Website Acceptance Policy

I. Statement

The Office of eGovernment (eGov) Services will assure that new web content will conform to State Web Standards and Accessibility Policy.

II. Purpose

The purpose of this policy is to document and clarify responsibilities and processes regarding the conformance of agency websites that are the target of significant content augmentation and modification.

III. Applicability

This policy applies to all websites, regardless of where the websites are hosted, of Executive Branch and semi-autonomous State agencies. This policy also applies to those websites owned by other governmental branches that are hosted on computer devices operated by the Office of Information Technology.

IV. Responsibilities

A. Chief Information Officer of the State of Maine - Title 5, Maine Revised Statutes, Chapter 163 §1973, Section 1, Paragraph B authorized the Chief Information Officer to “set policies and standards for the implementation and use of information and telecommunications technologies, including privacy and security standards and standards of the Federal Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA), for information technology.”

B. Under the direction of the CIO, the eGov Services Office shall

1. Develop procedures and processes including:

a. Establishing the criteria to be used in validating web content

b. Developing the processes by which those criteria will be applied in the review of web content in a manner that serves the dual purposes:

(i) Improving policy conformance of State web content and

(ii) Educating agency staff engaged in web activities as the processes are undertaken.

2. Create the Website Review Committee, composed of web coordinators, for the purpose of validating web content conforms with State policy.

C. InforME – (for content to be hosted in that environment)

1. Develop a website test area, closely resembling the State’s web environment, within which new content can be validated before publication to the Internet.

2. Assign temporary test locations for requestors charged with developing new websites or redesigning old ones. All requests must be authorized by the agency’s Web Coordinator.

3. Work with the Website Review Committee, eGov Services and the agency Web Coordinator in the web site review and remediation process.

4. Provide the Internet hosting location within the State’s website for validated websites.

5. Delete the test environment once the validation process is complete.

D. Agency Web Coordinator

1. As the agency’s representative, the Web Coordinator has primary responsibility for achieving web and accessibility policy conformance.

2. Initiating the validation process for new websites and for websites being redesigned.

3. Migrating validated content to the production location.

4. Obtaining an appropriate test location where new content can be validated.

E. Agency Information Technology Directors will communicate the importance of web and accessibility policy conformance to non-technical agency staff.

V. Guidelines & Procedures

A. The Office of eGovernment Services with input from the Web Coordinators group, InforME, the Agency Information Technology Director and the Information Technology Accessibility Committee will adopt and implement standards, procedures, and best practices that will achieve the goals of this policy.

VI. Definitions

1. Agency Website – A set of interconnected web pages that are generally co-located in a folder and are collectively administered in the interest of an agency.

2. Semi-autonomous State Agency – An agency created by an act of the Legislative Branch that is not a part of the Executive Branch. This term does not include the Legislative Branch, Judicial Branch, Office of the Attorney General, Office of the Secretary of State, Office of the State Treasurer and Audit Department.

VII. References

1. Maine State Web Standards – http://www.maine.gov/oit/accessibility/policy/acc_webstandards.htm

2. Website Accessibility Policy of the State of Maine – http://www.maine.gov/oit/accessibility/policy/webpolicy.htm

3. Department of Administrative and Financial Services Information Services Security Policy 12/2002 in listing of IT policies, standards and procedures adopted prior to April 2006 http://inet.state.me.us/oit/policies/practices.html

4. OIT Security Policy 2002 in listing of IT policies, standards and procedures adopted prior to April 2006 http://inet.state.me.us/oit/policies/practices.html

VIII. Document Information

1. Document Reference Number: 8

2. Category: Internet

3. Adoption Date: December 18, 2006

4. Effective Date: December 18, 2006

5. Review Date: December 18, 2008

6. Point of Contact: Paul Sandlin, eGovernment Services; Telephone: 624-9427

7. Approved By: Richard Thompson, Chief Information Officer

8. Position Title(s) or Agency Responsible for Enforcement: Office of Information Technology/eGovernment Services; all Agency Information Technology Directors; all agency Web Coordinators

9. Legal Citation: Title 5, Maine Revised Statutes, Chapter 163 §1973, Section 1, Paragraph B

10. Waiver Process: Waivers are requested by the agency Web Coordinator. Waivers are submitted to the Director of eGovernment Services who will notify both the agency Web Coordinator and the Agency Information Technology Director (AITD) of the outcome of the request. Appeals to waiver denials should be directed to the Director of eGovernment Services by the AITD. The Director of eGovernment Services will review the appeal in consultation with the Chief Information Officer of the State of Maine.