‘For first time,’ Illinois to fund IT directly, says CIO

Illinois Chief Information Officer Sanjay Gupta said he’s hopeful that a move away from the state’s “chargeback” model of funding its IT will lead to improved service delivery. In a recent video interview, Gupta said that by working with the governor’s office and state lawmakers, he managed “for the first time” to get direct appropriations for the Illinois Department of Innovation & Technology. “That’s a major shift from how we were appropriated in the past,” he said. “My vision is for this year to get the second tranche, in the next year get the final tranche so that we will we be predominantly directly appropriated.” According to a recent survey from the National Association of State CIOs, most states now rely on hybrid funding models for IT, combining elements of chargeback and direct funding.

This video was recorded on Oct. 1, 2024, at the National Association of State Chief Information Officers annual conference in New Orleans.