Get AI Briefings, Transcripts & Alerts on Local & National Government Meetings — Forever.
Senators press for more OTEC funding after agency warns of cybersecurity and hardware risks
Loading...
Summary
Budget presenters told the Committee of the Whole that the Office of Technology (OTEC) is proposed for a $5.362 million general‑fund appropriation for FY2026; several senators urged additional funding after OTEC sent a July 28 letter requesting about $5.1 million for critical upgrades and replacements.
The Committee of the Whole heard presentation of a $5,362,007.96 general‑fund appropriation for the Office of Technology (OTEC) for fiscal year 2026 and senators pressed budget staff and the governor’s office to consider additional funding after learning OTEC had sent a July 28 letter requesting roughly $5.1 million for urgent equipment and software needs.
Mister Guerrero, presenting the executive budget figures from the Office of Finance and Budget (OFB), said the $5.362 million is the only appropriation proposed for OTEC in FY2026. "The increase basically of about 1,400,000.0 was to fund … projects they were really asking to fund," Guerrero said, listing priorities including data‑center hardware maintenance, network security, and technology planning.
Senators pressed why the full list of OTEC requests was not funded. Senator Titegwu said she had seen a July 28 letter from OTEC asking the governor for $5.1 million to cover specific needs: a firewall ($550,000), network storage ($550,000), an IBM Power hardware upgrade ($1,100,000), a backup transformer ($500,000), network switching infrastructure ($500,000), VMware licensing changes (~$535,000), dark fiber operating infrastructure ($312,000) and a $1,000,000 cost to replace Microsoft Office software that will no longer be supported. "If we lose any kind of ability to … capture data or … somebody hacks into our system … we will be significantly, significantly affected," Titegwu said.
Guerrero told senators OFB received the July 28 letter and that the committee’s appropriation matched the governor’s Executive Budget Request (EBR). "We did receive it in my office," Guerrero said. He added that OFB allocated available resources across government priorities and that the FY2026 bill reflects the ceilings set for departments.
Senators urged use of the governor’s transfer authority if necessary. One senator noted many OTEC needs are capital and equipment rather than ongoing personnel costs and argued the administration could move funds in the current transfer season.
Why it matters: senators flagged OTEC as a high‑risk area for operations across government. Several lawmakers emphasized that failing to fund hardware, backups and cybersecurity now could lead to more costly outages and potential data breaches affecting other agencies and public services.
The committee record shows discussion and requests for follow‑up; there was no formal vote on an amended appropriation during the hearing. Further action — including possible amendments or transfers — would require future committee or floor proceedings.
