Contractors operating or providing services pursuant to this chapter may do both of the following:

(a) (1) Maintain records electronically, in compliance with state and federal standards, as determined by the department. A conversion from a paper record to an electronic format, as well as the storage of the electronic record, shall comply with the minimum standards described in § 12168.7 of the Government Code and the standards for trustworthy electronic document or record preservation described in Chapter 15 (commencing with Section 22620.1) of Division 7 of Title 2 of the California Code of Regulations.

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(2) Pursuant to Section 33421, the records shall be retained by each contractor for at least five years, or, where an audit has been requested by a state agency, until the date the audit is resolved, whichever is longer.

(3) This subdivision does not require a contractor to create records electronically.

(b) (1) Use a digital signature that complies with state and federal standards, as determined by the department, that may be a marking that is either computer generated or produced by electronic means and is intended by the signatory to have the same effect as a handwritten signature.

(2) The use of a digital signature shall have the same force and effect as the use of a manual signature if the requirements for the digital signatures and their acceptable technology, as provided in § 16.5 of the Government Code and in Chapter 10 (commencing with Section 22000) of Division 7 of Title 2 of the California Code of Regulations, are satisfied.

(Added by renumbering Section 8262.1 by Stats. 2021, Ch. 116, Sec. 67. (AB 131) Effective July 23, 2021.)