An Act To Clarify Portions of the Laws Governing InforME
Maine Legislature, Session 123, LD 0679
Committee: State and Local Government
Sponsors: SCHNEIDER, BARSTOW, JOY
Amends: 1 MRSA §534, 1 MRSA §537

Legislative Document 
No. 679 
S.P.216 
February 9, 2007 
An Act To Clarify Portions of the Laws Governing InforME 
Submitted by the Department of Administrative and Financial Services pursuant to Joint 
Rule 204. 
Reference to the Committee on State and Local Government suggested and ordered printed. 
Presented by Senator SCHNEIDER of Penobscot. 
Cosponsored by Representative BARSTOW of Gorham and 
Representative: JOY of Crystal. 
Printed on recycled paper 
JOY J. O'BRIEN 
Secretary of the Senate 
Be it enacted by the People of the State of Maine as follows: 
Sec. 1. 1 MRSA §534, sub-§2, as enacted by PL 1997, c. 713, § 1, is amended to 
read: 
2. Board chair. The Governor shall aIlfl1:lally appoint one member of the board as 
chair. 
Sec. 2. 1 MRSA §534, sub-§3, as enacted by PL 1997, c. 713, §1, is amended to 
read: 
3. Staff. The Department of Administrative and Financial Services, B1:lFea1:l of 
InfoffFI:atiofl Serviees Office of Information Technology shall provide staff to the board. 
Sec. 3. 
MRS A §534, sub-§5, ~, as enacted by PL 1997, c. 713, §1, is 
amended to read: 
B. 
Approve the criteria and specifications for a network manager and its duties 
developed by the Direetor of the B1:lfeffil of IflfoffFI:atiofl Serliiees Chief Information 
Officer within the Department of Administrative and Financial Services; 
Sec. 4. 1 MRS A §535, sub-§l, as amended by PL 2005, c. 12, Pt. SS, § 1, is 
further amended to read: 
1. Criteria and specifications; contract terms. The Direetor of the B1:lrea1:l of 
InfoffFI:atiofl Serviees Chief Information Officer within the Department of Administrative 
and Financial Services or the Chief Information Officer's designee, in consultation with 
the board, shall develop criteria and specifications for a network manager and its duties. 
The direetor Chief Information Officer shall develop and release a request for proposal 
proposals to solicit bids from private entities to serve as the network manager. The 
direetor Chief Information Officer shall develop the terms and conditions of the contract, 
which must include at least the following: 
A. 
Perpetual licensing to the board of software and other intellectual property 
developed by the network manager for use by InforME; and 
B. 
Procedures ensuring that executive branch and semiautonomous state agencies 
and the network manager comply with the standards and policies adopted by the 
Chief Information Officer of the Office of Information Technology within the 
Department of Administrative and Financial Services. 
Sec. 5. 
MRS A §535, sub-§3, ~C, as enacted by PL 2003, c. 681, § 1, is 
repealed. 
Sec. 6. 1 MRS A §536, sub-§3, as enacted by PL 1997, c. 713, §1, is amended to 
read: 
3. 
Service level agreements. 
Services provided by the network manager and 
information to be provided by a data custodian are governed by service level agreements 
between the network manager and the data custodian. A service level agreement may 
include a provision for the network manager to receive a portion of the agency fee for 
information or services in return for electronically providing that information or service. 
The fee for electronically accessing the information or service may not exceed the agency 
fee for distributing the information or providing the service in its usual form. 
Sec. 7. 1 MRSA §537, sub-§I, as enacted by PL 1997, c. 713, §1, is repealed and 
the following enacted in its place: 
1. Funding. InforME is self-supporting and may not receive an appropriation or 
allocation from the General Fund or other state funds. 
Revenue is generated through fees or surcharges on services paid by subscribers or other 
users, from contracts with other state departments and agencies and from money, goods 
or in-kind services donated or awarded to carry out the purposes of this Act. 
Sec. 8. PL 2003, c. 681, §6 is amended to read: 
Sec. 6. Additional InforME services. The Infor~4E network manager Chief 
Information Officer, as described in the Maine Revised Statutes, Title 1, section 535 Title 
5, section 1971, in conjunction with the InforME board, as described in Title 1, section 
534, the Department of Administratiye and Financial Sep,rices, the Department of 
Economic and Community DeYelopment, the Department of Labor, the Department of 
Human Sep,rices and Maine Reyenue Seryices, shall enable as part of the InforME 
system, no later than January 1, 2006, on-line application and submission of forms by 
persons seeking licensure as businesses through the "Business Licensing Assistant" 
program. The Chief Information Officer may require participation from any executive 
branch agency needed to meet the requirements of this section. 
Additionally, the 
Department of Economic and Community Development, with technical assistance from 
the InforME network manager, shall provide live on-line assistance during normal 
business hours for questions concerning the establishment of a business in this State. 
The services required by this section may be classified "premium services," as 
defined in Title 1, section 532. The subscription fee for premium sep,rices Subscription or 
transaction fees may be adjusted to accommodate the services required by this section. 
Any additional costs to agencies or departments as a result of this section must be 
absorbed by those agencies and departments within existing budgeted resources. 
SUMMARY 
This bill changes references to the Bureau of Information Services to references to 
the Office of Information Technology, reassigns responsibility for the Business Licensing 
Assistant program to the Office of Information Technology and clarifies language 
regarding funding of online initiatives.