(1) Except as provided in subsection (3), an employee, a group or team of employees, or a nonemployee is eligible for an incentive award for innovations that:
(a) significantly contribute to achievements or outcomes eliminating or reducing an agency's expenditures; or
(b) improve the effectiveness of state government or improve services to the public by permitting more work to be accomplished within an agency without increasing the cost of governmental operations.
(2) To be eligible for an incentive award, an employee, a group or team of employees, or a nonemployee must receive approval from agency management for immediate implementation, for a short-term test of an idea or innovation, or for the development and testing of a prototype that could make significant improvement in the way an agency conducts business by addressing fiscal, customer service, efficiency, or safety issues.
(3) A director, as defined in 2-15-102, or a legislator is not eligible for the incentive award provided for under this part.
(4) Suggestions relating to an agency are eligible for an award from that agency's agency head even if the employee or group or team of employees, or one or more members of the group or team, do not work for that agency.