Gov. Reynolds issues statement on commitment to maintain Iowa-based workforce for state government IT operations

“The state of Iowa and Cognizant Government Solutions have been fully committed from the onset to employing an Iowa-based workforce throughout the duration of our engagement.  At no point during our negotiations was it even considered to employ H-1B visa holders. The state’s daily IT operations will continue to be supported by Iowans, for Iowans, as it is now.   

“Part of the state’s negotiations with CGS was their guarantee to offer equal or better employment to the approximately 200 state employees who today provide the IT services that CGS will manage going forward. This ensures continuity and consistency for the IT workforce that serves state government and the state agencies who rely on them. 

“IT operations is not a core function of state government and transitioning to a managed service provider model—especially one that includes Cognizant Government Solutions and Amazon Web Services, two world-class leaders in the tech industry—is necessary to ensure the integrity, security, and efficiency of Iowa’s data and systems.”