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Department of Administration outlines broadband grants, procurement reform and House Bill 13 pay and benefits changes
Summary
Director Misty Anne Giles gave the committee an overview of Department of Administration programs including remote‑work facility planning, ConnectMT/BEAD broadband grant programs, procurement modernization, centralized public‑records handling and workforce measures tied to House Bill 13 (state pay and health‑plan changes).
Department of Administration Director Misty Anne Giles gave the House State Administration Committee a broad briefing on agency programs and upcoming legislation, describing federal and state grant programs, procurement reform, centralized public‑records processing and personnel changes tied to House Bill 13.
Giles said the department has led a remote‑work and workspace study (initial $10 million seed plus a $50 million appropriation in 2023) to rethink state office footprints and hybrid work. On broadband, she summarized ARPA‑funded ConnectMT grant awards managed by the state and the federal BEAD allocation, noting Montana’s BEAD allocation is about $628 million and that BEAD awards must serve truly unserved locations.
The director highlighted procurement work: in the last period the department ran 225 formal solicitations worth about $972 million and noted the state spends roughly $3 billion annually on contracts. Giles said the department centralized public‑records requests under a single portal and tightened response deadlines; she indicated agency legislation on public information requests would be presented soon.
House Bill 13: Giles described negotiated terms affecting state pay and the state health plan. She said the agreement includes either a $1 per hour increase or 2.5% (presented as the negotiated increase) effective July 2025 and per‑diem rates tied to 70% of the federal standard so those rates automatically adjust. She also said the statutory state share for health plan costs is 10.54% and that modest adjustments to the plan are being negotiated to prevent larger spikes in later years.
Why it matters: The department manages internal functions for state government (IT, procurement, property management, risk/tort and the state health plan) and administers major federal broadband funds and workplace modernization investments that affect communities and costs across Montana.
Details: Giles described a centralized CDO office to move agency data into the cloud and allow quicker responses to requests and analytics; she said the state processed over 900,000 tax rebate checks in 2023 and saved about $28 million through health‑plan reforms. She also previewed agency bills to be presented, including clarifications to public‑records handling, electronic bid bond submission, building code cleanup and bond‑validation extension requests.
Next steps: The director encouraged members to schedule tours of modernized state workspace demonstrations and said agency legislation will appear on the committee calendar this week for committee consideration.
