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HB1335 • 2026

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

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

Labor Taxes Technology
Enacted

This bill passed the Legislature and reached final enactment based on the latest official action.

Sponsor
Delegates Kaiser , Kaufman , Palakovich Carr , Rose , Watson , and Wims
Last action
2026-05-31
Official status
Enacted under Article II, Section 17(c) of the Maryland Constitution - Chapter 871
Effective date
2026-07-01

Plain English Breakdown

The official source material does not specify that state government agencies are affected beyond those involved in IT and cybersecurity roles.

Information Technology Staffing Study

This law requires the Department of Information Technology to hire an outside group to study staffing needs and compensation for IT and cybersecurity workers in Maryland, then report back by November 1, 2027.

What This Bill Does

  • Requires the Department of Information Technology to find a third-party company to do a study on IT and cybersecurity staff needs across state departments.
  • The study must look at current job roles, technology environments, security risks, and modernization requirements for each department.
  • Includes an analysis of pay scales compared to other government agencies and private companies.
  • Requires the Department to submit the study's findings to the Governor and General Assembly by November 1, 2027.

Who It Names or Affects

  • The Department of Information Technology
  • IT and cybersecurity workers in state departments

Terms To Know

Independent study
A research project done by an outside group to provide unbiased information.
Workforce alignment
Matching the skills and numbers of workers with what a company or government needs.

Limits and Unknowns

  • The law only requires one study, which will be completed by November 1, 2027.
  • It is not clear if the recommendations from the study will actually be implemented after it is submitted.

Amendments

These notes stay tied to the official amendment files and metadata from the legislature.

653824/1

None

Favorable with Amendments { 653824/1 Adopted

Plain English: AMENDMENTS TO HOUSE BILL 1335 (First Reading File Bill) AMENDMENT NO.

  • AMENDMENTS TO HOUSE BILL 1335 (First Reading File Bill) AMENDMENT NO.
  • 1 On page 1, strike beginning with “ Recruitment,” in line 2 down through “Professionals” in line 3 and substitute “ Information Technology Staffing and Capability Assessment ”; and in line 7, strike “recruitment, retention, and compensation” and substitute “ staffing, capability assessment, and workforce alignment”.
  • AMENDMENT NO.
  • 2 On page 1, after line 12, insert: “(1) an assessment of information technology and cybersecurity staffing needs across the principal departments of the Executive Branch as identified in § 8-201 of the State Government Article, including: (i) an inventory of existing information technology and cybersecurity positions by classification, role, and function; (ii) an evaluation of each principal department ’s information technology environment, including: 1.

Bill History

  1. 2026-05-31 Post Passage

    Enacted under Article II, Section 17(c) of the Maryland Constitution - Chapter 871

  2. 2026-04-13 Senate

    Favorable Report by Education, Energy, and the Environment

  3. 2026-04-02 House

    Returned Passed

  4. 2026-03-27 Senate

    Third Reading Passed (42-1)

  5. 2026-03-25 Senate

    Favorable Adopted

  6. 2026-03-25 Senate

    Second Reading Passed

  7. 2026-03-24 Senate

    Hearing 4/02 at 1:00 p.m.

  8. 2026-03-21 House

    Favorable with Amendments Report by Government, Labor, and Elections

  9. 2026-03-10 House

    Third Reading Passed (128-8)

  10. 2026-03-09 House

    Favorable with Amendments { 653824/1 Adopted

  11. 2026-03-09 House

    Second Reading Passed with Amendments

  12. 2026-03-07 Senate

    Referred Education, Energy, and the Environment

  13. 2026-02-19 House

    Hearing 2/27 at 1:00 p.m.

  14. 2026-02-12 House

    First Reading Government, Labor, and Elections

  15. Maryland General Assembly

    Text - First - Department of Information Technology - Recruitment, Retention, and Compensation of Information Technology and Cybersecurity Professionals - Independent Study

  16. Maryland General Assembly

    Vote - House - Committee - Government, Labor, and Elections

  17. Maryland General Assembly

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

  18. Maryland General Assembly

    Vote - Senate - Committee - Education, Energy, and the Environment

  19. Maryland General Assembly

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

Official Summary Text

Requiring the Department of Information Technology to procure the services of a third-party entity to conduct a certain independent study related to the staffing, capability assessment, and workforce alignment of information technology and cybersecurity professionals in the State; and requiring the Department of Information Technology to submit the study to the Governor and the General Assembly by November 1, 2027.

Current Bill Text

Read the full stored bill text
EXPLANATION: CAPITALS INDICATE MATTER ADDED TO EXISTING LAW.
[Brackets] indicate matter deleted from existing law.
Underlining indicates amendments to bill.
Strike out indicates matter stricken from the bill by amendment or deleted from the law by
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.