WHEREAS, South Carolina Code Sections 1-11-430 (1989) and 11-35-1580 (1997), and South Carolina Regulations 19-445.2000, et seq. establish obligations to South Carolinians to improve efficiency, State Government is responsible for, among other things, providing broad-based accessibility to goods, services, and information resources including, but not limited to public safety; public health and welfare; education; financial, human, natural and environmental resources management; economic development; transportation; enhancing quality of life; and insuring the optimal performance of government through the efficient and effective use of technology, and

WHEREAS, information and information resources, including technologies residing in the various agencies of state, local and regional governments, in addition to being a means by which governments can be optimized, are strategic assets belonging to the people of South Carolina that should be coordinated and managed as valuable resources to allow citizens to readily acquire information, goods and services, and

WHEREAS, State Government has been involved with, and participated in a number of state, regional and national information technology efforts resources to allow citizens and businesses to readily acquire information, goods and services, including network-based applications of various government functions, such as electronic benefits transfer (EBT), electronic parent locator services (EPLN), child support (CSENet), taxpaying services (TaxConnect and Telefile), electronic commerce legislation, high-speed research network (Internet 2), statewide voice and data communications (SCIN/ETN), K-12 School and Public Library Initiative, a Consolidated State Data Center, and information services, nationally and internationally (Internet, and World Wide Web services); and

WHEREAS, state, regional, and local governments should seek to operate as a single enterprise whose goal is to provide consistent, integrated information and services to all citizens, by identifying core programmatic competencies, sharing skills and expertise, and utilization of a shared, statewide, state-of-the-art technology architecture.

WHEREAS, the need for the transfer of information among all levels of government, in the most timely and useful form possible, requires a uniform policy and coordinated approach for the use and acquisition of information resources and technologies, and,

WHEREAS, with appropriate privacy and security considerations, well-designed, planned, and managed information resources and interoperable, interconnected technologies among agencies and programs can support sharing information resources across programmatic, agency, governmental, institutional, and other public and private-sector lines, and,

WHEREAS, principles of business and management must be applied to government processes, and private sector resources should be brought together to assist in identifying those opportunities where the investment in shared, coordinated information technology, infrastructure, equipment, or redesigned governmental processes will provide the greatest benefit and improve the availability of services and information to the citizens, without regard to location, while increasing efficiency, reducing costs, and promoting economic development; and

WHEREAS, information technology is a critically important resource to successful, competitive business organizations and to service-oriented government agencies in South Carolina; and

WHEREAS, State government can provide the leadership needed to maximize the application of information technology as a means for promoting economic development across the state and thereby improve the quality of life for all South Carolinians; and

WHEREAS, the State with its various agencies and institutions of government, desires to build a government information infrastructure using state-of-the-art architecture; develop optimum information functionality within the public sector, between the public and economic sectors, and between the public sector and the general public; and assess and develop the roles of government (state, regional, and local) in promoting information technology infrastructure, and

WHEREAS, the South Carolina Information Resources Council was established by Executive Order Number 96-05, as amended by Executive Orders 97-11 and 97-13, and

WHEREAS, the undersigned has determined that Executive Orders 96-05, 97-11 and 97-13 must be modified in certain particulars,

NOW, THEREFORE, BE IT ORDERED, that:

1. There is hereby created the Information Resources Council of South Carolina, to:

   (a) assist agencies in the development and implementation of sound business plans that include information technology plans that address the effective and efficient use of information resources and technologies;

   (b) oversee and coordinate development of statewide policies, standards, strategies, goals and objectives derived from sound business plans that address the enterprise-wide planning, management and use of information resources and technologies;

   (c) oversee and coordinate development of a statewide information infrastructure that supports the State's information resources planning initiatives toward: ACCESS; OPTIMIZATION; MEASUREMENT; AND INNOVATION;

   (d) foster interagency and intergovernmental project funding and management that share staff, budgets, information resources, and facilities;

   (e) provide a forum that encourages innovation and creativity in the application of information resources and stimulates defining and resolving barriers to efficient and effective development, use and sharing of information resources among public, private, national, state and local interests;

   (f) provide leadership and guidance in the continued development of integrated statewide networks that cost-effectively facilitate sharing of and access to information, computing and communications resources;

   (g) oversee, coordinate, and improve the delivery of services to the general public and to the private sector by expanding government's use of technology; and

   (h) provide advice on policy issues related to technology.

2. The Information Resources Council of South Carolina shall consist of fifteen members.
   1. Governor shall appoint:
      1. Three members representing regional, county and municipal governments;
      2. Two members representing business/programmatic/technology interests within state agencies or institutions;
      3. One member representing academic or research interests;
      4. Five members representing the private sector; and
      5. One member representing the Office of the Governor.

   2. In addition, the Council shall include:
      1. Two members representing the General Assembly, one member appointed by the President Pro Tempore of the Senate and one member appointed by the Speaker of the House of Representatives; and,
      2. One member representing the Budget and Control Board to be appointed by the Executive Director.

3. The Council to be appointed shall reflect a cross-section of the functional areas of government.

   AND FURTHER, the membership plan shall have a system for sub-committees and work groups that will draw upon government agencies and special membership groups so as to bring to bear all available expertise on issues the Council addresses;

4. The Office of the Executive Director of the State Budget and Control Board shall provide the Council with such primary support and resources as it may request and as he deems proper; including requesting that State agencies cooperate fully with the council and provide staff support, as needed; directing the State's Information Technology Advisory Committee to make recommendations to the Council regarding its proposed information technology resources planning, policies, procedures, standards, etc.; and appointing a secretary to coordinate and direct all staff support.

5. The Council shall submit to the Office of the Governor, annually, a report on the State's technology inventory, including its infrastructure, workforce, management, critical applications, goals and objectives, along with a report documenting the information resource strategies promulgated by the Council and progress-to-date on their implementation.

UPON CONSIDERATION AND EVALUATION OF THE COUNCIL'S ANNUAL REPORTS AND RECOMMENDATIONS, I will consult with the Council concerning such further action as is appropriate.

GIVEN UNDER MY HAND AND THE GREAT SEAL OF

THE STATE OF SOUTH CAROLINA, AT COLUMBIA, SOUTH CAROLINA, THIS 1ST DAY OF MARCH, 1999.

JIM HODGES

Governor

Last Updated: Tuesday, July 7, 2009 at 11:20 A.M.