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State IT supervisor urges full funding for Bureau of Information Technology Solutions
Summary
A state IT supervisor and union leader asked the committee to restore hiring and complete promised hours increases for BITS staff serving the Department of Developmental Services.
Jan Lawrence, an information technology supervisor serving the Department of Developmental Services and a union leader with CSEA SEIU Local 2001, urged the Appropriations Committee to fund the Bureau of Information Technology Solutions (DAS BITS) to maintain in-house IT capacity and complete promised staffing-hour restorations.
Lawrence said DAS BITS has been limited by a soft hiring freeze and that roughly 70 staff remain at 35 hours per week rather than the 40 hours previously agreed to in contract negotiations. “Originally, DAS BITS had agreed to complete this upgrade for all staff wanting to go to 40 hours by June 2025,” Lawrence said, but the upgrade stalled after a budget shortfall. She said two recently vacated positions in her unit have not been filled.
Lawrence argued that properly funded in-house IT is more cost-effective and better for quality control than relying on contractors, and she asked lawmakers to craft a budget that invests in state IT professionals who support services for residents with intellectual disabilities.
No committee decision was recorded at this hearing.
