nine-b of this code
to the contrary, the Legislature may not be required or compelled
to allow access to all or a portion of its databases for inspection
and copying and may not be required to make available copies of all
or a portion of its databases on magnetic or electronic media.
(d) Beginning on the thirty first day of July, two thousand
one, the joint committee on government and finance shall provide a
website which citizens may access for the express purpose of making
suggestions concerning how state government might be improved.
NOTE: The purpose of this bill is to provide for a
governmental website which citizens may access in order to make
suggestions concerning ways to improve the function of government.
Strike-throughs indicate language that would be stricken from
the present law, and underscoring indicates new language that would
be added.