State worker data said to be at risk in Florida (AG Crist accused of inaction)

[seafan]

State worker data said to be at risk

By JONI JAMES
Published October 27, 2006

TALLAHASSEE - Fresh details emerged Thursday about one of the more embarrassing episodes of Florida Gov. Jeb Bush's administration - the problem-riddled privatization of state employee personnel services - providing campaign fodder for the Democrat running for attorney general.

At issue is the state's contract with Convergys, a publicly traded Cincinnati firm hired to take over the administration of state personnel files and services.

More than two years ago, Democratic state Sen. Walter "Skip" Campbell, who is now running for attorney general, launched a public campaign questioning whether the governor's push to use private companies for public jobs meant state work was being shipped overseas.
His questions, rebuffed by Republican leaders, went nowhere until December, when evidence emerged from two whistle-blowers that one of Convergys' subcontractors, Colorado's GDXdata, had shipped personnel files overseas for data processing in violation of the state's contract with Convergys.

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Campbell accused the Republican gubernatorial candidate, Attorney General Charlie Crist, of ignoring "a clear and present danger" that state employees' identities are at risk of theft, or worse, could be used by terrorists to gain access into the country. He said the attorney general should have joined the lawsuit.

Crist's office responded by distributing a time line showing several meetings with former GDX employees since April 2005. "Just because we didn't join the suit doesn't mean we're not investigating," said JoAnn Carrin, a spokeswoman.

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