Please ensure Javascript is enabled for purposes of website accessibility Friel, Ciresi introduce bill to create efficient, responsible IT system at Capitol

Friel, Ciresi introduce bill to create efficient, responsible IT system at Capitol

Rep. Paul Friel    July 17, 2026 | 3:55 PM

HARRISBURG, July 17 – Two state representatives are introducing a bill to cut unnecessary IT spending across the Pennsylvania General Assembly’s four legislative caucuses to safeguard taxpayer dollars.

State Reps. Paul Friel and Joe Ciresi said the UNITE Act would require state House and Senate Republicans and Democrats to work from the same IT providers, saving money and streamlining cybersecurity in Pennsylvania’s Capitol.

“Having multiple expensive IT systems and Wi-Fi networks because of partisan mistrust is not a sustainable solution. However, there is an opportunity here – I believe we can save tax dollars and build a better working relationship with our colleagues across the aisle and in the other chamber,” said Friel, D-Chester. “We need to make sure that state government works efficiently for the people, and this is a good first step.”

“In order to be better stewards of taxpayer dollars, we need to look for efficiencies and remove redundancies. The cost savings that would be achieved by combining the IT functions of all four caucuses in the House and Senate is something we should not pass up,” said Ciresi, D-Montgomery.

This is not a new issue, the sponsors said. A 2010 statewide investigating grand jury, convened after the Bonusgate corruption scandal, recommended streamlining the legislature’s IT and purchasing operations and found that no witness could offer a credible justification for why each caucus needed its own IT budget and staff. A bipartisan group of House members raised the same concern in a 2021 letter to leadership. Neither effort produced reform, leading Friel and Ciresi to propose legislation to require the legislature to streamline IT operations within five years of enactment.

The bill would:

  • Require the General Assembly to consolidate the House and Senate caucuses’ IT infrastructure, including hardware procurement, software licensing, network administration and cybersecurity services, under a single nonpartisan office within five years.
  • Direct the nonpartisan office to conduct a comprehensive inventory and needs assessment of systems, contracts and vendor relationships during the first year.
  • Require the office to report annually on its operations to the General Assembly and the public.
  • Preserve appropriate safeguards so that caucus staff retain access controls consistent with their legislative duties.
  • Eliminate unnecessary duplications of infrastructure, licensing and vendor contracts.

Friel and Ciresi said security experts who have reviewed the General Assembly’s IT arrangement agree that the four to six disparate systems increase – rather than reduce – security risk. Other states, including Maryland, Iowa and Mississippi, already operate centralized, bipartisan IT offices that serve members of both parties without regard to which party holds the majority.