SB 1396

Bill Subjects

Abstract

(1) Existing law establishes the Department of Technology, within the Government Operations Agency, headed by the Director of Technology, who is also known as the State Chief Information Officer. The department is responsible for the approval and oversight of information technology projects by, among other things, consulting with agencies during initial project planning to ensure that project proposals are based on well-defined programmatic needs and consider feasible alternatives to address the identified needs and benefits consistent with statewide strategies, policies, and procedures. By July 1, 2019, and biennially thereafter, existing law requires state agencies, state entities, and specified chief information officers to post on the agency or entity Internet Web site that the site is in compliance with statutory accessibility requirements and the Web Content Accessibility Guidelines 2.0, as provided. This bill would establish within the Department of Technology the Office of Accessible Technology to serve as the central point in state government for providing oversight and guidance to ensure state agency and state entity compliance with specified accessibility and information technology requirements. The bill would require the office to be under the direction of the Director of Technology. The bill would require the office to, among other things, ensure that every state agency and state entity is in compliance with the accessibility requirements of state and federal electronic and information technology policy and statutes and establish a complaint procedure for state employees and members of the public to register complaints about Internet Web site accessibility problems. The bill would require the director to prepare a report that shall be posted on the office's Internet Web site on or before January 1, 2020, and annually thereafter, that includes a summary of all developed statewide policies, standards, and procedures for ensuring compliance with these provisions. (2) Existing law requires each state agency and each state entity, as those terms are defined, to have a chief information officer with specified duties relating to information technology. This bill would include ensuring compliance with specified state and federal laws relating to the accessibility of technology among the duties of those chief information officers.