(a) The commission shall be authorized to:

(1) Define, implement, and administer a state-wide courts automation system including data collection, networking, data storage, retrieval, processing, and distribution;

(2) Coordinate and cooperate with the state's chief information officer with regard to planning, implementation, and administration of a state-wide courts automation system to take advantage of existing state resources where possible;

(3) Participate in agreements, contracts, and networks necessary or convenient for the performance of the duties specified in this paragraph and paragraph (2) of this subsection and for the release of the information from civil case filing and disposition forms;

(4) Administer federal, state, local, and other public or private funds made available to it for implementation of the courts automation system;

(5) Coordinate state-wide strategies and plans for incorporating county and local governments into the courts automation system, including review of requirements of the several state agencies for documents, reports, and forms and the consolidation, elimination, or conversion of such documents, reports, and forms to formats compatible with electronic transmittal media;

(6) Establish policies and procedures, rules and regulations, and technical and performance standards for county and local government access to the courts automation system network; and

(7) Offer advisory services to county and local governments to assist in guiding their efforts toward automating their court procedures and operations.

(b) The chairperson of the commission may designate and appoint committees to perform such functions as he or she may determine to be necessary. The commission may, either by itself or through such committees, hold hearings, conduct investigations, and take any other action necessary or desirable to implement the courts automation system in a deliberate, effective, and timely manner. The commission shall make an annual report of its progress to the Chief Justice, the Governor, the President of the Senate, and the Speaker of the House of Representatives.

(c) The commission may use the funds available to it for providing to the judicial branch, officials, authorities, agencies, or instrumentalities of this state or a political subdivision of this state access to data bases which are beneficial to the operation of the courts and are accessible through the commission or through the Georgia Technology Authority, provided that access to any such data base shall be conditioned upon the consent of the department, agency, or other entity having the right to grant such access. The commission may also expend funds as necessary for appropriate access to such data bases by the courts.

(d) Nothing in this article shall be so construed as to require any office of a court to accept additional workload generated by establishment of an electronic transfer of information capability from any other office of the county or local government, including court offices. Each such office shall continue to have sole responsibility for transmitting information required of it, either manually or electronically.