Committee IT staff proposes video streaming pilot; committee weighs costs and scope

Senior IT Manager Zach Wimberly told the Executive Committee that enabling video in committee rooms would carry an initial cost of about $20,000 and roughly $50,000 per year thereafter. "User experience will not change. The only thing different will be the user sees video over what they're currently looking at through SCC," Wimberly said, and he described pilot options that could start in one or two rooms.

Members discussed whether to proceed with a pilot or adopt a broader rollout. The committee’s majority leader supported live streaming, calling the expense "modest and reasonable" and citing public interest and comparisons with other states that stream committee video. "I think it would be worthwhile to be able to provide this to the public," the majority leader said.

A member who identified themselves as concerned about costs urged caution. "For $70, we get no material change...it is nothing but an invitation to spend the $2.03, $4,000,000 to do it right that inevitably will happen," Speaker 2 said, arguing that if the state invests it should aim for near‑broadcast quality rather than a static shot and that a pilot may be a middle ground.

Questions included whether storage costs were included and whether House and Senate rules about camera placement (for example, whether cameras can be pointed at witnesses) would require policy changes. Wimberly said storage would not change because the committees already stream audio; adding video would not change retention under current systems, and staff can work with vendors to configure a pilot.

The committee did not take a formal vote on a specific implementation plan during this meeting; members expressed support for a pilot to test technical and policy questions with a later recommendation to come back to the committee.