Granholm issues order to merge state technology, management departments effective in March

MI tech, management departments to merge in March

LANSING, Mich. — An order from Gov. Jennifer Granholm consolidating two state government agencies is scheduled to take effect March 21.

The Department of Management and Budget will merge with the Department of Information Technology unless the Legislature rejects the order within the next 60 days, which is considered unlikely. The merger is designed to form a single department to further integrate technology with the state’s other administrative services.

Granholm announced her intention to merge the departments in November. She released further details of the plan in an executive order Wednesday.

The state had 20 departments in 2003 but Granholm has started moves to reduce the total to 15.