Get Full Government Meeting Transcripts, Videos, & Alerts Forever!
Get email alerts on the State It Governance topic
No spam. Unsubscribe anytime.
OITS: federal cybersecurity funding cutbacks, iTEC changes and updated service rates affect Kansas IT planning
Summary
State IT leaders told the committee that recent federal cuts to DHS/CISA funding and the creation of a subscription model for MS-ISAC services will change how Kansas and local governments obtain shared cybersecurity support; OITS also described iTEC governance changes from SB 291 and summarized a trimmed list of enterprise service rates.
The Office of Information Technology Services (OITS) updated the Joint Committee on Information Technology on federal cybersecurity funding changes, recent iTEC governance reforms and OITS enterprise rates.
Federal funding and impacts OITS staff said the federal Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency (CISA) faced major budget reductions that caused roughly one-third of CISA staff to leave, and that those cuts reduced available free services to states and localities. OITS highlighted that the State and Local Cybersecurity Grant Program (a four‑year CISA program created in the Bipartisan Infrastructure Law) remains available for fiscal year 2025: Kansas was notified of an allocation of roughly $1.4 million with a required 40% cost share.
Multistate Information Sharing and Analysis Center (MS-ISAC) The committee heard that DHS funding cuts prompted MS‑ISAC to shift toward a subscription model for services it previously provided for free to many jurisdictions. OITS estimated that a statewide subscription to preserve MS‑ISAC services for Kansas public entities could cost approximately $1 million; local governments that currently use MS‑ISAC services would face subscription fees under the new model unless federal appropriations change.
iTEC governance and policy cadence OITS described how SB 291 amended iTEC governance: legislative and judicial branch representatives became non‑voting, the executive branch chair became the permanent iTEC chair and the council moved from quarterly to monthly meetings. OITS said monthly meetings accelerated policy review; the council has already begun passing updated cybersecurity policies and plans to address AI, data management and other governance areas with a regular refresh cadence.
OITS rates and billing OITS reminded the committee that most of its work is fee‑for‑service. It summarized that the office reduced published rate lines in recent years (from 119 rates down to 30, and later to 17) to make bills easier to read and manage and that it uses a billing dashboard (Apptio) to give agencies visibility into consumption. OITS staff said rates are constrained by federal grant rules—the office cannot charge more than the cost of a service when agencies draw federal funds—and that agencies may see increases when vendor-pass-through costs (for example, Microsoft licensing) rise.
Ending: The committee asked OITS to distribute details about the MS‑ISAC subscription options and to provide a breakdown of the office’s latest rate table and agency billing dashboard as follow-up material.
