Joint IT oversight committee aims for monthly full-day meetings, seeks statewide IT inventory and data-privacy briefings

The Joint Information Technology Oversight Committee met to set priorities through January, with members pressing for a complete inventory of state IT systems, a review of how agencies share or sell Vermonters' data, and regular progress reports on IT modernization projects. Committee members also discussed holding monthly, full-day meetings and requiring written testimony in advance.

Committee members said the work matters because IT systems and data practices touch many state services and carry privacy, security and procurement implications for Vermonters. Several members said oversight will help identify gaps across branches and make funding and audit priorities clearer.

Members emphasized three near-term priorities. First, several legislators said they want an up-to-date inventory of information-technology systems and programs across state government so the committee “knows what we’re overseeing.” A committee member said the inventory should include how systems are prioritized, how updates are recorded, and who verifies completeness. Second, members asked the state auditor to describe how information technology is included in annual financial and compliance audits and what those IT audit touch points have been in recent years. Third, legislators said they want to track the Agency of Digital Services (ADS) public dashboard and the agency’s annual report on IT modernization projects; one member said the committee expects a more complete report from ADS in December.

Beyond those items, members raised concerns about the sharing and sale of Vermonters’ data by state agencies and asked to check with ADS and other agencies about existing policies and reporting. The committee also discussed broader governance questions: whether data-classification and data-governance processes are in place and followed, how oversight should work across the three branches of state government, and whether the committee’s structure and role should be revisited later in the session.

Members suggested additional topics for future meetings, including AI-related procurement rules for software, coordination with committees of jurisdiction, and the state’s enterprise-resource-planning (ERP) transition and its relationship to Vermont’s procurement portal (Vision/Vermont Buys). Several members requested that invited witnesses provide written testimony and documentation well before meetings so the committee can spend more time on discussion.

No formal motions or recorded votes appear in the meeting record. Committee staff were asked to coordinate scheduling (including a September date and future monthly full-day meetings) and to request written testimony and briefings from ADS, the state auditor’s office and relevant agencies. A staff member was also directed to arrange time for Representative James and Senator Harrison to describe expectations and handoffs between JITOC and committees of jurisdiction.

The committee closed without taking formal action on policy items; members set direction for staff outreach and future briefings as described above.