1. The Secretary of State shall provide for the establishment of a state business portal to facilitate interaction among businesses and governmental agencies in this State by allowing businesses to conduct necessary transactions with governmental agencies in this State through use of the state business portal.

2. The Secretary of State shall:

(a) Establish, through cooperative efforts and consultation with representatives of state agencies, local governments, health districts and businesses, the standards and requirements necessary to design, build and implement the state business portal;

(b) Establish the standards and requirements necessary for a state or local agency to participate in the state business portal;

(c) Authorize a state or local agency to participate in the state business portal if the Secretary of State determines that the agency meets the standards and requirements necessary for such participation and the agency has entered into an agreement for access to the state business portal with the Secretary of State;

(d) Determine the appropriate requirements to be used by businesses and governmental agencies conducting transactions through use of the state business portal;

(e) Cause the state business portal to interface with the system established by the Secretary of State to assign business identification numbers;

(f) For the purpose of coordinating the collection of common information from businesses using the state business portal:

(1) Establish common business registration information to be collected from businesses by state and local agencies and health districts which issue licenses, certificates, registrations, permits or similar types of authorization to conduct a business in this State, which collect taxes or fees or which conduct other necessary transactions with businesses in this State; and

(2) Cause the state business portal to exchange the common business registration information among state and local agencies and health districts which participate in the state business portal and which use the common business registration information to issue licenses, certificates, registrations, permits or similar types of authorization to conduct a business in this State, to collect taxes or fees or to conduct other necessary transactions with businesses in this State;

(g) In carrying out the provisions of this section, consult with the Executive Director of the Office of Economic Development to ensure that the activities of the Secretary of State are consistent with the State Plan for Economic Development developed by the Executive Director pursuant to subsection 2 of NRS 231.053; and

(h) Adopt such regulations and take any appropriate action as necessary to carry out the provisions of this chapter.

3. Each state agency or health district that issues a license, certificate, registration, permit or similar type of authorization to conduct a business in this State may, to the extent practicable, and each local agency that issues a license, certificate, registration, permit or similar type of authorization to conduct a business in the jurisdiction of the local agency may, as approved by the governing body of the local government:

(a) Make available on its Internet website any of its applications for a license, certificate, registration, permit or similar type of authorization to conduct a business in this State.

(b) Accept the electronic transfer of common business registration information from the state business portal for use in any electronic application for a license, certificate, registration, permit or similar type of authorization to conduct a business in this State or for use in any application processing system.

(c) Integrate with the state business portal any of its applications for a license, certificate, registration, permit or similar type of authorization to conduct a business in this State. As used in this paragraph, “integrate” means to consolidate an electronic application process so that it is capable of collecting and disseminating information to a state or local agency or health district for the processing of the application for a license, certificate, registration, permit or similar type of authorization to conduct a business in this State.

(d) Allow for the acceptance of an electronic signature for a declaration or affirmation under penalty of perjury or as provided for in statute.

(e) Require an applicant for a license, certificate, registration, permit or similar type of authorization to conduct a business in this State to include in the application the applicant’s business identification number.

(f) Ensure that the state or local agency or health district, as applicable, is capable of using the state business portal to accept and disseminate to participating state and local agencies and health districts the common business registration information established pursuant to subparagraph (1) of paragraph (f) of subsection 2 which is needed by the state or local agency or health district to issue a license, certificate, registration, permit or similar type of authorization to conduct a business in this State.

(g) Establish and maintain its rules, data and processes relating to businesses in accordance with the agreement entered into by the state or local agency or health district pursuant to paragraph (c) of subsection 2 and any corresponding technical documentation.

4. The provisions of subsection 3 do not require a state or local agency or health district to:

(a) Disseminate or release information if such action would result in the state or local agency or health district violating any provision of state or federal law relating to the confidentiality of the information.

(b) Upgrade its information technology system or incur significant expense to comply with the provisions of this section.

5. Except as otherwise provided in NRS 239.0115, all records containing technical specifications, processing protocols or programmatic or system architecture of the state business portal, and any other records containing information the disclosure of which would endanger the security of the state business portal, or proprietary information related to the functions, operations, processes or architecture of the state business portal, are deemed confidential and privileged.

6. As used in this section:

(a) “Business identification number” means the number assigned by the Secretary of State pursuant to NRS 225.082 to an entity organized pursuant to this title or to a person who is issued a state business license or who claims to be excluded or exempt from the requirement to obtain a state business license pursuant to chapter 76 of NRS.

(b) “Disseminate” means to distribute in an electronic format that is capable of being accepted by participating state and local agencies and health districts and used by participants as the common business registration information used to issue a license, certificate, registration, permit or similar type of authorization, to collect taxes or fees or to conduct other necessary transactions with businesses in this State.

(Added to NRS by 2009, 2028; A 2011, 3450; 2015, 2657, 3360) — (Substituted in revision for NRS 75.100)