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D R A F T

 

FOR DISCUSSION ONLY

 

 

 

 

 

 

AUTHENTICATION AND PRESERVATION OF STATE ELECTRONIC LEGAL MATERIALS ACT

 

 

 

 

 

___________________________________________________

 

NATIONAL CONFERENCE OF COMMISSIONERS

 

ON UNIFORM STATE LAWS

___________________________________________________

 

 

 

For February 25 – 27, 2011 Drafting Committee Meeting

 

Includes changes from November 2010 Drafting Committee Meeting

 

Clean Version

 

Without Prefatory Note or Comments

 

 

Copyright © 2009

NATIONAL CONFERENCE OF COMMISSIONERS

ON UNIFORM STATE LAWS

 

 

 

 

The ideas and conclusions set forth in this draft, including the proposed statutory language and any comments or reporter=s notes, have not been passed upon by the National Conference of Commissioners on Uniform State Laws or the Drafting Committee.  They do not necessarily reflect the views of the Conference and its Commissioners and the Drafting Committee and its Members and Reporter.  Proposed statutory language may not be used to ascertain the intent or meaning of any promulgated final statutory proposal.

January 31, 2011


DRAFTING COMMITTEE FOR AUTHENTICATION AND PRESERVATION OF STATE ELECTRONIC LEGAL MATERIALS ACT

The Committee appointed by and representing the National Conference of Commissioners on Uniform State Laws in drafting this Act consists of the following individuals:

MICHELE L. TIMMONS, Office of the Revisor of Statutes, 700 State Office Bldg., 100 Rev.   Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. Blvd., St. Paul, MN 55155, Chair

JERRY L. BASSETT, Legislative Reference Service, 613 Alabama State House, 11 S. Union      St., Montgomery, AL 36130

DAVID D. BIKLEN, 153 N. Beacon St., Hartford, CT 06105

DIANE F. BOYER-VINE, Office of Legislative Counsel, State Capitol, Room 3021,      Sacramento, CA 95814-4996

STEPHEN Y. CHOW, 125 Summer St., Boston, MA 02110-1624

VINCENT C. DeLIBERATO, Jr., Main Capitol Bldg., Room 641, Harrisburg, PA 17120-0033

GENE H. HENNIG, 500 IDS Center, 80 S. 8th St., Minneapolis, MN 55402-3796

STEVEN L.WILLBORN, University of Nebraska College of Law, Ross McCollum Hall, 42 &    Fair St., P.O. Box 830902, Lincoln, NE 68583-0902

BARBARA A. BINTLIFF, University of Texas School of Law, 727 E. Dean Keeton St.,             Austin,            TX 78705, Reporter

 

EX OFFICIO

ROBERT A. STEIN, University of Minnesota Law School, 229 19th Avenue S., Minneapolis,     MN 55455, President

JACK DAVIES, 1201 Yale Pl., Unit 2004, Minneapolis, MN 55403-1961, Division Chair

 

AMERICAN BAR ASSOCIATION ADVISOR

LUCY THOMSON, 915 N. Quaker Dr., Alexandria, VA 22302, ABA Advisor

PHYLLIS B. PICKETT, 401 Legislative Office Bldg., 300 N. Salisbury St., Raleigh, NC 27603,             ABA Section Advisor

 

EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR

JOHN A. SEBERT, 111 N. Wabash Ave., Suite 1010, Chicago, IL 60602, Executive Director

 

Copies of this Act may be obtained from:

NATIONAL CONFERENCE OF COMMISSIONERS

ON UNIFORM STATE LAWS

111 N. Wabash Ave., Suite 1010

Chicago, Illinois 60602

312/450-6600

www.nccusl.org


AUTHENTICATION AND PRESERVATION OF STATE ELECTRONIC LEGAL MATERIALS ACT

 

TABLE OF CONTENTS

 

SECTION 1.  SHORT TITLE. 1

SECTION 2.  DEFINITIONS. 1

SECTION 3.  OFFICIAL ELECTRONIC LEGAL MATERIAL. 2

SECTION 4.  AUTHENTICATION OF ELECTRONIC LEGAL MATERIAL.. 3

SECTION 5.  EFFECT OF AUTHENTICATION. 3

SECTION 6.  PRESERVATION OF ELECTRONIC LEGAL MATERIAL. 3

SECTION 7.  PUBLIC ACCESS TO ELECTRONIC LEGAL MATERIAL. 3

SECTION 8.  STANDARDS. 3

SECTION 9.  UNIFORMITY OF APPLICATION AND CONSTRUCTION. 4

SECTION 10.  RELATION TO ELECTRONIC SIGNATURES IN GLOBAL AND NATIONAL COMMERCE ACT. 4

SECTION 11.  EFFECTIVE DATE. 4

 


AUTHENTICATION AND PRESERVATION OF STATE ELECTRONIC LEGAL MATERIALS ACT

 

            SECTION 1.  SHORT TITLE.  This [act] may be cited as the Authentication and

Preservation of State Electronic Legal Materials Act.

            SECTION 2.  DEFINITIONS.  In this [act]:

            (1) “Electronic” means relating to technology having electrical, digital, magnetic,

wireless, optical, electromagnetic, or similar capabilities.

            (2) “Legal material” means:

                        (A) a law or statute enacted by the [state legislature];

                        (B) a codified law or statute of this state ; [and]

                        (C) any rule adopted by a state agency which has the force and effect of law[;] [and]

                        [[(D) a decision of a state administrative agency which has precedential effect] [;] [and]

                        [(E) a judicial decision of a state court that has precedential effect][;] [and]

                        [(F) state court rules][;][and]

                        [(G) [any other record]].

            (3) “Official publisher” means:

                        (A) for a law or statute enacted by the [state legislature], the [insert appropriate agency or official];                                   

(B) for a codified law or statute, the [insert appropriate agency or official]; [and]

                        (C) for a rule published in the [insert administrative code], the [insert appropriate agency or official] [;] [and]

                        [(D) for any rule not published in the [insert administrative code], the state agency adopting the rule ][;] [and]

                        [(E) for a decision of a state administrative agency which has precedential effect, the [insert appropriate agency or official][;] [and]

                        [(F) for a judicial decision of a state court  that has precedential effect, the [insert appropriate agency or official][;] [and]

                        [(G) for state court rules, the [insert appropriate agency or official][;] [and]

                        [(H) [for any other record], the [insert appropriate agency or official][;] [and]

                        [(I) for any other legal material, the [insert secretary of state or other appropriate agency or official]].

            (4) “Publish” means to display, present, or release to the public.

            (5) “Record” means information that is inscribed on a tangible medium or that is stored in an electronic or other medium and is retrievable in perceivable form.

            (6) “State” means a state of the United States, the District of Columbia, Puerto

Rico, the United States Virgin Islands, or any territory or insular possession subject to the

jurisdiction of the United States.

            SECTION 3.  OFFICIAL ELECTRONIC LEGAL MATERIAL. 

            (a) If the official publisher publishes the legal material only in an electronic record, the official publisher shall:

(1) designate the electronic record as official; and

(2) meet the requirements of Sections 4, 6, and 7.

            (b) If the official publisher publishes a print record of the legal material, the official publisher may designate an electronic record as official if the requirements of Sections 4, 6, and 7 are met.

            SECTION 4.  AUTHENTICATION OF ELECTRONIC LEGAL MATERIAL.  The official publisher of legal material in an electronic record that is designated as official under Section 3 shall authenticate the record by providing a  method for users to determine that the electronic record is unaltered from the one published by the official publisher.

            SECTION 5.  EFFECT OF AUTHENTICATION.

(a) Legal material in an electronic record that is authenticated under Section 4 is presumed to be an accurate copy of the legal material.

(b) The presumption under (a) above applies to electronic legal material from another state that has adopted this [act].

            SECTION 6.  PRESERVATION OF ELECTRONIC LEGAL MATERIAL.  The official publisher of legal material in an electronic record shall preserve all published electronic legal material that is or was designated as official under Section 3. To preserve legal material in an electronic record, the official publisher shall:

            (1) ensure the integrity of  the electronic record;

            (2) provide for back-up and disaster recovery of the electronic record; and

            (3) ensure the continuing usability of the legal material. 

            SECTION 7.  PUBLIC ACCESS TO ELECTRONIC LEGAL MATERIAL.  The official publisher of legal material in an electronic record shall ensure that the electronic legal material that is required to be preserved under Section 6 is reasonably available on a permanent basis for use by the general public. 

            SECTION 8.  STANDARDS.  In implementing the requirements of this [act], the official publisher shall consider:

            (1) standards and practices of other jurisdictions;

            (2) any standards on authentication and preservation of records adopted by national standard-setting bodies; and

            (3) the needs of electronic record users.

            SECTION 9.  UNIFORMITY OF APPLICATION AND CONSTRUCTION.  In applying and construing this uniform act, consideration must be given to the need to promote uniformity of the law with respect to its subject matter among the states that enact it.

            SECTION 10.  RELATION TO ELECTRONIC SIGNATURES IN GLOBAL AND NATIONAL COMMERCE ACT.  This [act] modifies, limits, and supersedes the federal Electronic Signatures in Global and National Commerce Act, 15 U.S.C. Section 7001, et seq., but does not modify, limit, or supersede Section 101(c) of that act, 15 U.S.C. Section 7001(c), or authorize electronic delivery of any of the notices described in Section 103(b) of that act, 15 U.S.C. Section 7003(b).

            SECTION 11.  EFFECTIVE DATE.  This act is effective on __________, for electronic legal material designated official under Section 3 and first published on or after that date.