Bill > HB1429

This bill, the Mississippi Statewide Open Source Software Law, aims to encourage the use of open source software (OSS) developed by the state's colleges and universities for use by state agencies. It defines key terms like "open source software" and "proprietary software," and outlines several provisions: 1) It requires the Commissioner of Higher Education, the Executive Director of the Mississippi Community College Board, and the Executive Director of the Mississippi Department of Information Technology Services to convene a committee to study and make recommendations to the legislature on how state agencies can better utilize OSS developed by the state's institutions of higher learning. 2) It mandates the Department of Information Technology Services to adopt rules requiring state agencies to first seek to procure software from the state's colleges and universities before acquiring proprietary software from private vendors. 3) It provides an incentive for the state's institutions of higher learning and community colleges to develop OSS for state agencies by allocating 50% of the verifiable cost savings achieved from using such software to the institution or college that developed it. The overall goal is to leverage the talent and skills of Mississippians enrolled in and teaching at the state's colleges to develop customized OSS solutions for state agencies, thereby improving government services, reducing costs, and creating in-state information technology jobs.

Education

http://billstatus.ls.state.ms.us/2018/pdf/history/HB/HB1429.xml