ARTIFICIAL INTELLIGENCE [AI] IS NOT USED, IN WHOLE OR IN PART, IN PREPARING NYPPL SUMMARIES OF JUDICIAL AND QUASI-JUDICIAL DECISIONS

February 14, 2025

Employee's request for legal representation and attorney fees incurred as the result of a lawsuit brought by a coworker in which she was a named defendant rejected by the employer

Plaintiff commenced this action against the City of New York [City] and one of its employees, [Employee], among others, seeking to recover damages for alleged employment discrimination on the basis of sex and unlawful retaliation in violation of Administrative Code of the City of New York §8-107.

Employee requested that the City's Corporation Counsel to provide her with legal representation in Plaintiff's action but Corporation Counsel denied her request. Employee then retained her own counsel and initiated a cross-claim against the City pursuant to General Municipal Law §50-k seeking, among other things, to recover attorneys' fees and costs she incurred in her defense in Plaintiff's action.

In response City filed a motion for summary judgment dismissing Employee's cross-claim seeking fees and costs incurred in her defense of Plaintiff's action. Supreme Court denied the City's motion and the City appealed. 

The Appellate Division reversed Supreme Court's order dismissing the City's cross-motion for summary judgment with respect to the cross-claim of Employee to recover attorneys' fees and costs incurred in Employee's defense of Plaintiff's action.

In the words of the Appellate Division, "City demonstrated its prima facie entitlement to summary judgment dismissing so much of [Employee's] cross-claim as sought to recover attorneys' fees and costs incurred in her defense of this action by submitting the discipline report, in which [Employee] accepted the OEEO's [Office of Equal Employment Opportunity] substantiated findings, inter alia, that [Employee] subjected a coworker to 'inappropriate touching' on three separate occasions". 

This, said the court, provided a sufficient factual basis for Corporation Counsel's determination that Employee was not entitled to representation or indemnification on the ground that Employee violated one or more of the employer's rules and was not acting within the scope of her employment, citing General Municipal Law §50 and Matter of Williams v City of New York, 64 NY2d at 802.

The Appellate Division then opined  "[Employee] failed to raise a triable issue of fact" and "the Supreme Court should have granted the City's cross-motion for summary judgment dismissing so much of [Employee's] cross-claim as sought to recover attorneys' fees and costs incurred in [Employee's] defense of this action".

Click HERE to access the Appellate Division's decision posted on the Internet.

 

 

February 13, 2025

New York State Comptroller Thomas P. DiNapoli releases State Department and Agency audits

On February 12, 2024, New York State Comptroller Thomas P. DiNapoli issued the following State Department and Agency audits.

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

Homes and Community Renewal: Housing Trust Fund Corporation – Oversight of the Rural Rental Assistance Program (2023-S-53) The Housing Trust Fund Corporation (HTFC), a component of Homes and Community Renewal, administers the Rural Rental Assistance Program in partnership with the United States Department of Agriculture (USDA). The program provides rental subsidies for low-income elderly and family tenants residing in multi-family properties in rural areas of the State. Overall, auditors determined that HTFC is making program payments to property owners for the correct number of units and that units and projects were maintained properly by project owners, but found opportunities for HTFC to better ensure it receives all the information it should from USDA that would allow HTFC officials to sufficiently monitor individual projects.

Department of Health: Medicaid Program – Impact of Rejected Encounters on the Collection of Drug Rebates (2023-S-2) The Medicaid Drug Rebate Program helps offset the costs of covered outpatient drugs dispensed to Medicaid recipients through rebates received from drug manufacturers. Managed care organizations are required to send the Department of Health (DOH) detailed information about each drug dispensed to managed care recipients on encounter claims to DOH’s encounter system. For the period from January 2018 through March 2023, auditors identified 453,706 pharmacy encounter claims totaling $59.1 million in payments that were rejected by DOH’s encounter system. As a result of these rejections, auditors estimated a total of $31.2 million in missed drug rebates. The encounter system rejected these claims because they could not be validated by system controls, and auditors found that DOH does not have a process for performing detailed reviews of rejected encounter claim data.

Department of Labor: Services to Workers Under the Worker Adjustment and Retraining Notification Act (Follow-Up) (2024-F-22) The Department of Labor (DOL) administers the State’s Worker Adjustment and Retraining Notification Act (WARN Act), which requires covered employers to give at least 90 days’ advance notice of a mass layoff, relocation, or employment loss, with some exceptions. Covered employers must also file a Notice with DOL, local workforce development boards, and certain local officials. A prior audit, issued in June 2023, found weaknesses that impede DOL’s success in meeting the needs of dislocated workers, including issues with oversight of employer compliance with the advance notice requirements, WARN Notices that were not entered into the system DOL used to record related services to employers and affected employees, and late attempts at initial outreach to employers that submitted Notices and to affected employees. DOL officials made substantial progress in addressing the issues identified in the initial audit, implementing three recommendations and partially implementing the fourth.

State University of New York – Determination of Residency for Tuition Purposes (Follow-Up) (2023-F-45) The State University of New York’s (SUNY) Residency Policy (SUNY Policy 7810) establishes proof of residency requirements for students charged the in-state tuition rate. A prior audit, issued in May 2022, found SUNY does not have adequate assurance that, at the graduate level, campuses are making accurate residency determinations and that students are being charged the appropriate tuition rate, with each of the seven SUNY campuses reviewed applying its own interpretation of the policy requirements. From reviews at seven SUNY campuses, auditors also found potential undercharges totaling $1,343,051 for students charged the in-state rate as well as potential overcharges totaling $44,171 for students charged the out-of-state rate. SUNY officials made some progress in addressing the issues identified in the initial audit, implementing one of the four recommendations, partially implementing one, and not implementing one (one recommendation was found to be not applicable).

Department of Health: Medicaid Program – Maximizing Drug Rebates Under the Federal Medicaid Drug Rebate Program (Follow-Up) (2024-F-14) The Medicaid Drug Rebate Program reduces state and federal expenditures for Medicaid prescription drugs. On a quarterly basis, states are required to send rebate invoices to each manufacturer for any rebate-eligible drugs their Medicaid programs paid for. A prior audit, issued in April 2023, identified issues including uncollected drug rebates totaling $183.7 million due to errors in the Department of Health’s (DOH) claim extraction procedures, inaccurate or incomplete claim information submitted by managed care organizations and providers, and claim processing errors made by DOH and the rebate contractor. DOH made progress in addressing the issues identified in the initial audit, with $124.2 million of the $183.7 million in missed rebates invoiced to drug manufacturers. Of the initial audit’s 12 recommendations, two were implemented, eight were partially implemented, and two were not implemented.

Office of Addiction Services and Supports – Oversight of Contract Expenditures of Palladia, Inc. (Follow-Up) (2024-F-29) In 2014, the Office of Addiction Services and Supports (OASAS) entered into a 5-year $45.6 million contract with Palladia, Inc. (Palladia), under which Palladia would provide drug and alcohol addiction treatment services. A prior audit, issued in August 2021, found that OASAS was not effectively monitoring the expenses reported by Palladia and, for the 3 fiscal years ended June 30, 2018, Palladia claimed $2,508,682 in expenses that did not comply with requirements. OASAS made limited progress in addressing the problems identified in the initial audit, partially implementing one recommendation and not implementing the two others.

###

 


New York State Comptroller Thomas P. DiNapoli announced the following local government were issued on February 13, 2025

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

Cuddebackville Fire District – Board Oversight (Orange County)

The board did not provide adequate oversight of the district’s financial operations or properly audit claims. As a result, the board hindered their ability to make informed financial decisions. Complete, accurate and reliable accounting records were not maintained. For example, the Dec. 31, 2022 ending bank statement balances differed from the ending cash balances in the accounting records by $638,485. The board also used unrealistic budgetary estimates that resulted in annual operating deficits and a declining fund balance. The board did not ensure the treasurer maintained complete and accurate accounting records, requested or received regular financial reports or ensured claims were properly audited prior to payment. Although the board paid a CPA $6,750 to conduct the 2019 and 2020 audits, the CPA did not complete the 2020 audit and has possession of the district’s financial records. The board was unaware the audit was not completed and took no action.

Town of Clifton Park – Physical Accessibility to Programs and Services (Saratoga County) Of the 562 applicable physical accessibility components reviewed, auditors identified 47(8%) where town officials could consider taking additional steps to increase physical accessibility at selected town facilities.

Town of Trenton – Physical Accessibility to Programs and Services (Oneida County) Of the 144 applicable physical accessibility components reviewed, auditors identified 14(10%) where town officials could consider taking additional steps to increase physical accessibility at the Town Municipal Center.

City of Auburn – Physical Accessibility to Programs and Services (Cayuga County) Of the 538 applicable physical accessibility components reviewed, auditors identified 70(13%) where city officials could consider taking additional steps to increase physical accessibility at selected city facilities.

Town of Woodbury – Physical Accessibility to Programs and Services (Orange County) Of the 595 applicable physical accessibility components reviewed, auditors identified 131(22%) where town officials could consider taking additional steps to increase physical accessibility at selected town facilities.

City of Norwich – Physical Accessibility to Programs and Services (Chenango County) Of the 317 applicable physical accessibility components reviewed, auditors identified 30(9%) where city officials could consider taking additional steps to increase physical accessibility at selected city facilities.

Town of Penfield – Physical Accessibility to Programs and Services (Monroe County) Of the 679 applicable physical accessibility components reviewed, auditors identified 58(9%) where town officials could consider taking additional steps to increase physical accessibility at selected town facilities.

###

 

The New York's Supreme Courts and the New York's Court of Claims both have jurisdiction to consider claims alleging violation Civil Service Law §75-b or Labor Law §740

Following her resignation from Hutchings Psychiatric Center [HPC] Plaintiff commenced a whistleblower action in Supreme Court against the New York State Office of Mental Health and HPC [Defendants] pursuant to Civil Service Law §75-b and Labor Law §§740 and 741.

Defendants, contending that Supreme Court does not have subject matter jurisdiction over the causes of action set forth in Plaintiff's complaint on the ground that only the Court of Claims has that jurisdiction, moved to dismiss the complaint.

Supreme Court denied Defendants' motion, concluding that it did have subject matter jurisdiction over the causes of action in Plaintiff's complaint. Defendants appealed the Supreme Court's ruling.

Considering Defendants' appeal, the Appellate Division noted that in 2010, the New York State Legislature amended the Court of Claims Act to provide that the Court of Claims "shall have jurisdiction ... [t]o hear and determine a claim of any person against the state for a retaliatory personnel action by its officers or employees pursuant to [Civil Service Law §75-b] or [Labor Law §740]".*

Based on the relevant legislative history, "including the concern raised to the legislature that the proposed language would encourage forum shopping," the legislature, in providing the Court of Claims with jurisdiction, did not strip the Supreme Court of its jurisdiction to hear such cases. Thus, said the Appellate Division, Supreme Court "properly determined that it had subject matter jurisdiction over the causes of action asserted in the complaint" by Plaintiff.

Accordingly, the Appellate Division "unanimously modified" Supreme Court's ruling "on the law" by granting Defendants motion in part and dismissing the Plaintiff's claims advance pursuant to Labor Law §740 and, as modified, the order was affirmed without costs.**

* Court of Claims Act §9[13]

** Defendants alternatively contend on appeal that Plaintiff's cause of action under Labor Law §740 should be dismissed because §740 apply only to private sector employers. Plaintiff did not oppose the dismissal of her cause of action brought under color of Labor Law §740 and the Appellate Division so modified the Supreme Court's order.

Click HERE to access the Appellate Division's decision posted on the Internet.

 

February 12, 2025

Engaging in a physical altercation and disrupting the workplace

New York City Office of Administrative Trials and Hearings [OATH] Administrative Law Judge [ALJ] Tiffany Hamilton recommended a 60-day suspension for a hospital employee [Employee] found guilty of initiating a physical altercation with a coworker and disrupting the workplace.

The ALJ found Employee had struck the coworker in the face after the coworker demanded an apology from the Employee for behavior the coworker perceived to be disrespectful. Judge Hamilton also found that the witness reports and testimony established that Employee had caused a workplace disruption by yelling, fighting, and knocking over a water dispenser.

The Appointing Authority had sought termination of Employee for the proved charges, but Judge Hamilton found imposing the penalty of dismissal to be excessive. The ALJ noted that while Employee's misconduct was troubling, the principles of progressive discipline and mitigating circumstances, such as Employee’s commendable work history of almost 20 years, his initial attempts to avoid the altercation, and coworker testimony regarding his professionalism, supported a finding that a lesser penalty should be imposed and so recommended the Employee suspended without pay for sixty days and be retained in his position.

Click HERE to access Judge Hamilton's findings and recommendation posted on the Internet.

___________________________

 

A Reasonable Disciplinary Penalty Under the Circumstances - The text of this ebook focuses on determining an appropriate disciplinary penalty to be imposed on an employee in the public service in instances where the employee has been found guilty of misconduct or incompetence. For more information click HERE.

February 11, 2025

A bill amending the New York Civil Service Law addressing "Teleworking" has been introduced in the New York State Assembly

The proposed legislation, The New  York State Teleworking Expansion Act [Assembly 4850], would amend the New York State Civil Service Law to provide that "each state agency [as defined in §13.2 of the bill] shall establish a policy and program to allow employees to perform all or a portion of their duties through teleworking to the maximum extent possible without diminished employee performance" except that with respect to employees in a collective bargaining unit such policy and, or, program shall be subject to collective bargaining as otherwise provided by Article 14 of the Civil Service Law. 

The bill has been referred to the Committee on Governmental Employees.

The text of Assembly 4850 is set out below:

                STATE OF NEW YORK
        ________________________________________________________________________
 
                                          4850
                                2025-2026 Regular Sessions
                    IN ASSEMBLY
                                     February 6, 2025
                                       ___________
 
        Introduced  by  M.  of  A.  ROZIC,  COLTON,  SIMON,  ROSENTHAL, LUPARDO,
          FORREST, BRONSON, SANTABARBARA, MAMDANI, BORES, FALL, KELLES,  SIMONE,
          SEAWRIGHT,  ALVAREZ  --  read  once  and  referred to the Committee on
          Governmental Employees
 
        AN ACT to amend the civil service law, in relation to enacting the  "New
          York state teleworking expansion act"
 
          The  People of the State of New York, represented in Senate and Assem-
        bly, do enact as follows:
 
     1    Section 1. Short title. This act shall be known and may  be  cited  as
     2  the "New York state teleworking expansion act".
     3    §  2.  The  civil service law is amended by adding a new section 13 to
     4  read as follows:
     5    § 13. Teleworking programs.  1. Each state agency  shall  establish  a
     6  policy  and  program  to  allow employees to perform all or a portion of
     7  their duties  through teleworking to the maximum extent possible without
     8  diminished  employee performance. Each state agency  shall  designate  a
     9  "telework  coordinator" to be responsible for overseeing the implementa-
    10  tion of teleworking programs.
    11    2. For the purposes of this section, the term:
    12    (a) "telework" shall mean to perform normal and regular work functions
    13  on  a  workday that ordinarily would be performed at the state  agency's
    14  principal location at  a  different  location,  thereby  eliminating  or
    15  substantially reducing the physical commute to and from such state agen-
    16  cy's principal location; and
    17    (b)  "state  agency"  shall  mean any state department, board, bureau,
    18  division, commission, committee, public authority, public benefit corpo-
    19  ration, council, office,  or  other  governmental  entity  performing  a
    20  governmental or proprietary function for the state.
    21    3. No agency shall establish a policy pursuant to this section for any
    22  employee  that  is  subject  to a collective bargaining agreement unless
    23  such policy has been mutually agreed  to  between  the  agency  and  the
2
 
     1  employee  organization that is certified or recognized to represent such
     2  employees, within the meaning  of  article  fourteen  of  this  chapter,
     3  pursuant to a collective bargaining agreement.
     4    §  3.  This  act shall take effect on the ninetieth day after it shall
     5  have become a law.
         EXPLANATION--Matter in italics (underscored) is new; matter in brackets
                              [ ] is old law to be omitted.

February 10, 2025

An audit of New York State's Medicaid System by New York State Comptroller Thomas P. DiNapoli finds improperly paid claims

New York State Department of Health’s eMedNY computer system improperly paid $16.2 million in Medicaid claims during a six-month period that started in October 2023, according to an audit released by State Comptroller Thomas P. DiNapoli. 

“My office pays close attention to Medicaid because it’s critical for so many New Yorkers and a big driver of state spending," DiNapoli said. “Errors can be costly. My office's latest audit found areas where the Department of Health can do better and avoid improper and wasteful spending of taxpayer dollars. By acting swiftly on the audit's recommendations DOH has already recovered millions of dollars.” 

Overall, the audit found 370 million claims were processed between October 2023 through March 2024, totaling nearly $49.6 billion. 

The bulk of the improper payments, $11.8 million, went to pay 27,480 Medicaid managed care premiums for recipients who were ineligible for managed care coverage because they had comprehensive third-party insurance and should’ve been enrolled in Medicaid fee-for-service instead. As a result of the audit, more than $2.8 million in improper payments have already been recovered. 

Some of the other key findings in the audit include: 

            $2 million was paid for fee-for-service inpatient claims that should have been paid by managed care.

            $1.3 million was paid for newborn birth and maternity claims that contained inaccurate information, such as low newborn birth weights that increased reimbursements.

            $964,333 was paid for inpatient, pharmacy, referred ambulatory, and clinic claims that did not comply with Medicaid policies.

            $126,786 was paid for claims where Medicaid was incorrectly designated as the primary payer instead of another insurer.

            $35,441 was paid for managed care premiums on behalf of incarcerated recipients whose managed care coverage should have been suspended.

The audit also identified 10 Medicaid providers who were charged with or found guilty of crimes that violated laws or regulations governing certain health care programs. In response to the findings, DOH removed nine of the providers from the Medicaid program and had not yet resolved the program status of the remaining provider.

The audit made 10 recommendations, including informing hospitals to accurately report to and bill Medicaid, along with identifying where financial recoveries should be made.

The Department of Health’s response included highlighting its actions regarding the audit’s findings as well as noting the Office of the Medicaid Inspector General’s investigative and audit process to ensure Medicaid providers and recipients are complying with the laws and regulations.

Click Medicaid Program: Claims Processing Activity October 1, 2023 Through March 31, 2024 to access the Comptroller's audit posted on the Internet.


February 08, 2025

Links to selected items focusing on governmental operations posted on the Internet during the week ending February 7, 2025

3 Cornerstones of Constituent Engagement This paper examines how state and local government agencies can improve constituent engagement and experience by strengthening identity and access management, adopting GenAI chatbots and offering mobile apps. It offers best practices for implementing and measuring the impact of these vital technologies. DOWNLOAD

5 Essential Strategies for Security and Compliance in the Cloud This thought leadership paper shares the five strategies your organization needs to hit all your security and compliance goals. Read more to learn how visibility, automation and more can provide the best protection for your data in the cloud. DOWNLOAD

A Decade’s Worth of Knowledge About the Gov Tech Market The technology market serving state and local government has changed a lot since we first published the GovTech 100 in 2015. Here’s what we’ve learned. READ MORE

A New Role for Opportunity Zones: Rebuilding After Disasters A combined federal and state effort to redesign the boondoggle-prone economic development program could also provide the blueprint for rebuilding devastated communities. READ MORE

Advance your AI transformation through skilling Discover essential AI skills for public servants at the Public Sector Center for Digital Skills. EXPLORE THE RESOURCES

AI and Cloud Strategies for State and Local Agencies This guide explores how AI-powered tools and cloud infrastructure can help government agencies overcome the challenges of tight budgets and aging infrastructure. Case studies from California and Utah demonstrate the transformative impact of these strategies, saving dollars and accelerating service delivery. DOWNLOAD

AI Disruption: The DeepSeek Effect on Wall Street, Governments and Beyond The past week has been full of headlines regarding DeepSeek AI. So what lessons can we learn from this whirlwind of media stories and the corresponding reactions from governments and Wall Street? READ MORE

AI for Public Finances: Keeping Data Safe as You Modernize [Feb 5] Join us for a live webinar exploring essential strategies for ensuring the integrity and security of AI-driven finance systems. REGISTER 

An Underused Workforce Solution at the Border A visa program created under NAFTA allows Canadian and Mexican professionals to work in the U.S. with minimal red tape. But to take advantage of it, states need to look at the Catch-22 situation created by their occupational licensing requirements. READ MORE

ANNOUNCING CDG-NACo’s Digital Counties Survey 2025! The Center for Digital Government and National Association of Counties invite all U.S. counties to participate in the Digital Counties Survey. DIGITAL COUNTIES SURVEY ONLINE

Are Independents Showing Us a Path Away from Political Polarization? They split their tickets in last year’s elections more than they have in the past, and they were more likely to identify as moderates. It’s cause for optimism. READ MORE

Arizona Invests in Cyber, Workforce for Economic Growth As Arizona's recent economic growth has created new job market opportunities, the state has been supporting cybersecurity initiatives and collaborations to bolster evolving workforce needs. READ MORE

Boost Economic Mobility in Your Community Discover tools and strategies that help local governments create economic opportunities for residents. READ MORE

California City Considers Law Making It Illegal to ‘Aid’ or ‘Abet’ Homeless Camps Republican Gov. Mike DeWine has proposed a new refundable child tax credit and increases in child care and children’s health funding, along with full funding for public schools. READ MORE

California Might Kick 400,000 Kids Off Medicaid Last year, legislators approved funding to fill a coverage gap. The law, however, was overridden by a ballot measure involving pay increases for doctors. READ MORE 

California’s Ethics Board Opens Door to Greater Political Influence from Lobbyists After a two-year investigation into a sprawling donor network, the Fair Political Practices Commission found it did not violate any rules. This finding will make it easier for groups to coordinate fundraising and donations. READ MORE

Can a Charter School Be Religious? The Supreme Court Could Redraw the Lines. At stake in a case from Oklahoma is whether the court will expand the boundaries of government aid to faith-based institutions. It would be a sea change in education law. READ MORE 

Can the Minnesota House Salvage A Bipartisan Session? A tense fight over party control of the Minnesota House ended with a power-sharing agreement this week. But hard feelings could remain. READ MORE 

Cannabis Law and Policy Symposium Join the Government Law Center and Government Law Review at Albany Law School for an enlightening symposium examining cannabis law, policy, and governance.  Registration is required. The deadline to register is February 21, 2025. Click to Register

Changing the Search Cycle to Find Government IT Staffers As tech positions go unfilled across public-sector organizations, recruiting experts recommend lowering the hurdles. Suggested strategies include clarifying job descriptions and tailoring hiring processes. READ MORE

Collaboration Can Enable an Age of AI Innovation To harness the transformative power of GenAI, technologists must reimagine traditional approaches to procurement. READ MORE

Creating Seamless Public Services Through Automated Software Testing Watch this on-demand webinar for an insightful discussion of how automated testing is transforming government services. WATCH NOW

Do You Back Up Google Workspace & Microsoft 365? Safeguarding your SaaS data is on you. Let SysCloud make it easy. LEARN MORE

Drowning in Data, Law Enforcement Turns to Video Analytics A global survey of law enforcement reveals the top tech tools, from those empowering criminals to those aiding law enforcement. The North American data reveals unique challenges and priorities. READ MORE

Every Woman Who Leaves This Texas Prison Program Comes Out With a Job A re-entry program near Waco, Texas, has proven successful. Not only does every participant come out with a job, but their recidivism rate is 73 percent lower than incarcerated women throughout the state as a whole. READ MORE

Gov Tech Biz Quarterly Roundup: Q4 2024 With Jeff Cook As gov tech market expert Jeff Cook expected, the final quarter of 2024 was slow — though the year, overall, was notable. However, he also anticipates a major uptick in activity coming in the first quarter of 2025. READ MORE

Health Experts Are Flying Blind Amid Vanishing Public Health Data “The removal of critical health information from governmental public health sites is chilling and puts the health of the public at risk,” said Richard Besser, a former acting director of the CDC. READ MORE

Here’s What Digital Inclusion Looks Like on the Ground Digital navigators across the country show up for their communities by teaching the technical skills people need in an increasingly digital world. READ MORE

How Alabama Made Tax Services More Accessible The Alabama Department of Revenue faced significant operational challenges with its legacy systems, which were not meeting evolving needs for scalability, security and efficiency. Learn how the agency decided to move to the cloud to address these challenges, and more. DOWNLOAD

How Indiana Is Driving Down Its Hospital Costs Gloria Sachdev has spent years taking on the health care establishment in Indiana, working to pull down high hospital prices and make information public to patients. Now, in a newly created position in the governor’s Cabinet, she’s no longer fighting from the outside. READ MORE

How Minnesota Created a Text Message System for Family Benefits The Minnesota Department of Human Services (DHS) revolutionized its outreach efforts by launching an innovative SMS text messaging system to connect with constituents during the COVID-19 pandemic. This system enabled real-time communication about critical benefits, ensuring that families received timely and vital support. Download this paper to explore how Minnesota DHS overcame challenges, achieved measurable success, and laid the groundwork for scalable innovation. DOWNLOAD

How to Avoid the Most Common Cryptocurrency Scams Cryptocurrency has revolutionized the financial landscape, offering a decentralized way to buy, sell and invest. But with innovation comes risk. READ MORE

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Ideal Partners: Do Tech Leaders Prefer Big Providers or Startups? We spoke to technology leaders to understand whether they prefer to partner with small or large tech providers to support their IT work. READ MORE

Improve Economic Mobility in Your Community Equip your team with data-driven tools to address barriers and enhance local opportunities. LEARN MORE

In Massachusetts, Cybersecurity Is First a People Issue The state has been successful at reducing its cyber vulnerabilities by nearly 50 percent in the last year, its CISO said, as it undertakes a statewide strategy to grow a cybersecurity culture. READ MORE

Inaugural Phoenix CPO Will Lead Its Data Protection Efforts Officials at Arizona’s capital city have elevated an executive into the new role of chief privacy officer. She will help to improve data governance, mitigate privacy risks and ensure compliance with privacy laws. READ MORE

It's Time to Consolidate Cybersecurity Regulations An ever-growing number of regulations and standards leaves many government cyber experts wondering if more guidelines necessarily equate to better cybersecurity. READ MORE

L.A. District Sets Aside $2.2 Billion to Rebuild Schools Voters approved $9 billion in school construction bonds last fall. The district must rebuild schools destroyed or damaged by smoke or fire and intends to make them more resilient. READ MORE

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Louisiana Technology Leader Heads to Dell Technologies Derek Williams was elevated to state CIO last year after having served as deputy CIO since late 2022. He is a veteran Louisiana technologist, and has been with the Office of Technology Services since its creation. READ MORE

Mankato, Minn., Police Look to Expand Video, AI Use Police there are preparing to use high-definition camera systems, license-plate tracking, software powered by artificial intelligence and a nationwide law enforcement surveillance network. READ MORE

Maximizing the Impact of On-Site Solar Energy for Local Governments Read about this comprehensive approach to on-site solar energy can catalyze local government transformation. READ MORE

Minnesota County Launches Mobile App to Fight Food Insecurity The Hometown Food Security Project has launched an innovative mobile app designed to transform how the community addresses food insecurity. READ MORE

Missouri Opens Prison Nursery to Keep Babies With Moms Pregnant women who are incarcerated will move into the facility next week. For now, only women with 18 months or less to serve can participate but the program may expand over time. READ MORE

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New Michigan House Elections Chair Is an Election Denier GOP state Rep. Rachelle Smit, a former local clerk, continues to spout false claims about the 2020 election. She’s now the chair of the Michigan House’s newly renamed Election Integrity Committee. READ MORE

New York's Proposed Budget Would Add IT Staff for Cyber, AI The Empire State’s fiscal year 2026 budget would, if approved by the state Legislature, add hundreds of employees to the IT workforce, to help the government be more efficient and use tech better in serving constituents. READ MORE

NYC Commits to Harnessing AI, Announces OpenAI Partnership A new report lays out the strategy of the city and the New York City Economic Development Corp. in leading on applied artificial intelligence. Goals include fostering a dynamic AI ecosystem. READ MORE

Ohio Governor’s Budget Places Emphasis on Helping Children Republican Gov. Mike DeWine has proposed a new refundable child tax credit and increases in child care and children’s health funding, along with full funding for public schools. READ MORE

Outdated Printers Are Costing You - Here's How to Fix That Watch this on-demand webinar to learn how to make your print environment more secure and efficient. WATCH NOW

Outpacing Government? Lessons from Watch Duty’s Rise Watch Duty’s success raises questions about why citizen-led tech is outpacing government emergency response efforts. The company’s co-founder explores the lessons agencies can learn from this citizen-driven model. READ MORE

Paid Family Leave webinar resources now available The New York State's Workers' Compensation Board thanked those who attended its recent Paid Family Leave (PFL) webinar for employees. For those who were unable to attend, or for participants who would like to review the information provided, click recorded version.

Phoenix Privacy Officer Plans Cultural Shift in Protection The city’s inaugural Chief Privacy Officer Ciara Maerowitz is working to weave privacy into processes, get risk assessments done, and promote a culture of responsible data use and transparency in public services. READ MORE

Private Security Guards Are Filling Gaps in Policing (But Not All of Them) Understaffed police departments and concerns over public safety are spurring greater use of private security guards. But they aren't a perfect substitute. READ MORE

Red States Create Their Own DOGE Efforts to Pare Down State Governments GOP governors and lawmakers have set up their own government efficiency task forces and committees to find ways to cut state spending. READ MORE

Restructured Calif. High-Speed Rail Is Poised to Lay Track Now under new leadership, the California High-Speed Rail Authority is set to move into a new phase of development. Plans are to begin train service in the Central Valley in five to eight years. READ MORE

See the Unseen: How Video Analytics Enhances Public Safety See how video analytics empowers public safety teams with real-time insights, helping to reduce crime, manage crowds, and ensure community safety. DOWNLOAD

SLED Procurement Firm Starbridge Raises $10M in Seed Funding The company offers early warning data via its platform that can give suppliers of government technology an edge when it comes to contracts. The company’s founder explains the ideas driving his firm. READ MORE

Social Media Strategies for State and Local Governments Struggling to engage your community on social media? This guide provides a roadmap to navigate the challenges and unlock the potential of social media for state and local government. DOWNLOAD 

State Health Departments Prepare for a Period of Uncertainty State and local public health departments rely on federal funding to operate. With those dollars at risk amid the Trump administration’s federal funding freezes, they’re bracing for the future. READ MORE

State of Oklahoma OMES Takes a Whole-of-State Approach Spearheading a “whole-of-state” approach to essential services, Oklahoma OMES strives to increase efficiency, reduce financial and administrative overheads, and eliminate the duplication of effort, making it easier for the state’s agencies and affiliates to focus on their core missions. READ MORE

States Prepare for Increased Immigration Enforcement in Schools Red states are in sync with the Trump administration’s efforts, but some Democratic governors are reminding districts to protect immigrants’ legal rights. READ MORE

Syracuse, N.Y., Police Probe Online ‘Security Incident’ A problem detected in early January prompted the city police department to shut down its computer system in order to contain its spread. Many components have been restored but a secure server is still coming back online. READ MORE

Texas Gov. Abbott Calls for Creation of New Cyber Command The Texas Cyber Command would work closely with state agencies, universities and Regional Security Operation Centers to improve cybersecurity. Gov. Greg Abbott announced it during his State of the State address Sunday. READ MORE

Texas Governor Bans Chinese AI, Social Apps on Govt Devices Gov. Greg Abbott has issued a ban prohibiting the use of artificial intelligence and social media apps associated with the People’s Republic of China and the Chinese Communist Party, on government-issued electronic tools. READ MORE

Trump Moves to Abolish FEMA, Shift Disaster Response to States President Trump, who calls FEMA “not good,” has issued an executive order and established a commission to look at ending the agency. He favors having states respond to their own disasters, but they may not have adequate resources. READ MORE 

Trump Should Reshape FEMA, Not Kill It Solutions include funding the federal agency properly, requiring states to share a larger burden of the responsibility and removing barriers to resilience. READ MORE 

Trump's Federal Funding Freeze Puts 'Solar For All' Program in Limbo The program is designed to offer solar power to households in low-income and disadvantaged communities. Grant recipients received notice from the federal government that funding was put on pause with no indication when or if they might receive it. READ MORE

Tyler Buys Public Administration, Permitting Startup MyGov MyGov serves some 150 clients and gives Tyler a way to boost its product offerings to local governments. The move comes as public administration stands as one of the main gov tech opportunities for 2025. READ MORE

What State Lawmakers Could Do for Working-Class Americans By empowering them to bargain and providing other protections, policymakers can address frustration over flat wages and inflation, while strengthening local economies. READ MORE

When It Comes to Tax Cuts, South Carolina Is a Red State Outlier South Carolina residents are seeing rates go down thanks to a law passed in 2022, but the state still charges a lot more than North Carolina and other southeastern neighbors. READ MORE 

Will Forcing People Into Mental Health Treatment Help Them? For years, states strictly limited the amount of time people could be institutionalized. With homelessness rising, some policymakers want to do more. READ MORE

Will Trump Roll Back an Anti-Cancer Environmental Rule? Last month, the EPA issued a rule to step up monitoring and limit worker exposure to ethylene oxide, a cancer-causing molecule. But in his first term, Trump rolled back dozens of environmental rules, making residents of Louisiana’s “Cancer Alley” nervous. READ MORE 

With $13M from Feds, Maryland Will Modernize Crash Reporting The state plans to use a $13.2 million grant from the federal government to standardize interagency crash data, improve its quality and make it easier to access. Funds may also be used to automate data sharing. READ MORE

With Outreach, Resources, Governments Mark Data Privacy Day U.S. officials commemorated Data Privacy Day in several ways, ranging from spreading awareness to sharing informational materials at state and local levels. Observance of the occasion originated in 2007. READ MORE


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Subsequent court and administrative rulings, or changes to laws, rules and regulations may have modified or clarified or vacated or reversed the information and, or, decisions summarized in NYPPL. For example, New York State Department of Civil Service's Advisory Memorandum 24-08 reflects changes required as the result of certain amendments to §72 of the New York State Civil Service Law to take effect January 1, 2025 [See Chapter 306 of the Laws of 2024]. Advisory Memorandum 24-08 in PDF format is posted on the Internet at https://www.cs.ny.gov/ssd/pdf/AM24-08Combined.pdf. Accordingly, the information and case summaries should be Shepardized® or otherwise checked to make certain that the most recent information is being considered by the reader.
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NYPPL Publisher Harvey Randall, Esq. 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; Staff Judge Advocate General, New York Guard [See also https://www.linkedin.com/in/harvey-randall-9130a5178/]. 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