§ 240. Powers and duties of the commissioner. The commissioner acting
by and through the department shall have the power and it shall be his
duty:

1. To assure that comprehensive, reliable and timely information and
research is available for effective economic development efforts at the
local and state levels; such information and research on the economic
conditions and trends of the state, its regions and localities should be
adequate to meet the needs of sound policy development, economic
research, economic development and private investment.

2. To investigate issues concerning state economic information and
research including the quality, timeliness and detail of certain
information; the unavailability of information on certain important
topics; the need to update information collection and indices to reflect
structural changes in the state's economy; the need to adapt information
collection and dissemination to meet new and emerging needs of users;
cutbacks in federal economic information systems and in federal support
for state information gathering and dissemination; uncertainty about the
most economic and effective way of supporting the collection and
dissemination of information; the need for standard formats and computer
compatibility among information systems maintained by different levels
of government, and by different state agencies; and the need for a
comprehensive policy or strategy to guide the state's economic
information system and its development.

3. The commissioner shall establish and maintain, within available
appropriations, a statewide economic information system accessible to
state, regional and local government and academic information users and
producers. Such information system shall be maintained by the
department. The commissioner may subcontract for related services to a
college, university or other non-profit institution. After the economic
information system is established, the commissioner shall submit a
report to the director of the budget and the chairmen of the senate
finance and assembly ways and means committees, evaluating the adequacy
of such economic information system and setting forth the reasons for
selecting such system.