Bill > S1037

This bill, titled the DIGITAL NC Act, establishes the Board of Governors of the North Carolina Digital Sovereignty Authority, a nine-member board composed of individuals with expertise in technology, cybersecurity, and digital transformation, appointed by the Governor, Speaker of the House, and President Pro Tempore of the Senate. The Board's primary duty is to develop a comprehensive, twenty-year plan for modernizing, consolidating, and improving the cybersecurity of the State's information technology (IT) systems, which includes recommendations for divesting state-owned data centers, migrating to cloud services, unifying IT workforces, creating an innovation center, enhancing cybersecurity defenses in partnership with the National Guard, and potentially reorganizing the Department of Information Technology into a principal department. The Board will consult with various state agencies, local governments, educational institutions, and private sector experts, and will be administratively supported by the Department of Information Technology, with an initial appropriation of $100,000. The Board must submit its plan and proposed legislation to the General Assembly by March 1, 2027, and any substantive changes resulting from the plan will require further legislative approval.