Wis. Stat. § 16.971 — WI Code / Chapter 16 / Section 16.971
Responsibilities of department.
Status: in_force

(2) The department shall:

(a) Ensure that an adequate level of information technology services is made available to all agencies by providing systems analysis and application programming services to augment agency resources, as requested. The department shall also ensure that executive branch agencies, other than the board of regents of the University of Wisconsin System, make effective and efficient use of the information technology resources of the state. The department shall, in cooperation with agencies, establish policies, procedures and planning processes, for the administration of information technology services, which executive branch agencies shall follow. The policies, procedures and processes shall address the needs of agencies, other than the board of regents of the University of Wisconsin System, to carry out their functions. The department shall monitor adherence to these policies, procedures and processes.

(ae) Except as provided in sub. (2m) , review and approve, modify or reject all forms approved by a records and forms officer for jurisdiction, authority, standardization of design and nonduplication of existing forms. Unless the department rejects for cause or modifies the form within 20 working days after receipt, it is considered approved. The department’s rejection of any form is appealable to the public records board. If the head of an agency certifies to the department that the form is needed on a temporary basis, approval by the department is not required.

(am) Make as cost effective as possible the procurement and use of forms by agencies.

(ap) Prescribe a forms management program for agencies.

(b) Develop and maintain information technology resource planning and budgeting techniques at all levels of state government.

(c) Develop and maintain procedures to ensure information technology resource planning and sharing between executive branch agencies. The procedures shall ensure the interconnection of information technology resources of executive branch agencies, if interconnection is consistent with the strategic plans formulated under pars. (L) and (m) .

(cf) Implement, operate, maintain, and upgrade an enterprise resource planning system capable of providing information technology services to all agencies in the areas of accounting, auditing, payroll and other financial services; procurement; human resources; and other administrative processes. The department may provide information technology services under this subsection to any executive branch agency under s. 16.70 (4) . The department may also provide information technology services to any local governmental unit under this subsection.

(cm) Prescribe standards for data, application, and business process integration that shall be used by executive branch agencies, to the extent consistent with the statewide strategic plan formulated under par. (m) , and that enable local governmental units to integrate their data, application, and business processes into state systems whenever feasible.

(d) Develop review and approval procedures which encourage timely and cost-effective hardware, software, and professional services acquisitions, and review and approve the acquisition of such items and services under those procedures.

(e) Collect, analyze and interpret, in cooperation with agencies, that data necessary to assist the information technology resource planning needs of the governor and legislature.

(f) Provide advice and assistance during budget preparation concerning information technology resource plans and capabilities.

(g) Ensure that management reviews of information technology organizations are conducted.

(h) Gather, interpret and disseminate information on new technological developments, management techniques and information technology resource capabilities and their possible effect on current and future management plans to all interested parties.

(i) Ensure that a level of information technology services are provided to all agencies that are equitable in regard to resource availability, cost and performance.

(j) Ensure that all executive branch agencies develop and operate with clear guidelines and standards in the areas of information technology systems development and that they employ good management practices and cost-benefit justifications.

(k) Ensure that all state data processing facilities develop proper privacy and security procedures and safeguards.

(L) Require each executive branch agency, other than the board of regents of the University of Wisconsin System, to adopt and submit to the department, in a form specified by the department, no later than March 1 of each year, a strategic plan for the utilization of information technology to carry out the functions of the agency in the succeeding fiscal year for review and approval under s. 16.976 .

(Lg)

1. Develop, in consultation with each executive branch agency, other than the Board of Regents of the University of Wisconsin System, and adopt the following written policies for information technology development projects included in the strategic plan required of each executive branch agency under par. (L) and that either exceed $1,000,000 or that are vital to the functions of the executive branch agency:

a. A standardized reporting format.

b. A requirement that both proposed and ongoing information technology development projects be included.

2. The department shall submit for review by the joint legislative audit committee and for approval by the joint committee on information policy and technology any proposed policies required under subd. 1. and any proposed revisions to the policies.

(Lm) No later than 60 days after enactment of each biennial budget act, require each executive branch agency, other than the board of regents of the University of Wisconsin System, that receives funding under that act for an information technology development project to file with the department an amendment to its strategic plan for the utilization of information technology under par. (L) . The amendment shall identify each information technology development project for which funding is provided under that act and shall specify, in a form prescribed by the department, the benefits that the agency expects to realize from undertaking the project.

(m) Assist in coordination and integration of the plans of executive branch agencies relating to information technology approved under par. (L) and, using these plans and the statewide long-range telecommunications plan under s. 16.979 (2) (a) , formulate and revise biennially a consistent statewide strategic plan for the use and application of information technology. The department shall, no later than September 15 of each even-numbered year, submit the statewide strategic plan to the cochairpersons of the joint committee on information policy and technology and the governor.

(n) Maintain an information technology resource center to provide appropriate technical assistance and training to small agencies.

(2m) The following forms are not subject to review or approval by the department:

(a) Forms that must be completed by applicants for admission to an institution of the University of Wisconsin System or by students of such an institution who are applying for financial aid, including loans, or for a special course of study or who are adding or dropping courses, registering or withdrawing, establishing their residence or being identified or classified.

(b) Forms the use of which is required by federal law.

(c) Forms used by teachers to evaluate a student’s academic performance.

(d) Forms used by hospitals and health care providers to bill or collect from patients and 3rd parties.

(e) Forms used by medical personnel in the treatment of patients.

(f) Forms used to collect data from research subjects in the course of research projects administered by the board of regents of the University of Wisconsin System.

(g) Forms used by the department of corrections in the investigation or processing of persons either under the control or custody of the department or under investigation by a court.

(gm) Forms relating to youth corrections used by the department of health services in the investigation or processing of persons either under the control or custody of the department or under investigation by a court.

(h) Forms that are not public contact forms.

(3)

(a) The department shall notify the joint committee on finance in writing of the proposed acquisition of any information technology resource that the department considers major or that is likely to result in a substantive change of service, and that was not considered in the regular budgeting process and is to be financed from general purpose revenues or corresponding revenues in a segregated fund. If the cochairpersons of the committee do not notify the department that the committee has scheduled a meeting for the purpose of reviewing the proposed acquisition within 14 working days after the date of the department’s notification, the department may approve acquisition of the resource. If, within 14 working days after the date of the department’s notification, the cochairpersons of the committee notify the department that the committee has scheduled a meeting for the purpose of reviewing the proposed acquisition, the department shall not approve acquisition of the resource unless the acquisition is approved by the committee.

(b) The department shall promptly notify the joint committee on finance in writing of the proposed acquisition of any information technology resource that the department considers major or that is likely to result in a substantive change in service, and that was not considered in the regular budgeting process and is to be financed from program revenues or corresponding revenues from program receipts in a segregated fund.

(4)

(a) The department may license or authorize executive branch agencies to license computer programs developed by executive branch agencies to the federal government, other states and municipalities. Any agency other than an executive branch agency may license a computer program developed by that agency to the federal government, other states and municipalities.

(b) Annual license fees may be established at not more than 25 percent of the program development cost and shall be credited to the agency which developed the program.

(c) In this subsection:

1. “Computer programs” are the processes for the treatment and verbalization of data.

2. “Municipality” has the meaning designated in s. 66.0901 (1) (as) .

(6) Notwithstanding sub. (2) , the legislative reference bureau shall approve the specifications for preparation and schedule for delivery of computer databases containing the Wisconsin statutes.

(9) In conjunction with the public defender board, the director of state courts, the departments of corrections and justice, and district attorneys, the department may maintain, promote, and coordinate automated justice information systems that are compatible among counties and the officers and agencies specified in this subsection, using the moneys appropriated under s. 20.505 (1) (dm) , (kh) , and (kq) . The department shall annually report to the legislature under s. 13.172 (2) concerning the department’s efforts to improve and increase the efficiency of integration of justice information systems.

(10) The department shall maintain, and provide the department of justice with general access to, a case management system that allows district attorneys to manage all case-related information and share the information among prosecutors.

(11) The department may charge executive branch agencies for information technology development and management services provided to them by the department under this section.

(13) Provide juvenile correctional facilities, school districts, and cooperative educational service agencies with telecommunications access under s. 16.997 and contract with telecommunications providers to provide that access.

(14) Provide private colleges, technical college districts, public library boards, public library systems, and public museums with telecommunications access under s. 16.997 and contract with telecommunications providers to provide that access.

(15) Provide private schools and tribal schools, as defined in s. 115.001 (15m) , with telecommunications access under s. 16.997 and contract with telecommunications providers to provide that access.

(16) Provide the Wisconsin Center for the Blind and Visually Impaired and the Wisconsin Educational Services Program for the Deaf and Hard of Hearing with telecommunications access under s. 16.997 and contract with telecommunications providers to provide that access.

(17) Provide educational agencies that are eligible for a rate discount on telecommunications services under 47 USC 254 with additional telecommunications access under s. 16.998 and contract with telecommunications providers to provide that access.

History: 1971 c. 261 ; Stats. 1971 s. 16.96; Stats. 1971 s. 16.97; 1975 c. 39 ; 1977 c. 29 ; 1977 c. 196 s. 130 (3) ; 1979 c. 34 , 221 ; 1981 c. 20 ; 1987 a. 142 ; 1989 a. 31 ; 1991 a. 39 ss. 180b , 192b ; Stats. 1991 s. 16.971; 1993 a. 16 ; 1995 a. 27 ss. 324 , 331 , 408 to 423m , 9126 (19) ; 1995 a. 417 ; 1997 a. 27 , 36 ; 1999 a. 9 , 29 , 32 ; 1999 a. 150 s. 672 ; 1999 a. 185 , 186 ; 2001 a. 16 ss. 349 to 360 ; Stats. 2001 s. 22.03; 2001 a. 104 ; 2003 a. 33 ss. 234d to 238d , 757 to 767 ; Stats. 2003 s. 16.971; 2005 a. 25 , 220 , 344 ; 2007 a. 20 ss. 128c to 128m , 9121 (6) (a) ; 2009 a. 302 ; 2011 a. 32 ; 2013 a. 20 , 323 ; 2017 a. 3 , 59 ; 2023 a. 19 .