House Energy and Digital Infrastructure previews oversight of state IT, ADS and AI duties

Representative Kathleen James opened the House Energy and Digital Infrastructure committee meeting on Jan. 23, 2025, with introductory remarks and a brief agenda that included a presentation on state information-technology oversight.

Rick Segal, Office of Legislative Counsel, told the committee that the Agency of Digital Services, or ADS, is the central executive-branch IT agency and that the committee’s jurisdiction covers energy, utilities, telecommunications, broadband, information technology and cybersecurity. Segal urged members to review the statutes that created ADS and its authorities and to consider what changes the committee might propose.

Segal noted that ADS was created in statute in 2019 to manage executive-branch information technology and said the agency is responsible for large information-technology projects. "If there's any new information technology project with a total cost of a million or greater, there must be an independent review," Segal said, referring to the statute's required review threshold for major projects. He said the Joint Fiscal Office’s consultant has recently conducted such a review for an ADS project and will appear to discuss findings later.

The committee also heard that ADS houses a Division of Artificial Intelligence established by statute in 2021 (effective 2022) with responsibilities that include proposing an ethics code for AI in state government, reviewing an inventory of automated decision systems, and reporting annually on state government use of AI. Segal told members the division’s annual report includes an inventory of automated decision systems and is delivered to the House Committee on Government Operations; he suggested the Energy and Digital Infrastructure committee may wish to request that report as well.

Segal described the Joint Information Technology Oversight Committee (JITOC) as an older, cross‑branch body that evaluates state IT and makes recommendations; he said JITOC recently reviewed a letter from the Vermont Supreme Court asking for permanent general‑fund support for the judiciary’s tech fund. He reported that JITOC voted 5‑0‑1 in favor of recommending that approach to funding, and that the judiciary told JITOC its tech fund revenues have fallen since COVID‑era declines in certain court fee revenues.

The committee discussed the Office of Legislative Information Technology, a separate legislative IT office created in 2019 that manages the legislature’s systems, and noted the judiciary has its own IT entity. Members and counsel discussed coordination among ADS, the legislature’s IT office, the judiciary, and JITOC for cybersecurity and interoperability.

Segal also flagged a cybersecurity advisory council created by statute in 2023 and noted the council is set to sunset in 2028. He said the secretary of ADS chairs that council and recommended the legislature consider whether it should have a formal legislative appointee to the body.

Committee members asked for links to the statutes, JITOC materials, the JFO issue brief referenced in the judiciary letter (February 2022), and the December JITOC meeting video. Segal and staff agreed to post the cited statutes and the two letters discussed to the committee documents folder and to help members draft any bill text or requests to change statutory reporting paths.

No formal committee actions, votes or bill introductions occurred during the meeting. The committee scheduled testimony from the ADS secretary later in the session and planned follow‑up on the judiciary tech fund, ADS procurement and thresholds for independent review, and the cybersecurity advisory council’s meetings and membership.

The meeting closed with a short break and plans to continue the session with invited witnesses.