Boston - Governor Maura T. Healey today signed into law An Act to provide for the future technology needs of Massachusetts, known as the FutureTech Act. The bill was filed by the Governor in January to modernize information technology systems across state government over the next five fiscal years. 

The bill signed today includes $1.23 billion in bond authorization to support current and future technology needs over the next five years, in addition to $400 million in authorization to spend anticipated federal funding for major business application projects led by the Executive Office of Health and Human Services.

“The FutureTech Act makes it easier for constituents and communities to interact with state government, while also modernizing our business functions and keeping our data secure. Because of this bill, state government can operate more efficiently and seize on the opportunity to engage with emerging technologies like AI,” said Governor Healey. “I'm grateful to the Legislature for passing this important bill and congratulate Secretary Snyder and his team for their hard work.”

“The FutureTech Act plays a key role in our administration’s efforts to support our 351 cities and towns,” said Lieutenant Governor Kim Driscoll. “By supporting proven, highly effective grant programs like the Municipal Fiber and Community Compact IT Grants, we are ensuring that all our residents are safer and better-connected to government.”  

“The front door to government is now digital. We are now at a point where the vast majority of residents’ first interactions with state government are via the web,” said Massachusetts Chief Information Officer and Technology Services Secretary Jason Snyder. “This crucial legislation presents an opportunity to look forward and modernize the customer user experience to better deliver government services, while hardening our cyber defenses and making our residents and state IT systems safer.”

The legislation represents significant IT capital investment to integrate the constituent experience across agencies, deliver on cybersecurity projects across the executive branch, and fund future investments in Artificial Intelligence technology, while also providing funding and technical support to secretariats, agencies, public higher education institutions and municipalities. One such investment is the Commonwealth Digital Roadmap to standardize the user experience across state agencies with a single identity that proactively points users to relevant information and services. To date, the Identity Access Management (IAM) single sign-on has amassed nearly 1.5 million users around the state. Building out this platform to add more applications and launching new lines of constituent communication through live chat, SMS and chatbot services will promote increased adoption and interoperability of the platform. 

The FutureTech Act also supports the Employment Modernization Transformation (EMT), a project which will provide both employers and those seeking unemployment insurance with a new portal to conduct state-facing employment activities and facilitate a streamlined claims process for uploading information with a mobile-friendly design and increased accessibility features, making it easier to apply for unemployment assistance. It also supports the Child Care Financial Assistance (CCFA) Modernization project, which will update the business processes within CCFA to align with an updated user experience and replace or update the core technology systems managing the waitlist, application and eligibility determination, and payments. Updating the overall user experience will reduce barriers to families seeking assistance from the state, ease administrative burdens on child care providers and create greater operational efficiencies for the Department. Further, it supports the Enhanced Student Financial Aid Access project to simplify and streamline the state’s financial aid system, making it more user-friendly and accessible to apply for and receive the historic amount of higher education financial aid available.

“I’m excited to see the Governor signing this bill into law. In partnership with Secretary Snyder and his team, the FutureTech Act will enable us to continue our important work with municipalities through Community Compact grants and take advantage of the opportunities that exist through the use of artificial intelligence to modernize, streamline and improve upon the delivery of government services to our constituents,” said Secretary of Administration and Finance Matthew J. Gorzkowicz.

“One of the main components to transforming Massachusetts’ education system includes updating our IT infrastructure to be more modern, flexible, accessible, and user-friendly. Today’s signing of the FutureTech Act will enable us to do just that for child care financial assistance and financial aid for higher education, helping families and students access the support they need to pay for education and care. I want to thank the Legislature for their partnership in this critical work,” said Education Secretary Dr. Patrick Tutwiler. 

“It was an honor to join Governor Healey today as she signed the FutureTech Act. The administration has made transformative changes to child care financial assistance over the last year and a half that this investment will build upon, accelerating our efforts to create a safe, multilingual, mobile-friendly and simpler technology system. This is a win for children, families, and our child care providers,” said Early Education and Care Commissioner Amy Kershaw.

“Today with the Governor’s signature, we invest in a safer, more efficient, and modernized digital experience for residents and state employees alike,” said Senate President Karen E. Spilka (D-Ashland). “Our technology infrastructure is a lynchpin for nearly every service and resource our state delivers, and enhancing it is a fundamental step to increasing access and creating systems that work for everyone. I’m grateful for Governor Healey’s leadership on this legislation, the support of Senators, and to Speaker Mariano and our colleagues in the House.”

“Ensuring that the Commonwealth is investing heavily in our technology infrastructure is critical, as protecting against cybersecurity threats, and enabling state agencies to operate with an increased level of efficiency, are vital aspects of our effort to make Massachusetts more safe, effective, and prepared in a world dominated by increasingly sophisticated technologies,” said House Speaker Ronald J. Mariano (D-Quincy). “I want to thank Governor Healey for filing and ultimately signing this legislation into law, as well as my colleagues in the House and especially Chairman Finn for guiding this bill through the legislative process.”

“This important legislation takes major steps towards improving the Commonwealth’s digital infrastructure,” said Bonding Committee Senate Chair Ed Kennedy (D-Lowell). “Because of these investments, the residents of Massachusetts will benefit from a safe and modern informational technology environment in all state agencies. I'm grateful to Senate President Karen Spilka and my colleagues on the conference committee for their collaboration in developing a final version of this legislation.”

“Today's signing of the FutureTech Act marks a pivotal step forward in modernizing Massachusetts' IT infrastructure. These advancements will streamline state processes and significantly enhance the user experience for everyone interacting with state government,” said Bonding Committee House Chair Michael Finn (D-West Springfield). “I extend my gratitude to Governor Healey, Speaker Mariano and Chairman Michlewitz for their steadfast commitment towards seeing this bill get accomplished this session.”

In addition to meeting the current IT capital needs of state government, this legislation looks forward, funding future capital projects in artificial intelligence for state business and constituent experience improvement, in a secure ‘sandbox’ environment that is overseen by the Executive Office of Technology Services and Security (EOTSS). In concert with the ongoing work of the Governor’s Strategic AI Task Force, this authorization gives Massachusetts a chance to widen its lead in the responsible development and use of AI technology in government.

Finally, the FutureTech Act supports mission-critical grant programs to for municipal government, authorizing $30 million and $25 million respectively, for the Municipal Fiber and Community Compact Grant Programs. These programs allow municipalities to partner with the state to advance their IT infrastructure. The grants have funded municipal projects to improve connectivity within underserved areas, modernize cybersecurity systems, create new electronics records management systems, allow for e-permitting, and city and town website updates. 

“As our state advances in the digital age, it is crucial to maintain our digital infrastructure to support all regions, particularly rural communities that are often overlooked,” said Director of Rural Affairs Anne Gobi. “The FutureTech Act will improve the way government engages with residents online, ensuring that everyone has access to essential benefits for a healthy life in Massachusetts.”

"The Governor's understanding of the importance of helping communities across the Commonwealth modernize their informational technology systems is demonstrated even further with the signing of the Future Tech Act,” said Oxford Town Manager Jen Callahan. “I can personally attest to the ongoing partnership between the State and municipalities and how critical it is in order to keep pace with the constant evolutions in IT infrastructure and systems security."

As the state’s lead technology secretariat, EOTSS is charged with the responsibility of coordinating the Administration’s information technology activities and ensuring that all executive department agencies adhere to its published standards, policies, and procedures. This enterprise approach provides a single, comprehensive framework and ensures that the state is in alignment on all technology needs, including data privacy, cybersecurity risk management, and digital accessibility and equity.