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September 21, 2024

Links to selected items focusing on government operations posted on the Internet during the week ending September 6, 2024.


Click on the text highlighted in color to access the item posted on the Internet.

10 Things to Look for When Choosing a Mass Notification System Expedite critical alerts, warnings, instructions, and routine updates so that you can keep citizens informed and safe in an emergency. DOWNLOAD MY CHECKLIST

4 Questions to Ask Yourself When Considering Sending an Emergency or a Routine Warning The first crucial distinction in a mass communication strategy is understanding the difference between emergency and routine alerts. Click for Infographic

5G for the Public Sector: The Future of Connectivity This white paper explores how 5G can transform government and education by enabling remote work and supporting smart infrastructure. Learn how 5G improves speed, security, and efficiency in public services. DOWNLOAD

A Sustainable Infrastructure Guide for Local Governments Explore the projects that can bring additional federal funds to the table to upgrade public buildings, ensure ope Local governments have jurisdiction over the third-largest source of methane emissions: the dec rational resiliency, and create new revenue streams. DOWNLOAD IT NOW

AI Chatbots May Disrupt Voting for Disability Community A new report from the Center for Democracy and Technology examines ways in which AI-powered chatbots may negatively impact voter confidence this election season, for people with disabilities. READ MORE

Americans Are Lonely and Disconnected. Better Civic Spaces Can Help. We need more welcoming public places where people can connect in person — high-quality, well-maintained parks, trails, libraries and community centers. Investing in them is good for us and good for democracy. READ MORE

Are you ready for Copilot? Learn how Copilot for Microsoft 365 can help your organization reimagine workflows and processes. Get the Readiness and Adoption Guide »

As AI Gains Ground, Security Leaders Need to Embrace Saying Yes Cybersecurity chiefs are often viewed as inhibitors of innovation who are likely to veto new ideas in the interest of keeping systems safe. But as agencies increasingly lean on AI, CISOs must find a way to get to "yes." READ MORE

Autonomous Shuttles Inch Their Way into Transit Service Several new projects in Michigan, California and Florida explore the use of small, electric, autonomous vehicles operating alongside, or within existing, transit services. Public-private partnerships are key to their success, an official said. READ MORE

Bill Aims to Help Baltimore Get Compensation for Key Bridge Collapse The bill states that Baltimore “shall be entitled to recover for economic loss” from the bridge collapse which stalled the city’s port activity, reallocated emergency services and impacted local workers. But some legal experts are skeptical. READ MORE

California AG Warns Big Tech About Election Falsehoods California Attorney General Rob Bonta reminded executives at the companies of prohibitions against "voter intimidation, deception, and dissuasion" related to the upcoming election. READ MORE

California County AI Policy Could Be Instructive for Other Localities Sonoma County officials hope the new policy will act as a guide for how to appropriately use AI technology for emails, reports, job descriptions, spreadsheet calculations and more. But the policy prohibits using confidential or specific county information. READ MORE

California Neighbors and Cities Fight Over Sand as Beaches Shrink The U.S. Geological Survey estimates that California could lose up to 75 percent of its beaches in the next 75 years. The changes have sparked multimillion-dollar restoration projects and lawsuits along the state’s coast. READ MORE

Can Michigan’s Newest Plan Address Critical Education Gaps? State Reps. Jaime Greene and Nancy DeBoer say the plan will ensure students leave school ready for higher education and lifelong careers by reversing cuts to school safety and mental health resources and modernizing the state’s Merit Curriculum. READ MORE

Comprehensive Guide for Communicating During a Disaster Share this safety education information with your community throughout the year to keep disaster awareness top-of-mind. Read the eBook

Consolidating 18 PSAPs to 2 With a Single CAD System DuPage County's seamless dispatch system boosts 911 response efficiency, integrating 62 agencies for faster, coordinated emergency services. READ MORE

CoSN Report Offers Road Map for Schools to Make AI Accessible The Consortium for School Networking and the nonprofit CAST this week released a report on practical steps schools and tech developers can take to ensure new AI tools are accessible to all students. 

Counties+Tech: Digital Counties Winners 2024 (Infographic) From AI, chatbots and machine learning to workforce, budget and cybersecurity, here's the topline data on the 56 most innovative counties awarded in the annual survey from the Center for Digital Government. READ MORE

Crisis Management and Communication Planning for Government Communicators In a crisis, use a proven crisis management plan to ensure safety and effective communication. DOWNLOAD TOOLKIT

Data-Driven Fleet Management Improves Safety in New York City An executive order requiring telematics for NYC's fleet vehicles enabled better monitoring of driver habits like speed and seatbelt use, reducing crashes and improving safety citywide. READ MORE

Despite Bumps, Georgia Has Become a Growing EV Hub Georgia has recruited a pair of multibillion-dollar electric vehicle plants, dozens of parts suppliers to support those factories and several facilities across the battery supply chain. READ MORE

Driven by AI, Data Center Market, Power Poised to Expand Data centers are emerging as essential pieces of infrastructure to support the modern, digital, artificial intelligence-driven economy. Electricity, and lots of it, is vital to their growth. READ MORE

Explore the future of AI in Government Discover how upskilling your workforce can deliver better constituent experiences and spur more efficient agency operations. LEARN MORE

Exploring With NACo's AI County Compass — ICYMI National Association of Counties Chief Information Officer Rita Reynolds discusses the organization's comprehensive toolkit for local governance and implementation of artificial intelligence. READ MORE

FCC to Open Funding for Cybersecurity in K-12, Libraries The three-year $200 million Schools and Libraries Cybersecurity Pilot Program opens its application window this fall. The near-term goal is to secure schools most in need, but long-term it will help nationwide. READ MORE

Federal Veteran Housing Program Gets Back on Track HUD’s Veterans Affairs Supportive Housing program had over 85,000 participants nationwide as of June. Since the program began in 2008, homelessness among veterans in Illinois has decreased by half. READ MORE

Former Washington Nuclear Site Gets New Life as Solar Farm Plus, the first easily accessible 3D data set of the moon, Scottsdale, Ariz., rolls out drones as first responders, and the amount Amazon has lost on devices powered by Alexa. READ MORE

Georgia Considers Election Changes Less Than a Month Before Voting The state’s Election Board will consider 11 rule changes, from hand counting ballots to ballot tracking fees, that could significantly impact the election landscape with less than a month left before early voting begins. READ MORE

Georgia Governor Says It’s Time to Train High-Tech Workers In the past year, 83 percent of Georgia’s corporate recruitment has landed outside of the 10-county Atlanta area. A new program, Georgia Match, sent more than 132,000 letters to high school seniors to highlight technical college programs across the state. READ MORE

Global Study Finds Organizations Facing Cybersecurity Gaps Specifically, organizations worldwide are dealing with gaps in cybersecurity skills and staffing gaps, fueled in part by limited hiring budgets. A new study, however, offers potential solutionsREAD MORE

Google Investing $13M in AI Wildfire-Spotting Efforts The company said in a blog post that it is teaming up with a satellite maker and a group of nonprofits to launch satellites next year that can pinpoint small blazes all over the world before they spread. READ MORE

Groundbreaking Resilience Plan Wins Project of the Year Jersey City's landmark plan for climate resilience, in collaboration with Schneider Electric, earns top honors in the Environment + Energy Leader Awards program. LEARN MORE

Healing Amidst Divisions: How a Small Town Fights for Its Library Regional library systems provide vital services for small and under-resourced communities. But what happens when political divisions threaten to dismantle them? READ MORE

Hear from Top Leaders in Public Safety at Vision 2024 FirstNet Summit Gain exclusive insights into the latest innovations in emergency communications from leaders who are driving change. REGISTER NOW

HHS Guide: How AI & Automation Are Shaping the Next Era of Health & Human Services This comprehensive new guide from Governing, Government Technology and the American Public Human Services Association provides a roadmap for implementing and optimizing AI to deliver safer, smarter, better services for HHS agencies, their partners and the communities they serve. DOWNLOAD

How Federal Trade Deals Threaten States’ Crackdowns on Big Tech The public likes what lawmakers around the country are doing, but the industry’s lobbyists are working hard to embed provisions into trade deals that would undermine much of the progress states have made. READ MORE

How One English Teacher Improved Student Writing With AI Tech-savvy San Diego high school teacher Jen Roberts takes a proactive approach to showing her students the ins and outs of AI, which she said can prepare them for the future while improving their writing. READ MORE

In the Weeds: Zachary Kolodin, Michigan Chief Infrastructure Officer Michigan appointed a chief infrastructure officer to help localities apply for federal dollars and meet statewide infrastructure goals. What can other states learn from this approach? READ MORE

Information demanded pursuant to New York State's Freedom of Information Law may be exempt from disclosure pursuant to the Freedom of Information Law's cybersecurity exemption

Is Technology the Answer to Police Staffing Issues? Law enforcement agencies nationwide are losing officers faster than they can recruit them. Automated license plate readers and using drones as first responders are just two solutions that can act as "force multipliers." READ MORE

IT Leaders Level Up IT Service Management Public Sector IT leaders are leveraging no-code automation from TeamDynamix to improve IT service desk outcomes. READ MORE

Local Governments Are Doing IT for Themselves, With Help The organization that popularized civic hackathons is now taking on the responsible use of AI in government. Code for America draws on the collective expertise of the public, tech and nonprofit sectors to tackle societal challenges. READ MORE

Louisiana Treasurer Says State Services Can Be Paid With Crypto Louisiana government is now able to accept payments in cryptocurrency, state Treasurer John Fleming has announced, noting that people will be able to make payments from secure crypto wallets. READ MORE

Louisiana’s Investment in Coastal Projects Saved It from Francine Gov. Jeff Landry praised the state’s investment in coastal protection projects, such as levee infrastructure, as one reason why the Category 2 storm spared most of Louisiana from major destruction. READ MORE

Map: Which States Are Attracting Clean Energy Investments and Jobs? Tax credits in the Inflation Reduction Act were designed to drive private-sector investments in clean energy. Where are investments and jobs landing? READ MORE

Meet Indiana’s New GenAI Chatbot: A Cautious Introduction Indiana is one of the first states to deploy a beta version generative AI chatbot on its official website. Conscientious of unintended consequences, Indiana is focusing on transparency, user feedback and iteration. READ MORE

Modernizing IT Service in the Public Sector Public Sector IT leaders are using no-code ITSM from TeamDynamix to reduce time spent on manual tasks. LEARN MORE

Murder and Population Decline: A Troubling Urban Linkage An economist is making the case for such a correlation, and it carries a ring of plausibility. READ MORE

New Forms of Data, Tech Needed to Reimagine Future of Transit As transit organizations face hard choices related to reduced funding levels, industry observers say new forms of granular, location-based data will be needed to restructure for new realities and priorities. READ MORE

New Satellite Could Help Cities and Towns Contain Methane Emissions Local governments have jurisdiction over the third-largest source of methane emissions: the decomposition of organic waste in municipal solid waste landfills. READ MORE

North Dakota Commits $300,000 for Carbon Capture Education The state’s Industrial Commission, made up of the governor, attorney general and agricultural commissioner, has approved a project to expand education about carbon dioxide capture and storage, which includes a newly debuted website. READ MORE

Permitting, Licensing Firm Cloudpermit Sold to Private Equity The Riverside Co.’s acquisition reflects a belief these types of software will continue a growth spurt, fueled in part by governments adopting better tools. Cloudpermit says it has worked with more than 850 agencies. READ MORE

Port of Anacortes, Wash., Gets Grant to Improve Cybersecurity The $77,000 grant, awarded by the Federal Emergency Management Agency and the U.S. Department of Homeland Security’s Port Security Grant Program, will strengthen cyber protection across the enterprise. READ MORE

Reinventing Constituent Experiences with AI Generative AI and smart chatbots are transforming how state and local agencies interact with constituents. This paper offers a roadmap for using these technologies to deliver great self-service experiences. DOWNLOAD

S.F. Adds Mobile Security Cameras to Police Tech Roster Mayor London Breed announced the first three cameras will be deployed to monitor high-crime zones when police officers can't. The city also recently rolled out police-operated drones and automated license plate readers. READ MORE

Sea-Tac Not Paying 100-Bitcoin Ransom in August Cyber Attack Officials at the Seattle-Tacoma International Airport have said they will not pay the ransom, which is worth about $6 million. How much information was illegally accessed, and what kind, is still unclear. READ MORE

Skills-Based Hiring Isn’t Working. The Public Sector Can Turn It Around. Innovative wage subsidy programs and other services can help workers without college degrees demonstrate their skills to the employers who need them. READ MORE

St. Paul Police Eliminates Mental Health Unit With Social Workers, Launches New Program The Community Outreach and Stabilization Unit began in 2018 and put behavioral health practitioners with police officers to assist with mental health and/or chemical dependency calls. The city plans to launch a new program next year. READ MORE

Startup Uses AI to Help Tribal Nations Access Grant Funding A tech startup is leveraging AI to empower tribal nations in navigating the complex landscape of grant funding. Their solution is tailored to address these communities’ unique challenges and data sovereignty concerns. READ MORE

Texas CISO Nancy Rainosek Retiring, Deputy Is Her Successor The state chief information security officer of nearly eight years was named one of Government Technology’s Top 25 Doers, Dreamers and Drivers, in part for helping create a collaborative, risk-aware culture. READ MORE

The New Jersey Rule That’s Pushing Cities to Build More Housing Nine towns are suing New Jersey over a law implementing aspects of the state’s affordable housing requirements. The rules have pushed states to produce more multifamily and low-income housing. READ MORE

The Presidential Swing States That Will Matter — in 2028
It could be a very different landscape than the one that will decide this year’s election. Will North Carolina be the next Pennsylvania?
READ MORE

The Wrong Way to Deal With Our Mountains of Plastic Waste Turning some of it into fuel, as a Michigan facility plans to do, is labeled as “recycling,” but it may be worse for the environment than dumping the waste into a landfill. READ MORE

Tips for Overcoming Public-Sector IT Modernization Challenges Public-sector IT departments embarking on modernization efforts can follow these tips to overcome common challenges like resource restraints and staffing issues. READ MORE

Transform Public Safety: Join Vision 2024 FirstNet Summit Explore the latest in emergency communication at Vision 2024. Engage with industry leaders, experience hands-on demos, and enhance your response capabilities. REGISTER NOW

Want Cheaper Grocery Bills? Give All Kids Free School Meals. They do better in school, parents have to spend less money on food and all households benefit from lower grocery prices. READ MORE

What Does the Sale of BP’s Wind Energy Division Mean for Texas? The oil major’s U.S. onshore wind energy business, based in Houston, is valued at about $2 billion and has interests in 10 wind farms across seven states. READ MORE

What’s New in Digital Equity: Manual to Guide Inclusion Work Plus, Kansas has announced funding for digital skills training, a map illustrates municipal networks across the country, and more. READ MORE

Where Are Governments in Their Zero-Trust Journey? While the federal government deadline has arrived on implementing a zero-trust cybersecurity model, many state and local governments have committed to zero-trust architecture as well. READ MORE

Why AI and Cybersecurity Are on a Collision Course At the State of GovTech conference, public-sector CIOs sounded the alarm about criminals gaining an edge as artificial intelligence gains ground. How can governmental tech pros better secure their new AI tools? READ MORE

Why State and Local Governments Should Be Implementing ITIL A report on trends in the public sector reveals state and local government IT departments are looking to implement ITIL best practices and ITIL-aligned tools to better serve citizens. READ MORE

Will a State of Emergency Make Sacramento Roads Safer? The emergency declaration would kick off a “public education” campaign about road safety for drivers and pedestrians and would jumpstart the implementation of “quick-build” safety projects. READ MORE

With, a U.S.-Israeli Community Engagement Firm, Raises $10M The funding will go toward geographic expansion and development of artificial intelligence-based tools. The investment is just the latest in the community engagement space, a hot area of government technology. READ MORE

Witness the Struggles and Successes of Rural Broadband Deployment From overcoming construction challenges to achieving transformative impacts, “Every Last Mile” reveals the inspiring journey of bringing broadband to rural America. Watch now at EveryLastMile.film.


 


CAUTION

Subsequent court and administrative rulings, or changes to laws, rules and regulations may have modified or clarified or vacated or reversed the decisions summarized here. Accordingly, these summaries should be Shepardized® or otherwise checked to make certain that the most recent information is being considered by the reader.
THE MATERIAL ON THIS WEBSITE IS FOR INFORMATION ONLY. AGAIN, CHANGES IN LAWS, RULES, REGULATIONS AND NEW COURT AND ADMINISTRATIVE DECISIONS MAY AFFECT THE ACCURACY OF THE INFORMATION PROVIDED IN THIS LAWBLOG. THE MATERIAL PRESENTED IS NOT LEGAL ADVICE AND THE USE OF ANY MATERIAL POSTED ON THIS WEBSITE, OR CORRESPONDENCE CONCERNING SUCH MATERIAL, DOES NOT CREATE AN ATTORNEY-CLIENT RELATIONSHIP.
NYPPL Blogger Harvey Randall served as Principal Attorney, New York State Department of Civil Service; Director of Personnel, SUNY Central Administration; Director of Research, Governor’s Office of Employee Relations; and Staff Judge Advocate General, New York Guard. Consistent with the Declaration of Principles jointly adopted by a Committee of the American Bar Association and a Committee of Publishers and Associations, the material posted to this blog is presented with the understanding that neither the publisher nor NYPPL and, or, its staff and contributors are providing legal advice to the reader and in the event legal or other expert assistance is needed, the reader is urged to seek such advice from a knowledgeable professional.
New York Public Personnel Law. Email: publications@nycap.rr.com