Executive Order Number One Hundred Two Creating The Delaware Information Assurance Task Force
WHEREAS, the State of Delaware has been recognized for its national leadership in providing e-Government services to citizens and businesses; and
WHEREAS, the State of Delaware has also been a leader in enacting legislation to facilitate e-Commerce; and
WHEREAS, the State of Delaware is the nation’s premier incorporation domicile and the legal home to over 800,000 business entities including more than 60% of Fortune 500 businesses; and
WHEREAS, the National Association of Secretaries of State has issued national e-Notarization Standards that propose procedures and standards to facilitate the authentication of electronic documents and the use of electronic documents in the stream of commerce by domestic and overseas business entities; and
WHEREAS, hundreds of millions of documents and data files are authenticated every year and the vast majority of these are prepared and processed in paper form costing U.S. and foreign businesses billions of dollars in processing and shipping costs; and
WHEREAS, many businesses, including mortgage, legal and medical services firms have begun migrating toward paperless operations and as their business processes evolve many are calling for standardized operating environments that have been government sanctioned; and
WHEREAS, such businesses will readily migrate to electronic authentication if the private sector develops electronic notarization, information assurance, archival and storage products and services that enable citizens, businesses, legal authorities and others to trust the authenticity of data and information; and
WHEREAS, government policies, regulations and statutes will play a critical role in establishing a conducive and flexible environment for the development of information assurance products and services; and
WHEREAS, Delaware’s position as a national leader in e-Government, e-Commerce and Corporate and Legal Services presents a unique opportunity for the First State to become a major U.S. center for development and delivery of information assurance products and services;
NOW, THEREFORE, I, RUTH ANN MINNER, by virtue of the authority vested in me as Governor of the State of Delaware, do hereby declare and order that:
1. The Delaware Information Assurance Task Force (the “Task Force”) is hereby created.
2. The members of the Task Force shall consist of the following:
a. The Lieutenant Governor or his designee;
b. The Secretary of State or her designee;
c. The Chief Information Officer of the State of Delaware or his designee;
d. The Director of the Office of Management and Budget or her designee;
e. The Director of the Delaware Economic Development Office or her designee;
f. A member of the Commission on Uniform State Laws designated by the Governor;
g. The Director of the Delaware Biotechnology Institute;
h. The Chair of the Delaware Technology Park;
i. The Chair of the Banking Committee of the Delaware State Senate;
j. The Chair of the Telecommunications Internet & Technology Committee of the Delaware State House of Representatives; and
k. Four members who shall be appointed by the Governor.
All members shall serve at the pleasure of the Governor.
3. The Lieutenant Governor shall serve as Chairperson of the Task Force.
4. The Task Force shall make recommendations to promote the development of information assurance products and services in Delaware that will enable citizens, businesses, legal authorities and others to rely upon data, images and information that has been electronically authenticated. The Task Force shall recommend any policy, regulatory or legislative changes that may be necessary to establish Delaware’s leadership in the field of information assurance including, but not limited to, any changes to existing laws governing notaries and electronic transactions. The Task Force may also recommend strategies for the development of partnerships with new or existing private or not-for-profit entities in order to promote the development of a national and/or international information assurance system.
5. The Task Force shall submit its recommendations to the Governor, the Speaker of the House and the President Pro Tempore of the Senate by December 15, 2007.
Approved: September 20, 2007
