Idaho IT office would guide state technology purchases and security

The state IT office would control or approve many state technology purchases and coordinate purchases for other government branches. The office controls or approves purchases for state departments and institutions. It coordinates purchases for higher education, elected executive officials, and the legislative and judicial branches. The office must consult agency leaders and assess technical and financial needs for each purchase. Agencies may directly buy items costing less than $15,000. The office may use a third-party broker only under rules requiring independence, fair conduct, and documented analysis; the broker may charge vendors a reasonable commission. The military division controls public safety and microwave equipment. The act would take effect July 1, 2026, if enacted.

The office would direct state agencies and officials on cybersecurity steps, including system testing, employee training, and multifactor sign-in. The directions apply to state agencies and officials. Covered access includes email, cloud storage, web applications, networks, databases, and servers. Multifactor sign-in would apply when accessing state technology devices and services. The act would take effect July 1, 2026, if enacted.

The office would obtain fingerprint-based criminal history checks for certain prospective employees and contractors. The checks cover prospective employees and contractors who provide IT services to outside state agency customers and work in one or more listed IT fields, including network engineering, software, security, and data science. Each check must use a completed fingerprint card or scan and include records from Idaho’s criminal identification database and the FBI’s criminal history database. The act would take effect July 1, 2026, if enacted.