SPRINGFIELD, Ill. (WAND) — The state Legislature is scheduled to adjourn in less than a month, and budget deliberations have already begun. The Illinois Secretary of State and Attorney General told the Senate Appropriations Committee on Wednesday that both are prioritizing cybersecurity improvements in their budget requests.
Secretary of State Alexi Giannoulias has proposed a budget of $825 million for fiscal year 2025. Giannoulias explained that while his team spent $75 million last year to improve technology in the Office of the President, he believes there is still a critical need for cybersecurity.
Giannoulias stressed that the Secretary of State's IT systems have not been updated in decades, and that the only employee who understands the technology will be leaving.
“This important work cannot be delayed any longer,” Yanoulias said. “There is too much at stake. We need to eliminate reliance on legacy COBOL coding systems and solve cybersecurity needs that can lead to large-scale business interruption.”
The Democrat said his team spent millions of dollars building and operating the state's new DMV online reservation system. Lawmakers on both sides of the aisle are celebrating significant improvements that have cut unnecessary wait times.
“You're taking this seriously,” said Sen. Chapin Rose (R-Mahomet). “You're doing what you're supposed to do, and I noticed that. It's not every day you get a chance to thank someone in state government just for finding a problem and fixing it.”
Meanwhile, Attorney General Kwame Raoul is expecting an $8.5 million increase in funding for the office's general operations. Raul told senators he is also asking for a $500,000 increase in the general fund to increase grants for victims of violent crime.
Democrats said they are also investing $1 million in fiscal year 25 to improve cybersecurity.
“In particular, as we require cybersecurity insurance, we are once again publicly affirming our continued efforts to keep government agencies' sensitive data and infrastructure safe,” Raoul said. .
The attorney general also noted that the attorney general has received more than $198 million in payments from opioid distributors and manufacturers through settlement agreements. Raoul said Illinois should receive more than $1.3 billion over 18 years under the final national opioid settlement.
Mr. Raul and Mr. Giannoulias explained that they would both like to receive a reasonable amount of funding to help recruit and retain staff.
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