Bill > S1986

This bill establishes an "innovative communities program" within the executive office of housing and economic development to encourage municipalities to adopt new technologies and support startups that develop them. A new "innovative communities office" will be created, led by an executive director with experience in new technologies, to oversee this program. To become a certified "innovative community," a municipality must pass a resolution accepting the program's principles, make municipal data publicly available (excluding personal or legally protected information), attend technology events, conduct annual beta tests of approved technologies, and share trial results with other participating municipalities. The executive director will also develop educational programs for both municipalities and startups on navigating the purchasing process, create plain language summaries of procurement rules, organize marketing events, implement pilot programs for promising technologies, establish a grant program for technology adoption, provide technical assistance, develop a pre-qualification process for startups, and create a website to share information. Additionally, an "innovative communities advisory board" will be formed to foster relationships between startups and municipalities and promote diversity in the innovation sector, and a commission will be established to study and recommend ways to overcome barriers to adopting innovative technologies by government entities.