Section 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.