Maine Spending on Restricted Technology

State Blog – Maine Bill To Stopping CCP Tech Threats To State Becomes Law

Overview:

Updated data found that since CTT’S last report, the state of Maine spent an additional $28,190 in 2024 and $202,541 in 2023 on restricted Chinese technology from Lenovo, Inc. The updated numbers show that between 2015 and 2024, the state of Maine spent a combined $5,528,267 on restricted Chinese technology from Lenovo, Inc. All the purchases were made by the state’s Bureau of Information Services.

Maine is making progress:

Maine State Senator Lisa Keim’s bill, An Act to Prohibit State Contracts with Companies Owned or Operated by the Government of the People’s Republic of China (LD877, SP0374), originally introduced in 2023, has continued to advance through the Maine state legislature in 2024.

The Problem

Technology products by Chinese government-owned technology manufacturers Lenovo and Lexmark have been banned by U.S. military and intelligence agencies due to their connection to the Chinese government and military, but are still being purchased by state government bodies. While federal policy directs information security at the federal level, states must determine their own security standards making states vulnerable to intrusion through the purchase of these risky Chinese technology products and services.

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The Solution

State lawmakers can enact laws and regulations to restrict contracts with Chinese-owned or operated tech manufactures.
As awareness grows among state lawmakers, there is a shift at the state level to take these threats more seriously. Some states, such as Georgia and Florida, already have laws or regulations to restrict contracts with Chinese-owned or operated tech manufactures that can serve as model policies, and nearly a dozen more states currently considering legislation.

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