In the near future, we plan to introduce legislation that would require the Pennsylvania General Assembly to consolidate its duplicative information technology systems within five years of enactment.
 
The Problem:
The General Assembly's four partisan caucuses (House Republican, House Democratic, Senate Republican, and Senate Democratic) each independently operate their own IT departments. The result is that there are at least six separate IT departments and four separate Wi-Fi networks serving the same legislature. IT spending now accounts for more than 21% of the General Assembly's total budget, compared to the 6 to 8% that comparably sized organizations typically spend on technology.
 
Security experts who have reviewed the current arrangement agree that a decentralized system increases rather than reduces security risk. Other states, including Maryland, Iowa, and Mississippi, already operate centralized, bipartisan IT offices that serve members of both parties without regard to which party holds the majority.
 
The Solution: 
- Require the General Assembly to consolidate the House and Senate caucuses' IT infrastructure, including hardware procurement, software licensing, network administration, and cybersecurity services, under a single nonpartisan office within five years of enactment.
- Direct the nonpartisan office to conduct a comprehensive inventory and needs assessment of current systems, contracts, and vendor relationships during the first year.
- Require the office to report annually to the General Assembly and the public on implementation progress, cost savings achieved, and any security incidents.
- Preserve appropriate safeguards so that caucus staff retain access controls consistent with their legislative duties, while eliminating unnecessary duplication of infrastructure, licensing, and vendor contracts.
 
 
This is a clear and bipartisan step we can take to reduce waste, increase efficiency, and become better stewards of taxpayer dollars. Please join us in co-sponsoring this legislation.