JELCAR staff outline agency portal launch to replace email submissions; manual change proposed

During other business at the June JELCAR meeting, Office of Legislative Services (OLS) staff described a planned technology update: an agency portal that will replace email submissions of rule materials and provide a single place for agencies to upload rules, forms and supporting documents.

Doug (OLS staff) said the database that supports the current manual is about 20 years old and described the portal as a modernization step. He said the portal will require complete fields before upload, will display rules that are expiring within a year and should speed processing by preventing incomplete submissions. Doug presented a draft letter (based on a 2020 precedent) and requested the committee approve a manual change so agencies will use the portal instead of emailing documents. The draft timeline included a director signature target of June 23 and a planned portal launch on August 4, with agency trainings in July.

Committee members expressed support for the modernization and the portal’s ability to highlight expiring rules. The transcript records the staff request for a committee vote to approve the manual change; the record captures committee discussion and general support but does not include a formal roll-call vote in the transcript.