Selected items posted on the Internet during the week ending April 10, 2026

Navigating Dash Cams: A Guide for Union Engagement Navigating union concerns around dash cams? This guide shows public sector leaders how to build trust, address privacy head-on, and create fair policies that support both safety and morale. DOWNLOAD

Fueling Transportation: Safety, Security and Savings with Data Explore how transportation agencies can harness data to improve safety, strengthen security and drive measurable cost savings. This case study highlights how Caltrans modernized its operations by unifying maintenance, permitting and asset management systems.   DOWNLOAD

AI Compliance 2026: Policy Was the Easy Part Explore why compliance is more than rules and how governments can implement AI responsibly. READ NOW

Modernizing and Funding Cybersecurity in the Age of AI This paper explores how state and local governments can modernize cybersecurity strategies to keep pace with rapidly evolving, AI-driven threats. DOWNLOAD

The H.R. 1 Mandate: Modernizing Medicaid and SNAP H.R. 1 adds substantial administrative obligations to Medicaid and food assistance programs. Learn why automation is essential to handle growing workloads and complexity. DOWNLOAD

The 2026 State of Online Payments This sixth annual report delivers essential insights into how, when, and why Americans are paying their bills digitally.  DOWNLOAD

Securing the Reset: How Idaho Strengthened Security and Governance This case study explores how transitioning to a FedRAMP-authorized environment enabled greater accountability, streamlined operations and enhanced protection of sensitive data, while reducing the burden of legacy systems. DOWNLOAD 

From Buzz to Benefit: Making AI Mission-Relevant Public sector leaders are under pressure to turn AI from a promising concept into measurable impact, but many initiatives stall at the pilot stage. This paper explores how agencies can move beyond experimentation by aligning AI investments with mission-driven priorities and address common barriers like cost and governance. DOWNLOAD

Why Identity Is Now Core HHS Infrastructure For HHS agencies, identity verification is no longer a support support function. This paper explains how modern identity platforms give agencies a consistent, risk-based way to verify new applicants and returning beneficiaries. DOWNLOAD

Administrative Law Judge finds that there was an insufficient nexus between the employee’s off-duty conduct and his public employment to establish misconduct

New York City Office of Administrative Trials and Hearings Administrative Law Judge [ALJ] Michael D. Turilli recommended dismissal of charges against the Respondent, an emergency medical technician [EMT] employed by the New York City Fire Department [FDNY] in its Bureau of Emergency Medical Services [EMS] after the FDNY failed to prove the EMT's alleged misconduct.

FDNY had alleged that four posts EMT had displayed on his personal Facebook account contained offensive gender-based content in violation of FDNY's Social Media Policy, EEO Policy, and Code of Conduct.

Noting that EMT had not identified himself as an EMT nor as a FDNY employee on his personal Facebook account, the posted content Facebook did not directly relate to EMT’s employment and that there was no evidence that any of EMT’s co-workers viewed or were likely to view the Facebook posts at issue, the ALJ held that there was an insufficient  nexus between EMT’s off-duty conduct and his employment as an EMT by NYFD to establish misconduct.

The ALJ also found that "the First Amendment" protected EMT’s online speech from discipline and opined that EMT’s posts related to matters of public concern in that they touched upon issues of gender identity, public education, and diversity but there was insufficient evidence to establish the potential for a hostile work environment at FDNY or disruption to the public perception of EMS.

Accordingly, the ALJ recommended the dismissal of the disciplinary charges served on EMT.

Click HERE to access Judge Turilli's findings and ALJ's recommended disposition of the matter posted on the Internet.

Audits of BOCES, school districts and municipalities posted on the Internet

Audits of municipalities, BOCES and school districts listed below were posted on the Internet by New York State Comptroller Thomas P. DiNapoli on April 8, 2026.

Click on the text highlighted in color to access these audits.

East Norwich Volunteer Fire Company – Fuel Monitoring (Nassau County)  Auditors found that company officials did not properly monitor fuel inventory for loss, waste or misuse. Officials did not accurately record fuel deliveries and usage, review fuel records in a timely manner or perform periodic reconciliations. As a result, 2,936 gallons of fuel, costing $7,603 were not accounted for. Officials also did not verify the accuracy of fuel purchased, ensure records were complete and accurate or reconcile fuel records to confirm proper usage. Discrepancies included 1,128 gallons not recorded, incorrect documentation of vehicle and driver IDs and missing odometer readings.

City of Ithaca – Records and Reports (Tompkins County)  Although transactions recorded in the accounting records and reports auditors reviewed were generally accurate, city officials did not maintain complete and timely accounting records and reports. In addition, the city controller’s office did not prepare or provide the council with monthly financial reports, such as budget-to-actual comparisons, cash balances or fund balance estimates, and the city manager did not provide year-end financial reports to the council. Auditors found that over 4,000 transactions totaling approximately $10 million were not recorded in a timely manner and council-authorized budget adjustments exceeding $1 million were omitted. In addition, bank reconciliations for accounts totaling approximately $51 million were not completed timely.

Town of Cato – Supervisor’s Records and Reports (Cayuga County)  The supervisor did not maintain complete, accurate and up-to-date accounting records and reports. Auditors found that the board lacked reliable financial information to effectively manage the town’s operations, increasing the risk of theft, waste and abuse. The supervisor assigned his duties of accounting records and preparing disbursements and financial reports to an appointed bookkeeper without providing oversight, which resulted in errors, including $348,817 in receipts and $744,572 in disbursements that went unrecorded and were not reported to the board. Bank reconciliations were inadequate, monthly financial reports were incomplete and inaccurate and payroll certification was insufficient, causing overpayments totaling at least $2,600. Additionally, the supervisor did not file the town’s annual financial report (AFR) with DiNapoli’s office, as required by state law, since 2017. While the bookkeeper filed the 2017 AFR in 2022, the others remain unfiled.

Cincinnatus Fire Department – Financial Management (Cortland County)  Department officials did not ensure financial activities were properly recorded or supported and funds were not adequately safeguarded. Because the department has four subdivisions, each with its own treasurer, there is an increased risk of department funds being lost or misused. Treasurers’ records were incomplete, with deposits and disbursements not matching bank statements and six bank accounts lacking any accounting records. One additional account had an accounting ledger that recorded deposits but not disbursements. In addition, hundreds of disbursements and collections lacked supporting documentation or approval.

Monroe 2-Orleans BOCES – MiFi Usage Billings (Monroe County)  The assistant superintendent did not properly monitor and manage MiFi usage billings, resulting in approximately $28,800 in unnecessary service charges for 62 devices. Officials also did not provide timely or accurate information to component school districts, limiting their ability to manage these devices. As a result, many devices were inactive or unnecessary yet continued to generate charges.

Town of Brant – Transparency of Fiscal Activities (Erie County)  The board did not conduct or provide for an annual audit of the supervisor’s financial records and reports for fiscal year 2024 in accordance with state law. The supervisor also did not prepare and file the required 2022 through 2024 AFRs with DiNapoli’s office. Furthermore, the supervisor did not provide the board with complete, accurate and reliable monthly financial reports, which prevented the board from effectively monitoring the town’s financial position and available fund balance to make informed decisions.

Truxton Fire District – Audit Follow-Up (Cortland County)  The review assessed the Truxton Fire District’s progress in implementing recommendations in the audit Truxton Fire District – Board Oversight, released in November 2022. The audit determined that district officials did not provide adequate oversight of district financial activities and did not complete mandatory fiscal oversight training. To help officials improve their oversight of financial activities and to complete the mandatory fiscal oversight training, the audit contained 11 recommendations. The board fully implemented one recommendation, partially implemented four, did not implement five, and one was no longer applicable.

Chittenango Central School District – Audit Follow-Up (Madison/Onondaga Counties)  The review was to assess the Chittenango Central School District’s progress in implementing recommendations in the audit Chittenango Central School District – Information Technology, released in March 2024. The audit determined that district officials did not adequately manage nonstudent network and local user account access and develop an information technology (IT) contingency plan. To help officials improve their oversight of user account access and develop a contingency plan, the audit contained four recommendations. The board, district officials and the director of technology partially implemented two recommendations and did not implement two recommendations. Auditors also reviewed the district’s progress in implementing recommendations related to the sensitive IT control weaknesses and communicated those results confidentially to officials.

###

Attendance and Leave Memoranda updates posted on the Internet

The New York State Department of Civil Service has published the following Attendance and Leave Memoranda applicable to certain employees of New York State departments and agencies and may be downloaded by clicking on the URLs set out below:

Advisory Memorandum 2026-01, Special Holiday Waiver Memoranda of Understanding for Security Supervisors Unit (SSpU), Security Services Unit (SSU), and Agency Police Services Unit (APSU)

and

Advisory Memorandum 2026-02, Memoranda of Understanding on Extension of Special Military Benefits and Post-Discharge Benefits through December 31, 2026

If you wish to print Advisory Memorandum 2026-01, a version in PDF format is available by clicking on the following URL: AM 2026-01 PDF

If you wish to print Advisory Memorandum 2026-02, a version in PDF format is available by clicking on the following URL: AM 2026-02 PDF

Click HERE to view previous Attendance and Leave bulletins issued by the New York State Department of Civil Service. 

Artificial Intelligence [AI] education and training now available to New York State's workforce

On April 6, 2026, Governor Kathy Hochul announced the expansion of artificial intelligence (AI) education and training to the entire New York State workforce, fulfilling a bold and forward-looking 2025 State of the State pledge that ensures over 100,000 state employees can use AI responsibly to better serve New Yorkers. This expansion makes New York the largest state in the nation to securely provide this emerging technology to its entire state workforce.

“We are putting New York at the forefront of the AI revolution, ensuring that the journey forward is safe and responsible,” Governor Hochul said. “I’m excited to fulfill our vision of embracing innovation, upskilling our employees and better serving New Yorkers.”

Today’s action builds upon the success of the recently completed AI training pilot program managed by the Office of Information Technology Services (ITS), which extended AI training and AI Pro, a secure generative AI assistant tool, to more than 1,200 users across eight state agencies.

Pilot results revealed:

• 75 percent of pilot participants saved time using AI Pro
• 90 percent felt their understanding of AI improved following the pilot program
• Participants generated over 170,000 prompts during the pilot period
• 86 percent of users want to continue using AI Pro after the pilot

AI training is offered to state employees in partnership with InnovateUS, an online platform governed by a coalition of public sector learning and innovation leaders. InnovateUS has trained over 200,000 public sector learners across 50 states and cities and in 80 countries. The two-part training is specifically designed to teach NYS employees about responsible AI use as a public sector employee.

Accompanying the training is the AI Pro generative AI assistant, developed by ITS and powered by Google Gemini, which will provide State employees with a secure environment to hone their AI skills, and unlock ideas about how AI could help agencies problem-solve and deliver even more for New York.

 

These new AI training resources, including the AI Pro tool, will be provided to the 50+ state agencies and entities ITS supports, while the AI training will be offered to all state workers. Responsible AI training will be required for agencies that elect to use AI Pro.

 

New York State Chief Information Officer and Director of ITS Dru Rai said, “Governor Hochul has been a national leader without peer when it comes to leveraging technology to enhance productivity in government, improve service delivery and create efficiencies so state agencies can better serve the public. We are thankful to have incredible support for this groundbreaking initiative and know that responsible AI will bring us limitless possibilities to enact positive change, while giving our employees an opportunity to grow their own skills for the future.”

 

InnovateUS Founder Beth Noveck said, “By equipping its workforce with practical AI and digital skills through InnovateUS, New York will be positioned to deliver better, more efficient and responsive services for its residents. At InnovateUS, we look forward to continuing to support Governor Hochul and our New York partners to harness the potential of AI to serve the public.”

 

Google Public Sector Customer Engineering Managing Director Elizabeth Moon said, “Equipping New York State employees with both the skills and tools to use AI responsibly is critical to unlocking this technology's potential to drive efficiency and innovation, enabling the public sector workforce to better serve New Yorkers. ITS's AI Pro, powered by Gemini, underscores Google Public Sector's commitment to supporting New York State’s digital transformation. We applaud Governor Hochul’s focus on setting an example for how government can embrace technology to build a better future.”

 

Assemblymember Steve Otis said, “Governor Hochul’s announcement today marks a vitally important next step to advancing responsible and knowledgeable use of AI tools by state agencies. Artificial intelligence tools bring great benefits and risks. Providing training programs will help support state employees and provide a framework for quality control protections essential to responsible AI use. Governor Hochul, the Legislature, and our team at the Office of Technology Services continue to make keeping up with the evolution of AI a priority.”

 

Praise for the AI Training Pilot Program

Last Fall at the Governor’s direction, ITS initiated an expansive AI training pilot program with more than 1,200 participants across eight state agencies, including the Department of Labor (DOL), the Division of Homeland Security and Emergency Services (DHSES), the Department of Health (DOH), NYS Homes and Community Renewal (HCR), the Office of People with Developmental Disabilities (OPWDD), the Office of General Services (OGS), the Division of Human Rights (DHR) and the Division of the Budget (DOB).

 

Participants represented a range of roles and professional experience levels, including workers from administrative, communications, policy, legal, service delivery, operations and technical functions. 41 percent of pilot users entered the pilot program with no prior experience using generative AI tools, and 87 percent of users had received no prior training in generative AI. Overall confidence using generative AI rose by 36 percent following the pilot program.

 

Pilot participants outlined numerous cases where AI Pro streamlined their work and facilitated decision-making, including crafting executive summaries and policy briefs, translating complex topics into easily digestible language, summarizing large reports and consolidating duplicative documents, and facilitating the creation of data dashboards, among other uses. Throughout the pilot and with all uses of AI Pro, careful human oversight was emphasized.

 

Users found that using AI Pro often allowed them to spend more time focusing on high-level, complex, and high value tasks.

 

Governor Hochul’s Innovation Agenda

Governor Hochul’s commitment to advancing New York’s leadership in AI builds on her broader agenda to expand cutting-edge technology development in the Empire State. Governor Hochul launched the historic Empire AI initiative, a $500 million partnership of New York’s leading public and private universities who have come together to establish a state-of-the-art AI computing center at SUNY’s University at Buffalo. Empire AI is already facilitating statewide innovation, research, and development of AI technologies.

The recently completed AI Training pilot was part of a series of initiatives announced as part of the Governor’s 2025 State of the State to ensure equitable growth of the AI industry in New York, including training students for AI-enabled jobs, funding NY AI startups, supporting small businesses with AI adoption and tracking the potential impact of new technologies on the workforce. These programs followed recommendations released by the Governor’s Emerging Technology Advisory Board, co-chaired by IBM CEO Arvind Krishna and Girls Who Code CEO Dr. Tarika Barrett.

 

At the Governor’s direction, ITS wrote and issued the first-ever statewide policy, Acceptable Use of AI Technologies, which now serves as a roadmap for state agencies to adopt AI thoughtfully, safely and responsibly, while optimizing efficiencies and delivering quicker and better results for their constituents.

 

Most recently, Governor Hochul launched the FutureWorks Commission to advise on policy and private sector interventions which protect the economic security of workers while harnessing the economic benefits of AI. The Commission will work to identify real-time data strategies for monitoring AI’s impact, and identify policy and private sector interventions to ensure New York’s workers, families and small businesses, not just large corporations, stand to gain from the potential benefits of AI.

 

The Governor’s innovation agenda has catalyzed major public and private investments, transforming New York’s economy and creating good-paying jobs of the future. GlobalFoundries recently announced an $11.6 billion investment to expand its chip manufacturing campus in New York’s Capital Region, creating 1,500 direct jobs and thousands of indirect jobs. In 2022, Micron announced a 20-year, $100 billion investment to create a megafab campus in Central New York, creating 50,000 new direct and indirect jobs and unlocking hundreds of millions of dollars in community benefits.

 

###