Statewide Digital Services and Procurement Modernization Act; establish for ITS.

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To: State Affairs
MISSISSIPPI LEGISLATURE REGULAR SESSION 2026

By: Representative Zuber

HOUSE BILL NO. 546

AN ACT TO MODERNIZE PROCUREMENT AND DIGITAL SERVICES IN THE 1
STATE OF MISSISSIPPI; TO CREATE THE PROCUREMENT MODERNIZATION 2
ADVISORY COUNCIL; TO PROVIDE FOR THE ESTABLISHMENT OF A STATEWIDE 3
CLOUD STORAGE CENTER FOR STATE AGENCIES; TO IMPLEMENT STRATEGIC 4
INITIATIVES FOR DATA INTEGRATION, CYBERSECURITY AND TECHNOLOGICAL 5
INFRASTRUCTURE DEVELOPMENT; TO AUTHORIZE THE MISSISSIPPI 6
DEPARTMENT OF INFORMATION TECHNOLOGY SERVICES TO IMPLEMENT 7
STATEWIDE DIGITAL SERVICES; TO AMEND SECTIONS 25-53-255 AND 8
25-53-259, MISSISSIPPI CODE OF 1972, TO CONFORM WITH THE 9
PROVISIONS OF THIS ACT; TO BRING FORWARD SECTION 25-53-257, 10
MISSISSIPPI CODE OF 1972, FOR THE PURPOSE OF POSSIBLE AMENDMENT; 11
AND FOR RELATED PURPOSES. 12
BE IT ENACTED BY THE LEGISLATURE OF THE STATE OF MISSISSIPPI: 13
SECTION 1. This act shall be known and may be cited as the 14
"Statewide Digital Services and Procurement Modernization Act." 15
SECTION 2. The purpose of this act is to: 16
(a) Facilitate the modernization of procurement 17
processes across state government to ensure efficiency, 18
transparency and cost effectiveness; 19
(b) Establish a centralized cloud storage center to 20
standardize and secure state data management systems; 21
(c) Strengthen statewide cybersecurity measures; 22
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(d) Promote integration of data systems across state, 23
county and municipal government to enhance interoperability; and 24
(e) Improve technological infrastructure and digital 25
services to advance the efficiency of government operations. 26
SECTION 3. (1) There is created the Procurement 27
Modernization Advisory Council to assist and advise on the 28
modernization of procurement processes across state government and 29
oversee the implementation of statewide digital services and 30
infrastructure improvements. The council shall collaborate with 31
the Cloud Center of Excellence with regard to cloud services. The 32
plan's progress shall be annually measured to ensure consistent 33
alignment with the council's established goals and continuous 34
improvement in efficiency, transparency and vendor accessibility. 35
(2) The council shall consist of the following nine (9) 36
members: 37
(a) The Executive Director of the Mississippi 38
Department of Information Technology Services, who shall serve as 39
the council's chairperson; 40
(b) The Director of the Mississippi Artificial 41
Intelligence Network (MAIN), or his or her designee; 42
(c) The Commissioner of Revenue, or his or her 43
designee; 44
(d) The Director of the Cybercrimes Division of the 45
Attorney General's Office, or his or her designee; 46
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(e) The Executive Director of the Department of Finance 47
and Administration, or his or her designee; 48
(f) A representative from the Mississippi Association 49
of Supervisors with expertise in technology and data systems 50
appointed by the Governor; 51
(g) A representative from the Mississippi Municipal 52
League with expertise in procurement processes appointed by the 53
Governor; 54
(h) A private-sector technology expert with experience 55
in cybersecurity or cloud systems appointed by the Governor; and 56
(i) A representative from an accredited Mississippi 57
research university with expertise in system programming or data 58
management appointed by the Governor. 59
(3) The attendance of five (5) members shall constitute a 60
quorum for the purpose of conducting official business of the 61
council. Members shall serve without compensation, but are 62
entitled to per diem and reimbursement for mileage and actual 63
expenses for attending official council meetings, as provided in 64
Sections 25-3-41 and 25-3-69. The chairperson shall call the 65
first meeting within thirty (30) days of the effective date of 66
this act. 67
(4) The council shall: 68
(a) Oversee the transition of state agencies to the 69
centralized cloud storage center in collaboration with the Cloud 70
Center of Excellence; 71
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(b) Provide recommendations for procurement 72
modernization, including electronic procurement systems; 73
(c) Develop a three-year strategic plan for 74
cybersecurity improvements across state systems; and 75
(d) Ensure the integration of interoperable data 76
systems for state, county and municipal governments. 77
SECTION 4. (1) The Mississippi Department of Information 78
Technology Services (ITS) shall establish a centralized cloud 79
storage center to serve as a unified platform for all state 80
agencies. The system must adhere to best practices for 81
scalability, security and reliability and shall be used by the 82
Cloud Center of Excellence in its efforts to facilitate cloud 83
adoption across state agencies and government authorities when 84
possible. 85
(2) (a) All state agencies shall transition to the 86
centralized cloud storage system by July 1, 2031. The provisions 87
of this act shall not be construed to prohibit any state agency 88
from partnering with a third party cloud provider to comply with 89
the requirements of this act. 90
(b) ITS shall work with county and municipal 91
governments to support their integration into the system within 92
three (3) years of initial implementation, subject to readiness 93
and available resources to support so doing. 94
(3) ITS shall establish a competitive process to select 95
cloud service providers based on cost, security, reliability, 96
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scale and capacity. Nothing in this act shall mandate the 97
selection of a specific service provider for cloud storage 98
services. 99
SECTION 5. (1) The Mississippi Department of Information 100
Technology Services shall: 101
(a) Establish and enforce cybersecurity standards for 102
state agencies, ensuring compliance with federal regulations and 103
best practices; 104
(b) Implement 24/7 monitoring of critical state 105
systems; 106
(c) Conduct regular audits of agency compliance with 107
cybersecurity protocols; 108
(d) Lead efforts to integrate data systems across 109
state, county and municipal levels of government; 110
(e) Establish standardized data formats to ensure 111
interoperability; and 112
(f) Develop secure data-sharing platforms to facilitate 113
efficient communication between agencies. 114
(2) ITS shall establish a dedicated division for statewide 115
digital services to all state agencies, with support systems for 116
the integration of county and municipal political subdivisions. 117
The division shall: 118
(a) Provide technical assistance to agencies during the 119
transition to cloud services in collaboration with the Cloud 120
Center of Excellence; 121
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(b) Offer training programs for agency personnel to 122
effectively use new systems; and 123
(c) Develop and maintain systems for electronic 124
procurement and other modernized processes. 125
(3) ITS is authorized to employ personnel with expertise in 126
cloud systems, cybersecurity and data integration. 127
(4) ITS shall provide annual progress reports to the 128
Legislature no later than November 15 of each year on the 129
implementation of the cloud storage center and modernization 130
efforts, detailing: 131
(a) Progress on cloud storage implementation; 132
(b) Cybersecurity enhancements; and 133
(c) Cost savings achieved through procurement 134
modernization. 135
SECTION 6. Section 25-53-255, Mississippi Code of 1972, is 136
amended as follows: 137
25-53-255. (1) There is established within the Mississippi 138
Department of Information Technology Services (ITS) a centralized 139
Cloud Center of Excellence (CCOE) to facilitate cloud adoption 140
across state agencies and governing authorities, enhance 141
technological infrastructure, improve security and scalability, 142
and streamline cloud migrations in a cost-effective and efficient 143
manner. 144
(2) Using existing resources, ITS may review the process for 145
the coordinated development, hosting and management of computer 146
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software for state agencies that use cloud computing services. 147
The Cloud Center of Excellence (CCOE) shall: 148
(a) Develop and implement a statewide strategy for 149
cloud adoption and management; 150
(b) Provide guidance, best practices, and governance 151
frameworks to state agencies and governing authorities for the 152
adoption and use of cloud services; 153
(c) Establish standardized processes for cloud 154
migrations, resource optimization, and workload assessments; 155
(d) Enhance cybersecurity protocols and ensure 156
compliance with state and federal security standards; 157
(e) Monitor and report on the scalability, cost 158
efficiency, and performance of cloud infrastructure; 159
(f) Offer training and support to agency personnel to 160
promote cloud literacy and effective utilization; * * * 161
(g) Coordinate with state agencies and governing 162
authorities to ensure a phased implementation schedule as required 163
by the provision of Section 25-53-257 * * *; and 164
(h) Assist in the transition of state agencies to the 165
centralized cloud storage center in coordination with the 166
Procurement Modernization Advisory Council and the division 167
established in subsection (2) of Section 5 of this act. 168
SECTION 7. Section 25-53-259, Mississippi Code of 1972, is 169
amended as follows: 170
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25-53-259. (1) In addition to the annual progress reports 171
required under subsection (5) of Section 5 of this act, not later 172
than November 15 of each even-numbered year, ITS, using existing 173
resources, shall submit a report to the Governor, Lieutenant 174
Governor and Speaker, the Chairpersons of the House and Senate 175
Committees on Technology and of the House State Affairs Committee 176
on the use of cloud computing service options by state agencies 177
and governing authorities, detailing the progress of the 178
implementation plan, challenges encountered, and recommendations 179
for improvement; however, the information required to be reported 180
under this section may be included in the report required under 181
subsection (5) of Section 5 of this act rather than in a separate 182
report. The report must include * * * cases that provided cost 183
savings and other benefits, including security enhancements. All 184
state agencies and governing authorities shall cooperate with ITS 185
in the creation of the report by providing timely and accurate 186
information and any assistance required by the department. 187
SECTION 8. Section 25-53-257, Mississippi Code of 1972, is 188
brought forward as follows: 189
25-53-257. (1) The Cloud Center of Excellence (CCOE) shall 190
establish a two-year phased implementation plan, which shall 191
accomplish the following benchmarks by July 1, 2027: 192
(a) Conduct statewide readiness assessments and develop 193
detailed cloud migration plans for pilot agencies; 194
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(b) Initiate pilot migrations for selected state 195
agencies, establish key performance indicators (KPIs) and refine 196
processes based on feedback; 197
(c) Expand cloud adoption to additional state agencies, 198
focusing on optimizing resource utilization and ensuring adherence 199
to best practices; 200
(d) Integrate governing authorities into the cloud 201
ecosystem and provide support for local governments, postsecondary 202
educational institutions and school districts; and 203
(e) Achieve full statewide adoption of cloud services, 204
with ongoing monitoring, training, and optimization provided by 205
the CCOE for all state agencies and governing authorities. 206
(2) During the implementation described in subsection (1), 207
each state agency and governing authority integrated into the CCOE 208
at that time shall consider: 209
(a) Cloud computing service options, including any 210
security benefits and cost savings associated with purchasing 211
those service options from a cloud computing service provider and 212
from a statewide technology center established by the department, 213
when making purchases; and 214
(b) Cloud computing service options and compatibility 215
with cloud computing services in the development of new 216
information technology software applications. 217
(3) (a) Except as provided by paragraph (b) of this 218
subsection, a state agency or governing authority shall ensure, 219
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when making purchases for an automated information system, that 220
the system is capable of being deployed and run on cloud computing 221
services. 222
(b) When making a purchase for an automated information 223
system, a state agency or governing authority may determine that, 224
due to integration limitations with legacy systems, security risks 225
or costs, the state agency or governing authority is unable to 226
purchase a system capable of being deployed and run on cloud 227
computing services. 228
(c) At least fourteen (14) days before the date a state 229
agency or governing authority solicits bids, proposals, offers or 230
other applicable expressions of interest for a purchase described 231
by paragraph (b) of this subsection, the state agency or governing 232
authority shall submit a report that describes the purchase and 233
the agency's reasoning for making the purchase of an automated 234
information system to the Mississippi Department of Information 235
Technology Services (ITS). 236
(4) The department shall provide administrative support and 237
oversight to the CCOE and ensure compliance with Sections 238
25-53-251 through 25-53-263. 239
(5) The department is authorized to: 240
(a) Enter into agreements with cloud service providers 241
to facilitate cost-effective procurement of cloud solutions; 242
(b) Develop and enforce statewide cloud security and 243
compliance standards; 244
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ST: Statewide Digital Services and Procurement
Modernization Act; establish for ITS.
(c) Establish funding mechanisms, including interagency 245
agreements, to support the operations of the CCOE; and 246
(d) Promulgate rules and regulations necessary to carry 247
out the provisions of Sections 25-53-251 through 25-53-263. 248
SECTION 9. This act shall take effect and be in force from 249
and after July 1, 2026. 250