Pennsylvania boosted budget for cybersecurity, digital services
Pennsylvania’s upcoming 2026-27 budget, which was signed last month by Gov. Josh Shapiro, adds millions of dollars for cybersecurity and digital services. The new funding is hoped to aid the governor’s mission of delivering “accessible, responsive, and secure technology that works for everyone,” according to Office of Administration Secretary Neil Weaver.
The budget, which allocates an additional $10 million for cybersecurity — and an extra $3.7 million for the Commonwealth Office of Digital Experience, or CODE PA — brings the total added cybersecurity spend under Shapiro’s administration to $30 million over the past three years. Shapiro proposed the funding in March.
State officials claimed that the administration office and CODE PA have saved a combined $37 million on IT spending over the last three years — through upgrading old systems, using in-house resources and improving financial management.
During the Office of Administration’s first annual IT Day in PA on Wednesday, Weaver shared more about how the increased budget will improve how citizens interact with their government.
“Modernizing and safeguarding the Commonwealth’s digital footprint requires continuous investment and this year’s budget delivers on Governor Shapiro’s commitment to providing accessible, responsive, and secure technology that works for everyone,” Weaver said. “This additional funding will help us better protect sensitive data, maintain public trust, and accelerate our digital transformation initiatives. By investing in our digital infrastructure and fortifying our cybersecurity defenses, we continue to ensure that Pennsylvanians can access necessary services online safely and efficiently.”
The new cyber funding builds on a multi-year modernization strategy to strengthen the commonwealth’s IT defenses. It’s intended to reduce the risk of technological disruption and ensure data and systems are secure and available when Pennsylvanians need them. In past budgets, the state’s administration office has funded improvements to real-time network and application monitoring.
Nearly $4 million for CODE PA will help the digital services office to continue its work with the Department of Environmental Protection to update permitting processes. Since its inception in 2023, under Shapiro, the office has undertaken a consolidation and redesign of dozens of websites into a single PA.gov website. It’s also introduced a streamlined process for procuring new technology products.
