Bill > HB310

This bill aims to promote open government data by establishing a statewide policy and encouraging the use of open data formats by state agencies, with the goal of fostering transparency, economic development, and civic engagement. It defines "open data" as information that is complete, primary, timely, accessible, machine-processable, non-discriminatory, non-proprietary, and license-free, meaning it's freely available for anyone to use and implement without exclusive control or copyright restrictions. The bill mandates that the state commissioner develop this policy, which agencies must adopt, and that agencies designate a contact person for oversight. It also requires the commissioner to assist agencies in acquiring or creating systems that comply with "open standards," which are specifications for data that are free to implement, have no restrictions on use or software creation, are publicly documented, and allow for identification of adherence to the format, with any encryption being royalty-free and documented. Conversely, a "restricted format" is any data format that is not open standards compliant. The bill also requires the state to review data stored in restricted formats every four years to see if an open standard exists and to make documentation on the state's open data formats readily accessible on its website.