House File 238 - Introduced HOUSE FILE 238 BY WATTS A BILL FOR An Act relating to the department of administrative services by 1 broadening the authority of state agencies to make purchases 2 directly from vendors and expanding the scope of those 3 records of the department that are public. 4 BE IT ENACTED BY THE GENERAL ASSEMBLY OF THE STATE OF IOWA: 5 TLSB 1637YH (3) 84 aw/nh
H.F. 238 Section 1. Section 8A.106, subsection 1, Code 2011, is 1 amended to read as follows: 2 1. The records of the department, except personal 3 information in an employee’s file if the publication of 4 such information would serve no proper public purpose, shall 5 be public records and shall be open to public inspection, 6 subject to reasonable rules as to the time and manner of 7 inspection which may be prescribed by the director. However, 8 the The department shall not be required to release financial 9 information, business, or product plans which if released would 10 give advantage to competitors and serve no public purpose, 11 relating to commercial operations conducted or intended to be 12 conducted by the department , except that records of all charges 13 or fees applied to state agencies shall be public records and 14 shall be open to public inspection . 15 Sec. 2. Section 8A.311, subsection 10, paragraph a, Code 16 2011, is amended to read as follows: 17 a. The director shall adopt rules providing that any state 18 agency may , upon request and approval by the department, 19 purchase directly from a vendor if the direct purchasing is 20 equivalent, compatible, and more economical than purchasing 21 through the department , if the agency shows that direct 22 purchasing by the state agency would be in the best interests 23 of the state due to an immediate or emergency need, or if the 24 purchase will not exceed ten thousand dollars and the purchase 25 would contribute to the agency complying with the targeted 26 small business procurement goals under sections 73.15 through 27 73.21 . 28 Sec. 3. Section 8A.311, subsection 10, paragraph b, Code 29 2011, is amended by striking the paragraph. 30 Sec. 4. Section 8A.311A, subsection 3, paragraph a, Code 31 2011, is amended to read as follows: 32 a. The department determines, upon a request by the agency, 33 that the An agency can satisfy the requirements for purchase 34 of the good or service directly from a vendor as provided in 35 -1- LSB 1637YH (3) 84 aw/nh 1/ 2
H.F. 238 section 8A.311, subsection 10 , paragraph “a” . 1 EXPLANATION 2 This bill broadens state agency authority to make direct 3 purchases from vendors and expands the scope of department 4 of administrative services public records to include fees or 5 charges assessed by the department. 6 Current law states that all records of the department, 7 except for certain personnel, financial, business, and product 8 information, constitute public information open to public 9 inspection. The bill requires that all fees or charges 10 assessed to state agencies be considered public records and 11 that those records be subject to public inspection. 12 The bill also broadens the authority of state agencies 13 to make purchases directly from a vendor whenever such a 14 purchase is equivalent, compatible, and at a lower cost than 15 purchasing through the department. Current law requires that 16 any state agency first make a request and receive approval 17 from the department for such a purchase. Current law also 18 requires that such a purchase be made only due to an immediate 19 or emergency need or that such a purchase would contribute to 20 state small business procurement goals and be valued at or 21 below $10,000. 22 -2- LSB 1637YH (3) 84 aw/nh 2/ 2