Activity related to the final passage of the budget, including last week’s budget bills, has some direct impacts to state IT programs. Also pending is AB 1498 that will codify recommendations made by the Little Hoover Commission to maintain the cabinet-level status of the state CIO, requiring the CIO report to the governor on IT matters. AB 1498, a gut and amend bill authored by Assemblymember Joan Buchanan, D-Alamo, also requests that the administration considers moving procurement responsibility for IT contracts from the Department of General Services to the Technology Agency, which will be the Department of Technology under the new Reorganization Plan, according to the bill language.
As part of the overall budget deal, public employee union SEIU 1000 and Gov. Jerry Brown’s administration have agreed on the creation of a 10-person Budget Solutions Task Force that will begin meeting August 1 to review state contracts, including IT vendor contracts, and make recommendations about which contracts should be eliminated. The task force will include representatives from the Department of General Services, the new CalHR department, and the Department of Finance, according to a union spokesperson.
Changes in Senate Bill 1006, one of the budget trailer bills passed last week and signed by the Governor, include:
• Granting IT and telecommunications contract negotiating authority to CTA, requiring DGS and CTA report to budget subcommittees about this process,
• Requires state agencies to have written permission by the CTA prior to procuring IT project oversight services; and,
• Requires FISCal Project Office to report the Legislature by February 15 of year until the project is launched and a final report approved by the CTA.
Read the detailed language of SB 1006 here.
