81-1120.27 Telecommunications system; uses; member of Legislature; long-distance calls; how made. - Nebraska Statutes

81-1120.27. Telecommunicationssystem; uses; member of Legislature; long-distance calls; how made.(1) The facilities of the state's telecommunications systemsare provided for the conduct of state business. In addition, the state's telecommunicationssystems, cellular telephones,electronic handheld devices, or computers may be used by stateemployees and officials for emails,text messaging, local calls, andlong-distance calls to children at home, teachers, doctors, day care centers, baby-sitters, family members, or others to inform themof unexpected schedule changes, and for other essential personal business. Any suchuse for essential personal business shall be kept to a minimumand shall not interfere with the conduct of state business. Astate employee or official shall be responsible for payment or reimbursementof charges, if any, that directly result from any such communication. TheDepartment of Administrative Services may establish procedures for reimbursementof charges pursuant to this section.(2) A member of the Legislature, while engaged in legislativebusiness, may make personal long-distance calls on the state telecommunicationssystem or by using his or her state credit card. At the end of every monthupon the member's receipt of his or her long-distance call record, the personallong-distance calls shall be designated by the member and the member billedfor such calls. Reimbursement to the state for such personal long-distancecalls by the member shall be made within thirty days from the date of designation.(3) A member of the Legislature, at his or her own sole discretion,may designate any long-distance call as sensitive or confidential in nature.If a long-distance call is designated as sensitive or confidential in nature,any long-distance call record used in an audit shall contain only the datethe long-distance call was made and the cost of the call. In no case shallthe person conducting the audit have access to a long-distance call numberdesignated as sensitive or confidential in nature by the member without thewritten consent of the member. No calls made to or by a member of the Legislaturewhich are sensitive or confidential in nature shall be required to be disclosedexcept that such calls shall be so designated by the member, and only theamount of the call and such designation shall be made available to a personconducting an audit.For purposes of this subsection, sensitive or confidentialin nature shall mean that either the member of the Legislature or the callerwould reasonably expect that the nature or the content of the call would notbe disclosed to another person without the consent of the member and the caller. SourceLaws 1967, c. 572, § 13, p. 1885; R.R.S.1943, § 81-1120.13; Laws 1975, LB 427, § 18; Laws 1992, LB 722, § 3; Laws 1993, LB 579, § 3; Laws 2009, LB626, § 6.