Department of Technology.

Existing law establishes the Department of Technology, within the Government Operations Agency, headed by the Director of Technology, who is also known as the State Chief Information Officer. The department is responsible for the approval and oversight of information technology projects by, among other things, consulting with agencies during initial project planning to ensure that project proposals are based on well-defined programmatic needs and consider feasible alternatives to address the identified needs and benefits consistent with statewide strategies, policies, and procedures. This bill would require the Director of Technology to review a specified manual and draft a report based on that manual and other specified factors, to be transmitted to certain legislative committees on or before July 1, 2016, that recommends how a team of senior consulting information technology experts could be developed to serve as support for state agencies and senior project team members in state government. This bill would require the director, after transmitting the report, to establish a unit, within the Department of Technology, of consulting information technology experts to serve as support for state agencies. This bill would make legislative findings in this regard. This bill would declare that it is to take effect immediately as an urgency statute.