Links to selected items focusing on govenmental operations posted on the Internet during the week ending November 29, 2024

$2B+ in Data Center Projects Planned for Merrillville, Ind. Three projects in early stages could bring hundreds of high-paying jobs to the northwest Indiana town. Construction of 1,000 housing units at Liberty Estates is now underway, and could provide housing for employees. READ MORE

28 Life Experiences That Impact Lifetime Income We analyzed hundreds of research studies and surveyed thousands of Americans to understand economic mobility. SEE THE RESULTS

 4 Ways to Get Ready for AI in Transportation Based on meetings that involved public sector transportation leaders, this thought leadership paper covers the steps transportation agencies need to take in four areas: data, workforce, cybersecurity and collaboration. DOWNLOAD

 A Look at Transit’s Local Successes and Federal Challenges The recent fortunes of local initiatives reveal a shifting landscape in U.S. transportation policy — driven by political, economic and environmental factors. What lies ahead is, as yet, unclear. READ MORE

AI Search Makes a Quick, Promising Splash in Palm Beach The Florida city’s newest technology is an effort to bring search further in the 21st century via a Polimorphic tool. A city official talks about use cases and lessons learned — experiences that could guide other towns. READ MORE

Arizona’s AI Policy Is Evolving Along With the Technology The state first published its policy and procedure for generative artificial intelligence in March. Since then, officials made several updates to address the changing needs this type of technology creates. READ MORE

Cloud-Smart Strategies for IT Infrastructure Modernization This thought leadership shares the steps that agencies need to take to guide their modernization efforts and simply cloud adoption. It also draws data from a recent Center for Digital Government survey to inform its advice. DOWNLOAD

Colo. Towns Are First to Get Broadband With Federal Funds Kiowa and Elizabeth, Colo., are the state's first communities to get high-speed Internet as a result of its nearly $1 billion allocation of federal broadband funds. The goal is to connect 99 percent of households statewide by 2027. READ MORE 

Denver’s New CISO Prioritizes People to Bolster Security Denver appointed a new chief information security officer, Merlin Namuth, in October. He is building relationships as the foundation for a people-centered approach to cybersecurity in the city and county. READ MORE 

DeSantis Plan to Import Drugs From Canada Hasn’t Got Off the Ground Florida’s governor applauded FDA approval of the prescription drug import plan at the start of the year, saying it would cut prices. But there’s still no date for his program to begin. READ MORE 

Discover the NACo Tech Xchange Reference Library: Your Essential Resource Hub The National Association of Counties Tech Xchange Reference Library is an invaluable resource designed to help local governments enhance their technological capabilities. LEARN MORE 

Eliminating Weak Links: Securing Evolving IT Landscapes In today's fast-changing environment, modern solutions are needed to strengthen security, improve visibility and simplify administration across networks, clouds, applications, users and endpoints. DOWNLOAD 

Federal Task Force to Identify Implications of Evolving AI The multiagency group will facilitate the research and testing of advanced artificial intelligence models in vital areas of national security and public safety. Its membership is expected to expand. READ MORE 

Fights Over Cultural Issues in Schools Cost Billions That Could Be Spent Helping Kids Security, communications, legal work and heightened staff turnover related to conflict all come with price tags. The money could be better spent elsewhere. READ MORE 

Flint Gets $8.7M to Expand Fleet of Fuel-Cell Buses Gov. Gretchen Whitmer announced the investment and others tied to a clean hydrogen hub project in a news release on Wednesday. READ MORE 

Health Device Data Is Protected, but Also Used, Shared Information collected by wearable technology, from smartwatches to fitness trackers and smart rings, is safeguarded by laws in some states. But much of it falls outside the federal Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act, and can be sold or provided to third parties. READ MORE 

How Can Cities Keep Nonprofit Groups Cyber Secure? A new study of San Francisco considers nonprofits’ unique cybersecurity challenges in that community as well as ways the local government could help. The research team hopes to study other cities soon. READ MORE 

How Can Citizens Services Deliver More With Less? Learn how to maximize efficiency and increase citizen satisfaction without increasing labor costs. Gain powerful insights from over 11M service transactions! Download Now 

How One Library Is Filling the Gaps in Homeless Services The Salt Lake City Public Library's in-house social workers and suite of other services help the unhoused find their way. READ MORE 

How to Implement AI in State and Local Government Artificial intelligence (AI) holds limitless potential for agencies when it comes to enhancing operations, managing data and improving constituent experiences, but many governments don't know where to start. This issue brief explains how agencies can start using AI, why the cloud is important, and what needs to be done around data governance. DOWNLOAD 

How to Strengthen Public-Private Collaboration to Increase Weather Resilience Weather threatens business and government equally, but meaningful collaboration is rare. We can fix that. DOWNLOAD PAPER 

How Your Data Strategy Leads to Better AI This paper highlights the necessity for a unified data strategy in state and local government to facilitate effective AI implementation. Fragmented data systems create barriers to AI by complicating data access, management, and security. DOWNLOAD 

Is Bluesky Worth It for State and Local Governments? The social media network has been the coolest kid in school since the election, with some big public agencies joining. But they must consider emergency management, tech and even fraud before befriending the rising star. READ MORE 

Is It Possible to Serve More Citizens Without Adding Staff? Learn how busy offices like the DMV can improve service and efficiency while managing limited resources in our latest white paper. Download Now 

Is Your Phone Spying On You? How to Check and What to Do Has your smartphone become a listening device? Are your apps gleaning information from your conversations? How can you check and what can you do to regain more privacy? Let’s explore. READ MORE 

L.A. County Leaders Seek to Revamp Expensive Approach to Homelessness The county has spent billions on homeless programs only to see problems worsen. A proposal from two county supervisors would create a new department to consolidate and oversee services. READ MORE 

Michigan Senate Limits Lawmaker Access to ChatGPT, AI Tools New policy from the Michigan Senate Information Services blocks senators, employees and interns from using Senate-issued devices to access some artificial intelligence tools. This includes ChatGPT. READ MORE

Mississippi Looks to Expand Digital Service Offerings CIO Craig Orgeron on plans to upgrade the state’s digital services with automation and AI, improve its cybersecurity posture and recruit new talent. READ MORE 

N.C. A&T State University to Offer Bachelor's Degree in AI North Carolina's first bachelor's degree in AI will allow students to enroll in one of two concentrations: Advanced AI Systems, through the College of Engineering, and Applied AI in the College of Science and Technology. READ MORE 

NASCIO Highlights Cyber Training Need for Locals, Underserved The work of state-level CISOs is expanding to help serve the cyber needs of small municipalities and vulnerable groups, a NASCIO report affirms. Whole-of-state cybersecurity and grants are helping drive the endeavor. READ MORE 

Nations Discuss AI, Ahead of New Presidential Administration Representatives from 10 nations that are part of the International Network of AI Safety Institutes discussed international cooperation and teamwork on AI, and the risk new U.S. leadership could move the nation to act alone. READ MORE 

Navigating the CJIS Security Policy Changes The FBI updated its Criminal Justice Information Services (CJIS) Security Policy in July 2024 to address the ever-changing cyber threat landscape. Agencies using criminal justice data must adhere to the baseline security standards in the update, Version 5.9.5, for safe operation. The new document addresses evolving concerns in areas such as incident response, cloud security and multifactor authentication. DOWNLOAD 

Ohio Bill Would Make State Among the Strictest on Voter Registration Ohio would be the fourth state to require proof of citizenship under a legislative proposal. The bill would also require monthly maintenance of voter rolls. READ MORE 

Pacific, Wis., Gets Broadband With Completion of Fiber Line The Columbia County town of nearly 3,000 got high-speed Internet last week with the completion of a broadband fiber-optic line. Residents and officials realized the impact a lack of high-speed Internet was having during the COVID-19 pandemic. READ MORE 

Pennsylvania Gov. Secures $153 Million in Transit Funding, Avoiding Fare Hike Democrat Josh Shapiro is redirecting federal highway funds to Philadelphia’s transit system. Officials with the nation’s sixth-largest system had just approved a 29 percent fare increase. READ MORE 

Philanthropy’s Underappreciated Role in Driving Vital Urban Solutions A collaboration between a foundation and private-sector partners to build a successful streetcar system in Detroit demonstrates the potential for community growth and prosperity. READ MORE 

Public-Sector EV Tech Training Targets Equity, Workforce Gaps A program in several northeastern states is attempting to bridge training gaps for EV technicians in disadvantaged communities. The endeavor, funded by the U.S. Department of Energy, focuses on the need for municipal fleet mechanics. READ MORE 

Sacramento Transit Readies Contactless Tap-to-Pay Rollout Sacramento Regional Transit is poised to deploy a new payment system in coming months, using technology familiar in the retail world. The agency will preserve older ways to pay, and offer discounts for veterans and seniors. READ MORE 

Since 2020 Major Weather Events Have Cost $623 Billion Local governments and the business communities they serve should be close allies in the fight against severe weather. LEARN HOW 

Spatial Infrastructure: How GIS Data Can Transform Government Operations Embracing spatial infrastructure can help state and local governments by enhancing GIS data integration with everyday technologies and systems. This paper explains spatial infrastructure and explores use cases where it can improve government operations. DOWNLOAD 

State and Local Officials Urge Congress to Fund Lead Pipe Removal New federal rules require localities to get rid of all their lead water pipes in the next 10 years. Officials say they need help – and money. READ MORE 

States With the Worst Pension Debt in the Nation Fitch Ratings issued a report comparing the pension debt in each state to personal income. Connecticut had the highest ratio, at 23 percent, while Tennessee was the best at 1 percent. READ MORE 

Tech Leaders Need to Fill More Than Cybersecurity Skill Gaps While cybersecurity remains a high priority for many CIOs, we spoke to technology leaders to understand what other skills are difficult to find when recruiting new talent. READ MORE 

Text Recognition Audit Verifies Ga. Voting Machine Counts The audit, the first of its kind, demonstrated a nearly identical match to the count done on election night, using tech to read the text on all 5.3 million Georgia ballots. Nearly all inconsistencies were caused by unclear marks on absentee ballots that required human review. READ MORE 

The Four Key Components of Successful Digital Transformation for Government This guide details four essential components for achieving successful digital transformation in Government: harnessing the power of SaaS and PaaS platforms, enabling data-driven decisions, improving access to comprehensive data, and fostering secure collaboration. DOWNLOAD 

The Future of School Choice in the States That Rejected It Voters in three states rejected ballot measures promoting school choice. But they didn’t reject the legislators who favor it. READ MORE 

The Nation’s Easternmost City Could Be a Renewable Energy Model The power often goes out in Eastport, Maine, due to storms. Now, the small city is developing solar and tidal power to fuel its own microgrid. READ MORE 

The transportation landscape is shifting, with new challenges on the horizon in 2025 Join Government Technology for a live webinar on December 10 at 11:00 AM PT / 2:00 PM ET to learn actionable solutions for the road ahead. From digital security to adaptable management tools, this webinar covers what you need to keep projects moving forward. 

Three Steps for Getting Started with AI Chatbots This thought leadership paper details three steps your agency can take to kickstart an AI chatbot program. Real-world government examples show how AI chatbots can transform service delivery for constituents and improve efficiency for public sector employees. DOWNLOAD

Trains, Buses and Sidewalks: Competing Priorities in Public Transit The recent fortunes of local initiatives reveal a shifting landscape in U.S. transportation policy — driven by political, economic and environmental factors. What lies ahead is, as yet, unclear. READ MORE 

Traverse City, Mich., Moves Ahead With IT Separation A company helping the Traverse City local government offices deal with a recent cyber attack will help the city split off its computer network from one it shares with Grand Traverse County. READ MORE 

Voices of Those Who Have Experienced Poverty We listened to thousands of Americans about their journeys navigating economic mobility. LEARN MORE 

Washington Brings State Court Systems Online After Outage The incident, which affected state courts for two weeks, is ending as the Administrative Office of the Courts restores systems on the network. A forensic analysis is ongoing but unauthorized activity has been eliminated. READ MORE