Department of Information Technology - Information Technology Staffing and Capability Assessment - Independent Study

EXPLANATION: CAPITALS INDICATE MATTER ADDED TO EXISTING LAW.
[Brackets] indicate matter deleted from existing law.
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amendment.
*hb1335*

HOUSE BILL 1335
P1 6lr3357

By: Delegates Kaiser, Kaufman, Palakovich Carr, Rose, Watson, and Wims
Introduced and read first time: February 12, 2026
Assigned to: Government, Labor, and Elections
Committee Report: Favorable with amendments
House action: Adopted
Read second time: March 9, 2026

CHAPTER ______

AN ACT concerning 1

Department of Information Technology – Recruitment, Retention, and 2
Compensation of Information Technology and Cybersecurity Professionals 3
Information Technology Staffing and Capability Assessment – Independent 4
Study 5

FOR the purpose of requiring the Department of Information Technology to procure the 6
services of a third–party entity to conduct a certain independent study; and generally 7
relating to the recruitment, retention, and compensation staffing, capability 8
assessment, and workforce alignment of information technology and cybersecurity 9
professionals in the State. 10

SECTION 1. BE IT ENACTED BY THE GENERAL ASSEMBLY OF MARYLAND, 11
That: 12

(a) The Department of Information Technology shall procure the services of a 13
third–party entity to conduct an independent study that includes: 14

(1) an assessment of information tech nology and cybersecurity staffing 15
needs across the principal departments of the Executive Branch as identified in § 8–201 of 16
the State Government Article, including: 17

(i) an inventory of existing information technology and 18
cybersecurity positions by classification, role, and function; 19

2 HOUSE BILL 1335

(ii) an evaluation of each principal department’s information 1
technology environment, including: 2

1. the size and information technology needs of the principal 3
department; 4

2. the size and scope of systems and applications used by 5
information technology; 6

3. cybersecurity risk profile and regulatory or compliance 7
obligations; and 8

4. legacy system dependencies and modernization 9
requirements; 10

(iii) an analysis of capability gaps between current staffing levels and 11
the skills required to support principal department missions; 12

(iv) identification of the types of information technology and 13
cybersecurity roles necessary to support operations based on the principal department’s 14
specific technology environment; and 15

(v) recommendations for aligning State information technology 16
staffing models with the operational, security, and project delivery needs of principal 17
departments and the strategic priorities of the Department of Information Technolog y’s 18
statewide information technology master plan; and 19

(2) recommendations for updated information technology classifications 20
and pay scales for information technology and cybersecurity professionals, informed by 21
comparable compensation data from other agencies across State and local government. 22

(1) a comparison of compensation of information technology and 23
cybersecurity professionals at State agencies with other comparable positions: 24

(i) at federal and local levels; and 25

(ii) in the private sector; 26

(2) an evaluation of the impact of salary adjustments and any other 27
compensation benefits or incentives offered by the State for information technology and 28
cybersecurity professionals; and 29

(3) recommendations for improving recruitment and retention of the State 30
technology and cybersecurity workforce. 31

HOUSE BILL 1335 3

(b) On or before November 1, 2027, the Department of Information Technology 1
shall submit the study under subsection (a) of this section to the Governor and, in 2
accordance with § 2–1257 of the State Government Article, the General Assembly. 3

SECTION 2. AND BE IT FURTHER ENACTED, That this Act shall take effect July 4
1, 2026. It shall remain effective for a period of 2 years and, at the end of June 30, 2028, 5
this Act, with no further action required by the General Assembly, shall be abrogated and 6
of no further force and effect. 7

Approved:
________________________________________________________________________________
Governor.
________________________________________________________________________________
Speaker of the House of Delegates.
________________________________________________________________________________
President of the Senate.