Main Private Beneficiary of Court IT Project Lobbied Against Reform Bill

Main Private Beneficiary of Court IT Project Lobbied Against Reform Bill

SAN FRANCISCO (CN) -- A bill that would limit the power of California's court bureaucracy in spending hundreds of millions on an IT project has an enemy behind the lines in the form of Deloitte Consulting.

The principal private beneficiary of the big IT project spent $124,000 last year lobbying against the reform bill, AB 1208. Deloitte's lobbying report includes a $2,827 bill for an event at Sacramento's exclusive Sutter Club, for a select list of legislators and Assembly staff members.

AB 1208 passed California's Assembly in January and is now pending in the state Senate. Deloitte's interest in the bill correlates with its extensive invoicing of California as the developer of a $1.9 billion software system for the courts.

As passed last month by the Assembly, the bill requires that any technology projects receive written consent from 2/3 of the trial courts with voting power apportioned based on population. That provision puts a check on the ability of the Administrative Office of the Courts to embark on projects like the Court Case Management System, a nine-year-old project with Deloitte as the principal consultant.


http://www.courthousenews.com/2012/02/24/44170.htm