(a) The joint legislative services committee shall consider each application for direct access to the legislative computer system in which confidential information is stored or processed, or that is connected to another computer in which confidential information is stored or processed, and solely shall determine whether or not to permit direct access by the applicant.

(b) Direct access to such a computer may not be permitted unless protection of any confidential information is ensured.

(c) The provisions of § 10-7-503 shall not apply to records or information otherwise available in printed form or to information or records otherwise exempt from the provisions of § 10-7-503.

(d) If public information is stored in a computer-readable form, the committee has exclusive authority to determine the form in which the information will be reproduced for the requestor of the information; provided, that the reproduction, publication, and sale of Tennessee Code Annotated in any form, in whole or in part, shall be pursuant to the provisions of title 1, chapter 1. If access to such public information is also available in printed form, it need not be provided in an electronic readable form.

(e) The committee shall designate the terminals, if any, at which public access is given to public information. The data processing equipment located in the offices of members of the general assembly and legislative staff need not provide such access if not so designated by the committee.