Senate session on attempt to kill OpenDocument going on now

[John Sullivan]

An anti-OpenDocument amendment to an economic stimulus bill has
suddenly appeared in the Massachusetts Senate and is being read today.

If you are in the Boston area, please head to the Massachusetts state
house now. A last-minute amendment has been introduced which would
create a new task force to further review OpenDocument, effectively
nullifying the previous decision. This bill is receiving a "second
reading" during the Senate session today.

The meeting started at 1pm. Attending the meeting will demonstrate
concern about the issue and show legislators that this new amendment
is significant and problematic. FSF will be there.

Read background information about the new amendment at
<http://blogs.zdnet.com/BTL/?p=2110&tag=nl.e539>.

Here is the offending text from the amendment to S2256:

SECTION 4. Said chapter 7 is hereby further amended by adding the
following section:-

Section 57. (a) There shall be a commonwealth information technology
expert task force, hereinafter referred to as the task force,
consisting of 4 members to be appointed by the governor, 1 member to
be appointed by the treasurer, 1 member to be appointed by the state
secretary, and 1 member to be appointed by the auditor. Of the members
appointed by the governor, at least 1 shall be a representative of the
business community with experience in the telecommunications industry,
and at least 1 shall be a representative of the business community
with experience in information technology. Members of the task force
shall be appointed for terms of 3 years or until a successor is
appointed. Members shall be eligible to be reappointed and shall serve
without compensation. A chairperson of the task force shall be elected
annually from the membership. An employee of the commonwealth shall
not be a member of the task force.

(b) The task force shall make recommendations concerning government
information technology policy and practices. The chief information
officer of the information technology division may request the task
force to provide recommendations or analysis on specific matters. The
task force shall issue annual reports to the governor, the general
court, and the information technology advisory council established by
section 390 of chapter 149 of the acts of 2004, and may issue
additional reports from time to time. The task force recommendations
shall address, but not be limited to, the following matters: (1)
procurement policies by commonwealth agencies, constitutional offices,
and other government entities concerning computer hardware and
software, cellular telephones, personal data accessories, and other
information technology devices; (2) format and content of web pages
maintained by commonwealth agencies, constitutional offices, and other
government entities; and (3) software standards governing commonwealth
agencies, constitutional offices, and other government entities.

In offering recommendations, the task force's analysis shall include,
but not be limited to, the following considerations: (1) cost-benefit
analysis of proposed policies or practices; (2) security of proposed
policies or practices from viruses, hacking, and other breaches; (3)
the extent to which the proposed policy or practice results in
user-friendly applications for commonwealth employees, business
entities, and members of the public; and (4) proposals and options to
facilitate more efficient transactions between commonwealth entities
and the public, including on-line transactions.

* An executive agency or department shall not adopt or implement a
  policy, practice or standard concerning information technology
  standards or systems or the procurement or use of hardware,
  software, and cellular phones and other electronic devices, without
  the affirmative approval of the task force by majority vote. Any
  executive agency or department policy, practice or standard
  concerning the creation, storage or archiving of documents or
  materials shall also be approved by the supervisor of public records
  and the records conservation board, and shall be certified by the
  state auditor as maintaining or enhancing the commonwealth's
  compliance with Section 508 of the federal Americans with
  Disabilities Act of 1973.


--
John Sullivan
Program Administrator        | Phone: (617)542-5942 x23    
51 Franklin Street, 5th Fl.  | Fax:   (617)542-2652     
Boston, MA 02110-1301 USA    | GPG:   AE8600B6