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Legislative staff report CALIS phase‑1 near completion; user testing underway
Summary
Legislative staff told the Legislative Coordinating Council the CALIS modernization project has entered user‑acceptance testing for phase 1 and officials expect phase‑1 functionality for bill drafting to go live on June 30 (date not specified); fuller system deployment is expected in 2026.
Legislative staff reported to the Legislative Coordinating Council that phase 1 of the CALIS modernization project is nearing completion and has entered user‑acceptance testing.
The memo to the council said the phase‑1 release will include bill and resolution drafting and amendments, proofing, codification, publications and integration with existing chamber systems. “We plan to go live on June 30 with this new phase 1 system with the bill drafting,” a staff presenter said. Officials also said the broader system deployment is scheduled for 2026.
Why it matters: CALIS is the legislative document drafting and publication system used by both chambers. Upgrades that improve drafting accuracy and chamber integration affect how quickly legislators and staff can prepare, publish and amend bills during session.
Staff described the current stage as a broad, end‑to‑end testing phase that brings revisers, IT staff and vendor personnel together. The testing includes running realistic workflows from initial request through drafting, committee reports and simulated floor amendments. A staff member said publication testing is not part of the immediate two‑month test window, and publication workflows will be tested later.
The presentation named the vendor support team attending from Chicago and said vendor personnel would be available online during the immediate testing period. The memo on the table included the CALIS steering committee membership and staff said a more detailed memo will be provided at the council’s next meeting.
Council members asked about the program’s timeline after an earlier postponement. A reviser’s office official said the project has had more time for testing since that decision and reiterated a primary focus on accuracy: “What we’re testing is for accuracy,” the official said, adding that additional testing time has increased confidence the system will be ready for the 2026 full deployment.
No formal action was taken; staff said they will return with a more detailed update at the next meeting.
Lower‑priority details: staff said some phase‑2 analysis and design work began in February and that some phase‑2 features may be implemented before the 2026 session. The memo placed steering committee membership at the bottom for members’ reference.
