May 24, 2023 (Saint Paul, MN) – Governor Tim Walz signed omnibus bills into law today, which fund state government for the next two years. The legislation will expand digital government and help families, businesses, and communities access services securely. The funding strengthens the ability of Minnesota IT Services (MNIT) to better serve the evolving needs and expectations of Minnesotans.

"This historic legislation recognizes that technology is a major catalyst for moving Minnesota forward. Technology can transform the services we all use – from annual tasks like paying your taxes or applying for a fishing license to benefits that help feed your family or find a job. We will work tirelessly to use these investments to make government services more efficient, user-friendly, and less burdensome. By streamlining processes and reducing complexities, we can return a precious commodity to Minnesotans – their time.”

Tarek Tomes, MNIT Commissioner, State of Minnesota CIO

The omnibus state government and elections finance bill (House File 1830) included $130M in new spending for Minnesota IT Services to: 

• Improve cybersecurity protections and match federal funding for distributing cybersecurity grants to local governments.
• Reduce barriers to getting help from the State by investing in modern, person-centered experiences that improve mobile access. 
• Support the state’s ability to quickly deliver innovative services by investing in cloud services.
• Expand the capacity of Minnesota’s Geospatial Information Office and the Office of Accessibility, and support IT initiatives for the Children’s Cabinet.

These investments follow the lead of other states who have taken an enterprise-wide, strategic approach to modernizing both the infrastructure and the applications that power our government. Across the executive branch, the Minnesota Legislature also funded technology proposals to enhance the services that are delivered to the people of Minnesota. Some of the key proposals include:

• The omnibus agriculture appropriations bill (Senate File 1955) facilitates improved self-service options for the Minnesota Department of Agriculture. 
• The omnibus judiciary and public safety appropriations bill (Senate File 2909) modernizes the way the state collects public safety data and links critical partners to make Minnesota a leader in evidence-based solutions and information sharing.
• The omnibus health and human services appropriations bill (Senate File 2995) transforms the human services delivery system with modern technology to better serve clients. It will create a simple, integrated, person-centered program for services. The legislation also improves our public health eligibility system, MNsure, and upgrades a platform to prevent delays in care for more than 1.4 million people who use Medical Assistance (MA) and MinnesotaCare. 
• The omnibus jobs, economic development, labor, and industry appropriations bill (Senate File 3035A) modernizes the digital tools that support workforce development initiatives, making it easier to access virtual appointments, and improving accountability and administrative management. The omnibus education finance bill (House File 2497) improves the cybersecurity of our school districts and expands access to digital devices.

###

About Minnesota IT Services 

Minnesota IT Services, led by the state’s Chief Information Officer, is the Information Technology agency for Minnesota’s executive branch, providing enterprise and local IT services to over 70 agencies, boards, and commissions. MNIT employs more than 2,400 people. Together, we build, maintain, and secure the State’s IT infrastructure, applications, projects, and services. MNIT sets IT strategy, direction, policies, and standards for enterprise IT leadership and planning. We also serve Minnesotans by connecting all 87 counties, 300 cities, and 200 public higher education campuses across the state on the MNET network. Through public-private partnerships, our team proactively protects the state’s information systems and the private data of 5.7 million Minnesotans.