Linda Hamel, the General Counsel of the Massachusetts Information Technology Division (ITD) has filed her brief in support of the ITD's ODF policy. Here it is.

During the October 31, 2005 hearing on the new technology policy of the Massachusetts Technology Division (ITD), State Senator Marc Pacheco, the Chair of the Senate Post Audit Committee, requested that Linda Hamel, the General Counsel of the ITD, substantiate the legal basis upon which the ITD had relied in contending that it could mandate the effectiveness of the policy (including the elements that deal with the OpenDocument OASIS Format specification, or ODF) without the approval of any other branch of the government, or compliance with various public notice rules that might otherwise apply.

That brief was filed yesterday, and I’ve received a copy from her in response to a public record request. In the interests of making it available as soon as possible, I’m posting it immediately, and will add my own summary of its high points later today.

With that brief introduction, here it is.