2024 OnSolve Global Risk Impact Report In 24 months, state and local leaders faced various physical threats. One type stands out, remaining a high risk in 2024. GET THE REPORT
28 States Have Banned or Restricted Private Funds for Elections The Chicago-based nonprofit Center for Tech and Civic Life distributed $3.5 million in private funds to 2,500 local election offices across 49 states during the 2020 presidential election cycle. But many believe the additional funds were unnecessary. READ MORE
3 Signs It’s Time to Find a New IT Service Management Tool Upgrading your ITSM tool can boost efficiencies, save money and result in better service delivery for end users. READ MORE
39-Plus States Consider Labeling Deepfake Ads, Calls Lawmakers in New Hampshire and elsewhere are debating measures that would better identify AI-generated material, as the November presidential election nears. Fair election groups say the proposals don’t go far enough. READ MORE
8 Features of the Best Audit Management Software for Public Sector The shift to electronic working papers in the audit community fosters collaboration but inadvertently generates dark data. Audit management software offers solutions to access, analyze and maximize audit data's value. READ MORE
A Lethal Shift in America’s Gun Violence Crisis High-capacity magazines and cheap devices that turn semi-automatic firearms into machine guns have already raised the shooting fatality rate. Targeting them legislatively could save hundreds or thousands of lives per year. READ MORE
A Lofty Future for Wind Energy, but State Goals Are No Breeze Business matters aside, the future is generally bright for offshore wind, leaders said at the 2024 International Partnering Forum for industry. Increasing state energy targets, however, present a stiff challenge. READ MORE
A Reasonable Disciplinary Penalty Under the Circumstances An e-book focusing on determining an appropriate disciplinary penalty to be imposed on an employee in the public service of the State of New York and its political subdivisions in particular and other jurisdictions in general in instances where the employee has been found guilty of misconduct or incompetence. Click here to read more at http://booklocker.com/books/7401.html
AI & Risk Management Resource Kit Learn best practices from subject matter experts for responsibly using AI to enhance risk assessment, mitigation and decision-making processes within government agencies. LEARN MORE
AI-Infused Software Looks to Quicken Police Report Writing A new tool from public safety tech supplier Axon can automatically transcribe audio from the company’s body cameras. Arriving as law enforcement nationwide confronts a hiring crisis, it could free up officers for other duties. READ MORE
Alaska Modernizes Mission-Critical System Many families depend on child support payments to pay their bills. Alaska is streamlining its child support program so families can stop worrying about late payments. LEARN MORE
Are We Ready for a Cyber Attack on Food and Farming? Authorities are working to prepare for one by, for the first time, conducting a massive federal tabletop exercise focused on food and agriculture cybersecurity resilience. READ MORE
Avoiding the Tyranny of Federal ‘Guidance’ The Supreme Court seems likely to curtail federal agencies’ interpretations of laws passed by Congress, but Washington bureaucrats have another way to exercise unaccountable power over state and local governments. States and localities can fight back. READ MORE
Campus Unions Express Concerns About AI in Higher Ed Campus union activists and professors say they worry that the growing popularity of AI tools for administrative tasks at colleges and universities could lead to fewer jobs and more student frustrations. READ MORE
City of Virginia Beach Launches Innovative Special Event Permitting Platform See how Virginia Beach is using Eproval to streamline their permitting process for outdoor events and weddings. READ MORE
Colorado Springs, Colo., Police to Implement Speed Cameras The Colorado Springs City Council on Tuesday authorized the Police Department to implement a new camera program that will catch and fine drivers exceeding posted speed limits in certain areas. READ MORE
Connecticut Lawmakers Call for More Cyber Protections As a rise in cyber and ransomware attacks on health-care facilities leaves hospitals vulnerable, legislators and health-care providers are hoping to work together to improve cybersecurity measures. READ MORE
Connecticut Senate Approves Major AI Legislation The Democratic majority in the state Senate on Wednesday night approved legislation that would regulate artificial intelligence and criminalize deepfake porn and false political messaging. READ MORE
Creating More Than Just Pretty Websites Local government websites should be resident engagement tools, not digital brochures or org charts. We use intuitive navigation, smart search, and more for optimal self-service. GET STARTED WITH MUNICIPAL WEBSITES
D.C. Data Leak? Ransomware actor LockBit allegedly stole and leaked data from D.C.’s Department of Insurance, Securities and Banking, after accessing the agency through its cloud provider, SecurityWeek reports.
Dallas CIO of 4 Years Heads to Private Sector Bill Zielinski, who has led the Information and Technology Services department since 2020, will step down April 30. In recent years, he led the city’s response to a ransomware attack, and to the deletion of millions of police records. READ MORE
Data Centers Are ‘Electricity Hogs’ Making States Reconsider By 2030, data centers will need 35 gigawatts of electricity, which is enough to power more than 26 million average homes. Some states are concerned that more data centers will risk the reliability and affordability of local electric grids. READ MORE
Digital Twin Helps Raleigh, N.C., Foresee, Combat Urban Heat The city, part of North Carolina's Research Triangle, is using a digital twin model empowered by GIS and artificial intelligence to plan for and address urban heat. It drives understanding of how development and heat will interact. READ MORE
Eight Fort Worth Schools Will Lose Full-Time Librarians The elementary schools have the district’s lowest enrollment, fewer than 300 students total, and will have to share a single librarian next year. No current librarians will lose their jobs. READ MORE
Federal Court Blocks Louisiana’s Latest Congressional Maps in any Election A 2-1 decision by a federal court stopped the state from using its new congressional map for any election, finding the changes Louisiana made to comply with the Voting Rights Act instead violated the 14th Amendment. READ MORE
Federal Financial Aid Snafus May Harm Fall Enrollment Updates to the financial form have led to major delays in students' completion and colleges offering aid. Some analysts worry large numbers of students won't get the help they're entitled to. READ MORE
Federal Government Looks to Boost Maritime Cybersecurity The Port of Los Angeles stands out for strong cyber defenses, but at other ports across the country, cybersecurity capabilities can vary wildly. The White House seeks to change this. READ MORE
Federal Grants: Governments' Cyber Defense Secret Weapon Explore how governments can safeguard citizen data, modernize IT, and tackle escalating cyber threats effectively with available resources and strategies. DOWNLOAD
Florida Invests Millions to Keep Babies Alive. It’s Not Working Last year the state spent more than $170 million to address maternal and infant death, yet rates of infant and fetal mortality, as well as preterm and low-weight births, haven’t improved much since a decade ago. READ MORE
For the First Time Since 2020, California’s Population Grew The state grew by more than 67,000 people in 2023, quelling concerns about the “California exodus” during the pandemic. California lost about 264,500 fewer people to other states last year than in 2021. READ MORE
Four Stages of Communications for a Successful Government Customer Experience This guide outlines four critical communication stages that best enable government to communicate with customers and improve outreach, enrollment and engagement around public services. DOWNLOAD
GIS and artificial intelligence to plan for and address urban heat. It drives understanding of how development and heat will interact. READ MORE
Go Modular: How a Stackable Strategy Helps Governments Modernize Business Systems To optimize business systems and deliver value to taxpayers, governments should focus on a modular strategy that allows them to stack solutions and applications that work together seamlessly — without having to overhaul all their business systems at once. READ MORE
Granicus Two-Way Messaging Aims for Interactive Government The company introduced two-way text messaging for the govDelivery solution, to more directly connect the public sector and residents — but also enhance agencies’ ability to gather feedback and improve services. READ MORE
Hackers Hit Georgia County Once Struck by Election Breach Coffee County, Ga., which is the same county where tech experts copied the state’s election software after the 2020 election, was also hit by a separate cyber attack this month. READ MORE
Hacking the Experts. Mitre — a federally funded R&D center known for its cybersecurity research and Mitre ATT&CK Framework — was breached by a nation-state hacker, per GovInfoSecurity.
How a Rural County in Texas Solved Its Broadband Problem Bringing fiber infrastructure to rural areas is expensive and time consuming. Wise County, Texas, found a way to deliver high-speed Internet access without wires. READ MORE
How GenAI is Transforming Public Sector Services in New York AI and generative AI (GenAI) are moving from nice-to-have to must-have. New York is one place that’s leading the way. LEARN MORE
How Public Cash Managers Can Navigate Buoyant Times While they enjoy today’s high tide in the money markets, state and local treasurers should also promote the case for expanded and targeted federal insurance for public deposits. READ MORE
How Should Government Guide the Use of Generative AI? As governments grapple with how to roll out generative AI — or whether they even should — policies in Seattle, New Jersey and California aim to to be broad, easy to understand and relevant in the face of change. READ MORE
How Will Connecticut Spend Its Remaining ARPA Funds? The state estimates it will have between $300 and $400 million of American Rescue Plan Act funding still available for use. The problem will be figuring out how to prioritize which programs get money. READ MORE
Illinois Proposes Merging Chicago-Area Transit Agencies Under an expected measure, Chicago Transit Authority, Metra and Pace would combine into a single system in hopes of resolving funding issues, as well as providing more reliable and safer services. READ MORE
'Just Shut Up and Study': The Backlash Against Campus Protests Faced with penalties ranging from academic probation to arrest, students continue to push back against the idea they should stop protesting. READ MORE
L.A. Metro Needs Until 2035 to Achieve Zero Emissions Four Los Angeles city-based Metro board members urged the transit agency to adopt an aggressive conversion plan to meet the original goal of 100 percent zero-emission buses by 2030. But the five-year delay will likely stand. READ MORE
Latino voters are coveted by both major parties. They also are a target for election misinformation Experts expect a surge of misinformation targeting Spanish-speaking voters with a high-stakes presidential election in the fall as candidates vie for support from the rapidly growing number of Latino voters. Read more.
Local Government Guide to Managing Grants This guide takes a deep dive into six significant barriers to successful grant management in local governments. It outlines best practices to address each and features insightful resources to help you implement solutions. DOWNLOAD
NASCIO Speakers Pepper Their AI Optimism With Warnings Artificial intelligence is quickly becoming mainstream for public agencies. But as state tech leaders look toward the benefits of the technology in the coming years, they are also sounding cautionary notes. READ MORE
Nashville's $3B Transportation Plan Has 'Something for Everybody' Nashville Mayor Freddie O’Connell wants voters to approve a half-cent sales tax to fund transit-service improvements and upgrades to the city’s sidewalks and roads. READ MORE
Navigate AI within Your Risk Management Strategy AI can make finding a source of truth difficult to decipher when monitoring events. Learn more about AI and how to use it responsibly here. LEARN MORE
Nevada Among First States to Unlock Federal Internet Monies The federal government has signed off on the state’s initial plan for using $416.6 million in grant money to improve high-speed Internet access. Nevada joins Kansas and West Virginia in being among the first states to secure funding. READ MORE
Nevada Harnesses GenAI for Employment Claims Evaluation After Nevada released AI guidelines last fall, CIO Tim Galluzi talked at NASCIO about how they’re using GenAI in the Department of Employment, Training and Rehabilitation to streamline processes. READ MORE
New NASCIO Mission Statement Reflects Broader Role for CIOs At the group’s recent Midyear Conference, state CIOs talked about a revision to the statement reflecting the changing role of public-sector technology leaders. The group also honored a state tech leader for his web modernization efforts. READ MORE
New Orleans’ Firearm-Free Zones Have Stalled After Pushback After a February special legislative session gave gun-rights groups sweeping wins, bills to expand firearm-free zones have stalled. Expansion of the zones seems unlikely this year. READ MORE
New York Transforms Public Sector with GenAI At both the state and local level, government organizations and education institutions in New York are using GenAI to enhance the resident experience, improve services and outcomes, and ensure strong cyber resilience. READ MORE
Nine Website Design Techniques to Help Residents Find Information in Two Clicks Local government websites should be easy to navigate. Learn more about CivicPlus's 2-click concept to and build trust within your community by ensuring they can find the information they need in the most efficient way possible. DOWNLOAD NOW
Occupational licensing requirements Such requirements are costly for the economy and harmful to the workforce, but we don't seem to be able to do much about them. READ MORE
On AI, Legislators Seek a Balance Between Innovation, Regulation Lawmakers in Colorado, Connecticut and Florida have brought forward laws on artificial intelligence and generative AI, aimed at enforcing transparency and risk management. Opponents highlight potential impacts to business. READ MORE
Optimizing Operations: One State’s Efforts to Streamline a Key Program Legacy systems can disrupt your workflow and negatively impact customers. Alaska is tackling this issue by implementing a modern, integrated system for its mission-critical child support program. LEARN MORE
Oversaturated Tech Industry Grapples With Layoffs Companies that grew tech talent rapidly during the pandemic are now firing workers in droves in an effort to reduce operating costs and improve profitability, creating an employer’s market. READ MORE
San Francisco Ranked No. 1 Overall on Clean Energy Survey The 2024 City Clean Energy Scorecard by the American Council for an Energy-Efficient Economy rates 75 of the nation’s largest cities against a number of sustainability and greenhouse gas reduction metrics. READ MORE
Seattle Officials Evaluate Spending as Deficit Grows to $250M The city’s finance department has grown 35 percent since 2019 and the cost of internal-facing departments have increased by 50 percent. Seattle’s total budget is currently $7.8 billion. READ MORE
Set Targets, Determine KPIs, and Share Progress If you’re working on–and struggling with–setting your organization’s wildly important goals, you’re not alone. Goal setting can be hard. How do you ensure goals are motivating and not overwhelming? Download our eBook to learn best practices for setting goals that motivate teams and leave an impact. DOWNLOAD eBOOK
SLCGP Money Goes to Training, Assessments, Policy Development As the deadline for year two funding approaches, Washington CISO Ralph Johnson talks about the state’s spending priorities with historic federal support for cybersecurity as the NASCIO Midyear conference gets underway in National Harbor, Md. READ MORE
SoCal Battery Storage Plant Will Be One of the Nation’s Largest The Nova Power Bank in Menifee, Calif., will host roughly 2,000 batteries over 43 acres and store enough electricity to power 680,000 homes for up to four hours. The facility is expected to be completed next year. READ MORE
Students Look Into the Future of AI in Disaster Response Students from upstate New York gathered this month at the University of Albany’s College of Emergency Preparedness, Homeland Security and Cybersecurity to share visions of artificial intelligence in emergency response. READ MORE
Texans Encouraged to Turn Off Lights Amid Bird Migration To help ensure the passage of nearly 2 billion birds from around 400 different species, the National Audubon Society is asking state residents to dim their nighttime lights as a part of the biannual “Lights Out, Texas!” campaign. READ MORE
Texas Power Company Warns of Catastrophic Failure if Storage Issues Go Unresolved ERCOT, the power grid operator for Texas, has warned of flaws in some solar, wind and battery storage resources that could disconnect the grid if there are frequency disturbances such as lightning strikes or equipment failures. READ MORE
The Answer to Ransomware? ‘Doubling Down on the Fundamentals’ Alaska CIO Bill Smith said that while ransomware is a huge threat and priority for him and the other state CIOs at the NASCIO Midyear conference, the most important way to turn the tide is getting back to basic cyber hygiene. READ MORE
The Best Jobs Require Data Science Skills. Schools Need to Do Better at Providing Them. One in every four job postings seeks candidates with the data skills that companies need — and those jobs pay better. Schools should refocus their efforts. READ MORE
The Center for Digital Government (CDG) GOVERNMENT EXPERIENCE AWARDS 2024 CDG invites all U.S. cities, counties, states, and special districts to nominate for a Government Experience Award! The CONTESTS ARE OPEN NOW!
The South Was the Center of Rural Population Growth Last Year Rural America’s population grew by 108,000 last year. Ninety percent of that growth was in the South. READ MORE
The State of Local Government Survey Report Explore OpenGov's latest report on the State of Local Government Survey, featuring insights from over 510 public sector agencies nationwide and reveals top challenges, evolving trends, and key priorities for improvement in 2024. DOWNLOAD
Three State Leaders Offer AI Governance Strategies Artificial intelligence and data leaders from Georgia, Maryland and Vermont shared their perspectives on successful AI governance in a GOVChats panel discussion. The environment, they said, is still in development. READ MORE
To Curb Crime, Accidents, San Jose Will Expand ALPRs The Silicon Valley city’s mayor helped install an automatic license plate reader at a crash-prone intersection in the east. It was the 235th such camera, and plans are to grow the network to 500 by this summer. READ MORE
Transforming Community Infrastructure for Water Conservation Local governments can drastically improve water conservation with a comprehensive approach to water management. READ MORE
Tribal Communities Await Federal Cybersecurity Grants The federal government is slated to distribute $18.2 million of Tribal Cybersecurity Grant Program funds as soon as the spring, and experts say the funds will help address important needs. READ MORE
Trolls and Their Tolls on Social Media Communicators This eBook from CivicPlus offers strategies for dealing with online trolls and guidance on how social media communicators can keep the peace on their websites without restricting free expression and meaningful and productive conversations. DOWNLOAD
Washington DNR Eyes Multiagency Camera Network to Combat Wildfires After the success of an AI-powered wildfire threat detection pilot, the Washington State Department of Natural Resources envisions how a real-time camera response center could safeguard millions of acres of forestlands. READ MORE
Webinars: Want a deeper dive into the issues and impact of the new regulations and guidance, below are some recent webinars that may help: New Overtime Regulations: How to Implement the Rule Changes; How AI is changing the Future of Hiring; Artificial Intelligence: Avoiding Inherent Discrimination Risks; How to Comply with New EEOC Harassment Guidance
What the U.S. Still Needs to Do to Combat Ransomware Experts recently discussed new early-warning tools, strategies for disrupting cyber criminals long term, and awareness and preparation campaigns that reach everyone. READ MORE
What Would a TikTok Ban Mean? Where next for the most popular app in the world? President Biden signed a bill that could lead to a nationwide TikTok ban, but will it actually happen? What are the implications? READ MORE
What’s New in Digital Equity: FCC Votes to Restore Net Neutrality Plus, $204 million is made available for Internet expansion in Pennsylvania, New York’s ConnectALL launches its County Partnerships program, and more. READ MORE
What’s the Right Way to Fund Struggling Transit Systems? They’ll need a lot more federal help to stay afloat. READ MORE
Wildfire Smoke Is Coming for the U.S. Again. We’re Not Ready. It will be one of the most noticeable ways climate change threatens human health in the years to come. It could cause as many as 27,800 U.S. deaths per year by 2050. READ MORE