Approved:       January 29, 2007        

Date

MINUTES OF THE HOUSE GOVERNMENT EFFICIENCY AND TECHNOLOGY COMMITTEE

The meeting was called to order by Chairman Jim Morrison at 3:30 P.M. on January 24, 2007, in Room 526-S of the Capitol.

All members were present except Representatives Holland, Wilk, and Louis Ruiz, all of whom were excused.

Committee staff present:

Mary Galligan, Kansas Legislative Research

Tatiana Lin, Kansas Legislative Research

Renae Jefferies, Office of Revisor of Statutes

Gary Deeter, Committee Assistant

Conferees appearing before the committee:

Dr. Edward Hammond, President, Fort Hays State University

Dr. Mark Bannister, Chair, Information Networking and Telecommunications, Fort Hays State University

Others attending:

See attached list.

The minutes for the January 22 meeting were approved. (Motion, Representative Sharp; second, Representative McLeland)

Dr. Edward Hammond, President, Fort Hays State University (FHSU), presented a proposal approved by the Kansas Board of Regents to develop an information assurance and security curriculum in wireless format that could be shared with secondary and post-secondary institutions statewide (Attachment 1).

Dr. Hammond then introduced Dr. Mark Bannister, Chair, Information Networking and Telecommunications, who referenced letters of support for the proposed program, noting that financial institutions and health-care entities are increasingly demanding employees with certified information security skills, noting further that FHSU specializes in work-force training. He said the proposed curriculum could easily be shared with secondary schools, community colleges, and technical colleges as well as four-year universities.

Answering questions, Drs. Hammond and Bannister offered these responses:

•          Fort Hays is developing the curriculum because Congressman Jerry Moran obtained an $821,000 federal grant for hardware for the program;

•          Computer forensics is a high-demand skill;

•          FHSU is presently the only university with a high-level focus on information security; no state university at present meets NSA (National Security Agency) IT standards, but FHSU will seek certification as soon as faculty are hired for the program;

•          Additional federal funds may be available through NSA scholarships;

•          Through the support of Cisco, IBM, and other industry leaders, FHSU receives IT (Information Technology) equipment (currently over $1 million at market value) and training for faculty;

•          The Board of Regents approved the proposed program; however, no discussion or attempt to collaborate with the University of Kansas or Kansas State University took place;

•          Business and industry demands are high for qualified IT employees; the federal Department of Labor lists 5 of the top 10 high-demand jobs in IT;

•          At present FHSU has a contractual relationship to share resources with 10 community and technical colleges and 8 secondary schools;

•          The request for $532,000, which was not included in the Governor’s FY 2008 budget, will be allocated mostly for faculty salaries;

•          If funding is provided, the intent is to begin the course for the fall semester, 2007.

The Chair invited members to discuss a recommendation to the House Appropriations Committee. A motion was made and seconded to recommend the FHSU proposal favorably to the Appropriations Committee. (Motion, Representative Johnson; second, Representative Swenson)

During discussion, members expressed doubt that the course could be fully staffed by September 2007 and suggested perhaps partial funding for FY 2008. A member noted that this allocation would not be a one-time expenditure, but would be included hereupon in the base budget of the university. Discussion centered on the wording of the motion; based on the uncertainty of the course beginning in the fall, members thought wording “funding up to $532,000" might be appropriate.

The Chair announced that a vote on the motion would be delayed until the next meeting. The Committee was adjourned at 4:47 p.m. The next meeting is scheduled for Thursday, January 25, 2007.