JBC punts AI compliance decision, approves partial IT accessibility funding and denies broad AI staffing request
March 02, 2026 | 2026 Legislature CO, Colorado
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The Joint Budget Committee on Monday chose not to act on the Office of Information Technology’s (OIT) SB 24-205 compliance request and approved a narrower staff-recommended package for statewide IT accessibility while rejecting a broader generative-AI staffing request.
Presenting staff recommendations, Mr. McLear told the committee that the fiscal note for SB 24-205 did not contain a concrete cost figure and that OIT wants to submit a formal request after the department has refined its implementation timeline. "Staff recommendation on this is pending until March," he said.
On R2 (Statewide Innovation Enablement), OIT requested 2.8 FTE in FY 26-27 and 20.5 FTE in FY 27-28 to support adoption of generative artificial intelligence across agencies. Staff recommended denial, saying the department had identified use cases but had not tied FTE to clearly scoped projects. "Existing resources could be reallocated toward these use cases," Mr. McLear said. The committee voted to adopt the staff recommendation on R2 (motion passed 4–1, with one objection recorded).
On R3 (statewide IT accessibility), staff recommended partial approval: $2.5 million in total funds including ~$1.3 million general fund and 15.4 FTE, down from the $3.1 million request. Mr. McLear explained the reduction reflected aligning license counts across departments and limiting licenses where departmental requests appeared unusually large. He also flagged statutory enforcement changes that create potential penalties for inaccessible digital assets. The committee approved the staff recommendation (vote recorded: 5–1 with one objection).
Committee members asked OIT for more detail about which systems SB 24-205 will impact, a list of systems that would be subject to the compliance rules, and a clearer inventory of AI currently used across state agencies. Several members expressed comfort with a centralized approach to technical support, while others worried that a single central team could be overspecified without clear project definitions.
What’s next: OIT will return with concrete recommendations and a fiscal estimate for SB 24-205 compliance; staff and the department will provide an inventory of affected systems and use cases.
Presenting staff recommendations, Mr. McLear told the committee that the fiscal note for SB 24-205 did not contain a concrete cost figure and that OIT wants to submit a formal request after the department has refined its implementation timeline. "Staff recommendation on this is pending until March," he said.
On R2 (Statewide Innovation Enablement), OIT requested 2.8 FTE in FY 26-27 and 20.5 FTE in FY 27-28 to support adoption of generative artificial intelligence across agencies. Staff recommended denial, saying the department had identified use cases but had not tied FTE to clearly scoped projects. "Existing resources could be reallocated toward these use cases," Mr. McLear said. The committee voted to adopt the staff recommendation on R2 (motion passed 4–1, with one objection recorded).
On R3 (statewide IT accessibility), staff recommended partial approval: $2.5 million in total funds including ~$1.3 million general fund and 15.4 FTE, down from the $3.1 million request. Mr. McLear explained the reduction reflected aligning license counts across departments and limiting licenses where departmental requests appeared unusually large. He also flagged statutory enforcement changes that create potential penalties for inaccessible digital assets. The committee approved the staff recommendation (vote recorded: 5–1 with one objection).
Committee members asked OIT for more detail about which systems SB 24-205 will impact, a list of systems that would be subject to the compliance rules, and a clearer inventory of AI currently used across state agencies. Several members expressed comfort with a centralized approach to technical support, while others worried that a single central team could be overspecified without clear project definitions.
What’s next: OIT will return with concrete recommendations and a fiscal estimate for SB 24-205 compliance; staff and the department will provide an inventory of affected systems and use cases.
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