VIRGINIA INFORMATION PROVIDERS NETWORK AUTHORITY - Minutes
Board of Directors
Washington Building
1100 Bank Street, Richmond, Virginia

Mr. Christofferson called the meeting to order at 1:15 p.m.

Following a discussion concerning the presence of a quorum, a motion was made by Ms. Woodward that for the conduct of business a quorum would be the majority of the actual number of Board Members serving. The motion was seconded and passed unanimously.

Mr. Christofferson noted that he would discuss the quorum issue further with legal counsel John Westrick.

A motion was made by Ms. Woodward to approve the minutes of the March 26, 1998 meeting. The motion was seconded, and the minutes were approved as presented.

Mr. Christofferson asked that the agenda item to discuss the Governor’s Review of VIPNet be brought up later in the meeting after the arrival of Secretary Slater.

Mr. Dan Houlihan then gave the Network Manager’s Report.

In reviewing the financial report, Mr. Houlihan advised that there was no revenue to report at this time. In reviewing the management report, he informed Board members that he was in the process of screening candidates for additional positions; reported that Ms. Cindy Hines had been hired as the new Administrative Manager; discussed why plans for new office space had been moved back; and advised Board members that he would be relocating to Richmond the following week. Mr. Houlihan also reported on a number of meetings and presentations held with various state entities.

Mr. Houlihan reported on the status of the Commonwealth Calendar project with the Virginia Code Commission and briefed Board members on a draft Information Partner Agreement specifying the responsibilities of each entity. Mr. Houlihan advised that the Code Commission would be considering the agreement for approval at their April 29 meeting and asked Board members to approve the agreement assuming that the Code Commission proposed no major modifications.

The enhancement to the Commonwealth Calendar would allow state agencies to have a notice of their public meetings automatically sent to the Office of the Registrar of Regulations for printing in The Virginia Register, as required in the Code.

Mr. Rodney Willett of VIPNet provided a demonstration of the Commonwealth Calendar. Discussion followed.

A motion was made by Mr. Simonoff to approve the Information Partner Agreement with the Virginia Code Commission, contingent upon actual approval by the Code Commission with no major modifications. The motion was seconded and passed unanimously.

In response to a question from Ms. Woodward, Mr. Houlihan discussed the status of negotiations with the State Corporation Commission (SCC). Mr. Houlihan advised that he would be meeting with representatives from the SCC in the near future to discuss a draft proposal which he had sent for their review.

Mr. Christofferson advised that he had received a letter from legal counsel John Westrick containing suggested changes to the draft bylaws for the Board. Ms. Woodward noted that she would like to have a clarification of the quorum issue. Board members reviewed the changes suggested by Mr. Westrick.

Following a discussion, Mr. Simonoff made a motion that the Board accept the recommendations of the legal counsel, with the exception of the majority of a quorum, and approve the bylaws. The motion was seconded and passed unanimously.

Mr. Christofferson advised Board members that House Bill 632, which passed at the last session of the General Assembly, inserted language in VIPNet’s enabling legislation stating that in executing license agreements the Authority shall ensure that only those entities legally entitled to access information will be permitted access to information through the Network, and that the Authority shall ensure that the "Network does not aggregate independent sources of information to which it has access for the purpose of building comprehensive records about the citizens of the Commonwealth."

Discussion followed. Mr. Houlihan confirmed that the Network is compliant with this requirement. Ms. Woodward asked that future agreements with agencies include a specific section on "privacy restrictions".

Mr. Christofferson asked Bryan Slater, Secretary of Administration, to report on the status of the Governor’s review of VIPNet. Secretary Slater advised that they were in the process of preparing a briefing for the Governor, and that he hoped the review would be completed by the middle of May. Secretary Slater noted that anyone who might be affected could write to the Governor to express their views.

Mr. Christofferson announced that the next Board meeting would be held on May 28.

The meeting was adjourned at 2:15 p.m.

                                                                                          Nelson Worley
                                                                                          Secretary to the Board

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