Definition Of State Agency For SIPA Statewide Internet Portal Authority Services

When the statewide internet portal authority (SIPA) was created, it was charged with offering information technology products and services to local governments and "state agencies". At that time, SIPA's statute defined "state agency" to have the same meaning as the term was defined in the statute that governed the former office of innovation and technology. That definition defined "state agency" to mean every state office, whether legislative, executive, or judicial, and all of its respective offices, departments, divisions, commissions, boards, bureaus, and institutions, excepting only state-supported institutions of higher education, the department of higher education, the Colorado commission on higher education, or other instrumentality thereof. Subsequent to SIPA's creation, the statutes that governed the former office of innovation and technology were amended to create the office of information technology (OIT), and the definition of "state agency" was narrowed to cover only the agencies to be served by OIT. The statute now excludes the legislative and judicial departments, the departments of law, state, and treasury, state-supported institutions of higher education, and the department of education. The changes to the OIT definition of "state agency" have inadvertently excluded these agencies from the scope of state agencies that may obtain services from SIPA. The act restores the definition of "state agency" in SIPA's statutes to its original scope and also includes higher education institutions and agencies, as the practice has been for SIPA to serve all state agencies, including higher education institutions and agencies. (Note: This summary applies to this bill as enacted.)