Connecticut Gov. Announces Permanent Halt to IT Centralization

Connecticut Gov. M. Jodi Rell recently announced that she is reversing the decision of the previous administration to centralize the administration of all state computer operations in the Department of Information Technology (DOIT). The governor had placed the transfer of approximately 350 employees to DOIT on hold in September 2004.

"Information and technology employees will remain employees of their current agencies and will continue to coordinate their work with DOIT," Gov. Rell said. "Technology is an increasingly vital part of state operations, and my job is to make the policy choices that ensure those needs are met."

The governor has directed that all future information technology employees who perform work for state agencies will be hired by those agencies. Additionally, such employees who were transferred or hired into DOIT as part of the centralization plans will be returned to state agencies. The details of those moves will be worked out between the state and the union representing those employees. The management personnel previously assigned to DOIT will be reassigned as appropriate.

The national search for a new IT commissioner is currently in progress. As information technology is of critical importance to the state, the governor determined that this need could best be fulfilled in the agencies. DOIT will continue to have a roll in the administration of large programs, purchases and other functions appropriately handled on a centralized basis.