Department of Information Technology - Information Technology Staffing and Capability Assessment - Independent Study
Summary
HB1335 requires the Maryland Department of Information Technology (DoIT) to hire a third-party entity to conduct an independent study of the State’s information technology and cybersecurity workforce. The study must assess staffing needs across the principal departments of the Executive Branch, including an inventory of current IT and cybersecurity positions, an evaluation of each department’s technology environment, an analysis of gaps between current staffing and mission needs, identification of needed roles, and recommendations for aligning staffing with statewide technology priorities.
The bill also directs the study to examine compensation. It must compare State IT and cybersecurity pay with comparable positions in federal, local, and private-sector employment, evaluate the effect of salary adjustments and other incentives, and recommend updated classifications and pay scales to improve recruitment and retention. DoIT must submit the completed study to the Governor and General Assembly by November 1, 2027, and the act is temporary, expiring June 30, 2028 unless further legislative action is taken.
Impact
HB1335 does not immediately change salary schedules or staffing rules in statute; instead, it creates a temporary mandate for DoIT to commission a workforce and compensation study. Its practical effect is to generate a formal assessment that could inform future legislation, budget decisions, classification changes, and pay adjustments for State IT and cybersecurity employees across Executive Branch departments. The bill affects the Department of Information Technology, principal departments under State Government Article § 8-201, and indirectly the State’s technology workforce and agencies dependent on IT modernization and cybersecurity capacity.
Sentiment
The bill appears to have broad bipartisan support and a generally favorable reception. It passed the House 123-8 and the Senate 42-1, indicating strong agreement that the State should evaluate its IT and cybersecurity staffing and compensation challenges. The committee report was favorable with amendments, suggesting the concept was supported while details were refined during the legislative process.
Contention
Because no committee transcripts were provided, there is no recorded substantive debate in the materials about specific objections. The most likely points of discussion would have been the scope and cost of the independent study, whether the study should focus on staffing versus compensation or both, and how its recommendations might lead to future pay increases or reclassification of positions. Any concern would likely come from fiscal or implementation questions rather than opposition to the underlying goal of improving recruitment and retention of technology workers.
Removing the expiration on certain cybersecurity requirements, modifying the duties of chief information security officers and cybersecurity programs, requiring assessment of executive branch agency compliance with cybersecurity requirements, providing for consideration of such compliance by the legislature during the budget process and creating the judicial branch technology oversight council.