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Subcommittee tables bill that would restrict purchases of technology tied to hostile countries
Summary
The subcommittee voted to table HB 2591, a proposal to bar purchase and use of certain technologies from adversarial companies or countries and to give the state's CIO authority to implement procurement restrictions; the motion to table passed 5–4.
The Technology and Innovation Subcommittee tabled House Bill 2591, a bill that would restrict the Commonwealth and private entities operating in Virginia from purchasing or using technology identified as originating from or tied to adversarial countries or companies.
Delegate Kim Poë, the bill sponsor, said Virginia’s critical telecommunications and data center infrastructure depend on foreign-sourced technology that in some cases originates from companies or countries considered adversarial. The bill would direct the Virginia Information Technologies Agency (VITA) chief information officer to use federal lists — from the U.S. Department of Commerce, Federal Communications Commission and Department of Homeland Security — to identify disallowed technology and implement purchase prohibitions going forward. The sponsor emphasized the provision is prospective — it would not require removing existing infrastructure immediately — and allows exceptions where necessary.
Representatives of the Northern Virginia Technology Council and other industry organizations raised questions about implementation, including whether VITA could reliably determine if equipment was designed, developed or manufactured in a particular country, how entities could seek removal from a ban list, and the cost and timeline for compliance. The Northern Virginia Technology Council’s representative, Eric Link, said the bill could put VITA in an enforcement position that is hard to administer and that there is no recourse specified for entities mistakenly included on a list.
After discussion, a motion to table the bill passed on a recorded roll of 5 to 4. The subcommittee did not advance the bill and referred it back as tabled.
