House Republicans want technology secretary who is interim chief information officer to resign one of the two posts, but Leonard M. Pomata says he will continue until the job is filled.

The Kaine administration’s quick fix for guiding the troubled Virginia information technology agency - allowing the secretary of technology to simultaneously serve as interim computer czar - is illegal, the attorney general ruled yesterday. William C. Mims, the state’s top lawyer, said the dual roles for Leonard M. “Len” Pomata violate a law that separates the jobs of technology secretary and chief information officer in order to shield the CIO from politics.

Virginia’s interim computer boss is ruling out—for now—layoffs to help a giant corporation control what it’s spending to modernize state information technology services. Leonard M. “Len” Pomata, temporary head of the Virginia Information Technologies Agency, is knocking down a proposal by Northrop Grumman to stem losses by, among other things, cutting staff.

Virginia’s computer agency is six months behind schedule in putting in place a $2.3 billion contract with Northrop Grumman for info-tech services. Leonard M. “Len” Pomata, acting head of the Virginia Information Technologies Agency, disclosed the delay yesterday in the opening of House of Delegates and state Senate inquiries into the controversy engulfing the sprawling department.

The acting head of Virginia’s embattled computer agency is praising employees for “doing heavy lifting” and urging them to ignore critics. Leonard M. “Len” Pomata yesterday met with about 100 employees of the Virginia Information Technologies Agency at its Chesterfield County headquarters. Other workers listened by phone conference call, as did a reporter for the Richmond Times-Dispatch, who was supplied the numerical pass code. Some employees submitted questions to Pomata by e-mail.