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JFAC reviews DHW's indirect support services budget; department requests vehicle replacements, IT upgrades and MMIS staff
Summary
The Joint Finance-Appropriations Committee reviewed the Department of Health and Welfare's indirect support services budget, including requests for replacement items (notably 60 vehicles), IT hardware and SQL server upgrades, and staffing for the Medicaid Management Information System (MMIS).
The Joint Finance-Appropriations Committee on Monday examined the Department of Health and Welfare's indirect support services budget, focusing on capital replacements and information-technology needs.
Legislative Services analyst Alex Williamson described the agency's replacement-item requests for fiscal 2026: $2.8 million total for items that included $1.8 million to replace 60 vehicles, approximately $384,000 for visitation rooms, and roughly $648,000 for office remodels and furniture. The Office of Information Technology requested about $1.8 million for hardware replacement, including laptops and a planned upgrade of SQL Server from the 2017 version to the 2022 version.
Director Alex Adams told the committee the department manages about 435 state vehicles statewide and that roughly two-thirds of fleet use supports child-welfare work. "Goal as a department is to replace the entire fleet every 7 years," Adams said, noting many candidate replacement vehicles have more than 105,000 miles and as many as 159,000 miles. He said higher replacement counts this year compared with last year reflect a multi-year replacement schedule and rising vehicle costs.
Adams also addressed information-technology staffing tied to the Medicaid Management Information System (MMIS) modernization. He said six IT positions tied to MMIS have been posted and were expected to be filled soon, noting the MMIS upgrade has been estimated at about $180 million in total project costs. Committee members sought additional detail on fleet mileage, vehicle use and the status of MMIS hires; staff said they would follow up with the agency for detailed lists.
WFH or one-time funding items discussed included SQL server licensing and assurance services (an ongoing $140,000 request for software assurance) and one-time hardware replacements. The governor recommended most of the agency's requests but did not include a line for additional cloud server capacity and support after the agency identified alternate solutions.
No formal vote was taken Monday on the indirect support services enhancement bill; the committee will consider enhancements as a group later in the month.
