Legislative committee advances four technology bills, adds reverse-repeal amendments

A legislative committee advanced four technology-related House bills during a meeting, approving strike-all amendments and adding “reverse repeal” language intended to keep the measures alive for further drafting.

The bills are House Bill 20, which would codify existing Information Technology Services work on digital procurement; House Bill 1380, which ties limited liability to compliance with NIST and other regulatory cybersecurity standards; House Bill 1491, to create a cloud center of excellence to help agencies migrate to cloud enterprise solutions; and House Bill 1535, to establish an artificial intelligence task force.

The committee’s action matters because the measures affect how state agencies buy and secure technology, how liability is allocated for cybersecurity incidents when agencies follow recognized standards, and how agencies may shift from in-house hardware to cloud services and oversee AI development.

House Bill 20: The committee member reported that HB 20 is intended to codify work that ITS has already been performing on digital procurement and modernization. The member said ITS already has authority in existing code sections for the bill’s provisions; the committee nonetheless adopted a strike-all amendment and added a reverse-repeal clause “to keep the bill alive.” The committee advanced the bill as title-sufficient, due pass as amended. The vote was taken by voice and no roll-call names were recorded.

House Bill 1380: The committee considered a strike-all that, according to the member, governs how entities must provide for cybersecurity and how liability is affected when entities follow NIST and other regulatory requirements. The member said the proposed committee substitute came from “JUD A”; no further detail about that referring body was provided in the record. The committee approved the strike-all and moved the bill forward as title-sufficient, due pass as amended.

House Bill 1491: The member described HB 1491 as establishing a cloud center of excellence to create a pathway for agencies to move to cloud enterprise solutions and reduce in-house hardware purchases. The committee offered and approved an amendment inserting a reverse-repeal clause, then advanced the bill as title-sufficient, due pass as amended.

House Bill 1535: The member identified HB 1535 as an artificial intelligence task force measure previously worked on by Chairman Williams. The committee inserted a reverse-repeal clause to allow further work on the language and advanced the bill as title-sufficient, due pass as amended.

Votes at a glance

- House Bill 20 — Adopted strike-all; reverse-repeal added; advanced as title-sufficient, due pass as amended (voice vote). - House Bill 1380 — Adopted strike-all (cybersecurity/NIST); reverse-repeal in proposed committee substitute; advanced as title-sufficient, due pass as amended (voice vote). - House Bill 1491 — Adopted strike-all; reverse-repeal added; advanced as title-sufficient, due pass as amended (voice vote). - House Bill 1535 — Reverse-repeal amendment added; advanced as title-sufficient, due pass as amended (voice vote).

The record does not include roll-call vote tallies or a date for subsequent floor action. Committee discussion as recorded focused on the procedural amendments (strike-all and reverse-repeal language) and on the bills’ alignment with existing ITS practices or standards such as NIST. No formal amendments changing policy substance beyond the strike-all and reverse-repeal clauses were recorded.