Minnesota Agencies

The Technology Advisory Council is created to advise the governor, executive branch, and the state chief information officer. The council shall advise the chief information officer on: development and implementation of the state information technology strategic plan; critical information technology initiatives for the state; standards for state information architecture; identification of business and technical needs of state agencies; strategic information technology portfolio management, project prioritization, and investment decisions; the Department of Information Technology Services' performance measures and fees for service agreements with executive branch agencies; management of the state MN.IT services revolving fund; and the efficient and effective operation of the department.

2023 Minn. Laws Chap. 62 Art. 6 Sec. 12 requires a Cloud computing progress report. No later than January 15, 2024, and annually thereafter, the state chief information officer shall, in consultation with the Technology Advisory Council, report on the progress of executive branch cloud adoption to the chairs and ranking members of the legislative committees with jurisdiction over executive branch information technology policy. The report shall include, but not be limited to, the following:

1. an accounting of each state agency's expenditures for cloud computing initiatives and software as service solutions; and
2. cost projections, timelines, and the names of any cloud provider selected for current computing projects that incorporate cloud computing solutions, and percentage of total cloud use.

The Technology Advisory Committee was reviewed by the Legislative Commission on Planning and Fiscal Policy (LCPFP) in 2013 as part of their biennial duty required by Minn. Stat. 3.885 Subd. 11. The LCPFP's 2013 Recommendations called for keeping the committee.

In 2021, the Legislature changed the name of the group to the Technology Advisory Council, and made some changes to its membership.

In 2024, the TAC formed a data-sharing workgroup to identify opportunities for secure, efficient data sharing and address governance and privacy challenges.

Originally, the committee consisted of eight members appointed by the governor who are individuals actively involved in business planning for state executive branch agencies, one county member designated by the Association of Minnesota Counties, one member appointed by the governor as a representative of a union that represents state information technology employees, and one member appointed by the governor to represent private businesses.

As of 2021, the council shall consist of 15 voting members. The governor shall appoint six members who are individuals actively involved in business planning for state executive branch agencies, one county member designated by the Association of Minnesota Counties, one member appointed by the governor as a representative of a union that represents state information technology employees, and one member appointed by the governor to represent private businesses. The governor shall also select six additional members with private-sector or public-sector IT experience or experience in academia pertaining to IT.

The council shall have the following four ex-officio nonvoting members: a member of the house of representatives selected by the speaker of the house; a member of the house of representatives selected by the minority leader of the house of representatives; a member of the senate selected by the majority leader of the senate; and a member of the senate selected by the minority leader of the senate. The governor shall designate one of the 15 voting members to serve as the council's chair.

Membership terms, removal of members, and filling of vacancies are as provided in section 15.059. Members do not receive compensation or reimbursement for expenses.