Gov. Jerry Brown released the May Revision of the state’s proposed budget last week, and it includes about $530 million in increased spending on IT. Much of the spending is focused on public safety, education and health services.
While there is some flexibility in how departments spend their budgets, here are the funds at least partially specified for IT use in the revision. All of these funds would be spent during the fiscal year 2018-19.
The Cybercrime Investigation Teams will receive $5.4 million in General Fund money to create a team to investigate cybercrimes and another to fight human trafficking via online tools.
The state will allocate $2.3 million in General Fund money to the Office of Digital Investigations and the Network Security Unit. The focus will be enhancing security for state data and law enforcement networks.
The state will be upgrading the Public Safety Microwave network to a digital system over the next five years. $15 million was set aside to improve the public safety radio system to provide first responder network stability. This will include Next Generation 911 technology, to help with call routing, texting to 911 and geographic information data.
Another $10 million in general funds will go toward replacing the sex offender registration system, based on Chapter 541, Statutes of 2017 (SB 384). This first set of funds will assist in the development of IT planning for updates across the California Sex and Arson Registry System and the Megan’s Law website. Ongoing funds will be included in the next budget to build out the Department of Justice’s new system by Jan. 1, 2021.
The Bureau of Forensic Services Equipment will receive $5.4 million in General Fund money on a one-time basis so forensic hardware and equipment can be replaced.
On the educational side, $286 million was added to the $2 billion in discretionary funds allocated to K-12 schools. Part of that will go toward technology and instructional materials.
Another $6 million increase will come from one-time Proposition 98 funding to make open educational resources more available, some of which could go toward the governor’s proposed online community college.
Another $13.5 million one-time increase and $5 million in ongoing funds from Proposition 98 will go toward upgrading college financial aid management systems throughout the state.
The public health portion of spending changed for cannabis-related licensing and the Medicaid system. The revision includes $133.3 million toward licensing, permitting, enforcement, laboratory services and quality assurance systems and all the IT associated with those activities across the Department of Food and Agriculture, the Department of Public Health and the Bureau of Cannabis Control.
The Medicaid Management Information System (CA-MMIS) has an increase of $41.7 million to assist in the modular modernization strategy for the project.
The state will continue its effort to digitize its archives and records with an increase of $195,000.
The state’s tax entities will receive more money to update aging management systems, aiding in the “collection of cash payments, information technology system enhancements, and security upgrades at state offices, as well as the Secretary of State’s ability to process cannabis-related business and trademark filings,” the revision reads.
The Employment Development Department will receive $3.7 million, the California Department of Tax and Fee Administration will get $2.4 million, the Franchise Tax Board has $193,000 coming, and the Secretary of State will see $440,000 from the Business Fees Fund.
