Selected links to items focusing on governmental operations posted on the Internet during the week ending November 15, 2024

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 Guide to the NYPD Written and Oral Psychological Exam  Pre-employment evaluation – psychological disqualification – NYPD appeal– forensic assessment – police psych exam disqualifiers. Continue Reading

 A Look at Government Cyber Insurance Prospects in 2024  To reduce risks, cybersecurity insurers have often raised premiums, asked for more information about applicants and tightened the sublimits on the kinds of cyber incident coverage they offer. READ MORE

A Reasonable Disciplinary Penalty Under the Circumstances A concise guide to penalties that have been imposed on public employees in New York State Read a FREE excerpt

Albany Law School Government Law Center The Center will host a Fair Trial/Free Press Conference on November 20, 2024. Click HERE for more information and to Register for this event.

Are You Prepared for When (Not If) the Cyberattack Comes? Cyber threats escalate quickly, expedite by having a pre-planned response on deck. CONTINUE READING

Arizona Brings a Big Location Boost to State 911 Calls As part of its NG911 efforts, the state can now fix the location of mobile phone calls to within three feet. Emergency calls from landlines also are getting better in a project that could offer lessons for others. READ MORE

Arizona City Adopts ITIL for Improved IT Service The City of Goodyear leveled up its ITSM with an ITIL-aligned, codeless service management platform. LEARN MORE

AWS is Helping Small and Mid-Sized Government Agencies Modernize with Cloud Discover actionable guidance and best practices on how to respond stronger and faster to serve your constituents more effectively—together with CrowdStrike, Esri, and Tyler Technologies. LEARN MORE 

BEAD Buildout Expected to Continue Under New Administration A former federal telecommunications official said it is unlikely Broadband Equity, Access and Deployment program funding will be clawed back and work disrupted. Infrastructure could, however, become more tech-neutral. READ MORE

Calif. Strengthens Emissions, Clean Transportation Standards The California Air Resources Board approved changes to the state’s Low Carbon Fuel Standard, to expand incentives for high-speed electric vehicle charging and advance the use of low-carbon fuels. READ MORE

California’s Approved Low-Carbon Transit Rules May Raise Gas Prices State air regulators voted last week to update the Low Carbon Fuel Standard to aim to reduce carbon emissions of transportation fuels by 30 percent by 2030.  READ MORE

Can Agrivoltaics Grow With the Arkansas Delta Solar Boom? The Mississippi River Delta region is ripe for on-farm solar production, but must overcome hurdles. READ MORE

Can North Carolina’s Child-Care Infrastructure Recover Post-Helene? Hurricane Helene put rural Western North Carolina’s home-based child-care providers under an existential threat. The natural disaster exacerbated problems caused by years of insufficient funding and lack of support, causing many child-care providers to fear they won’t be able to start over. READ MORE

Championing Economic Mobility Through Education and Innovation The Gates Foundation’s Allan Golston outlines a vision for equitable opportunities and the future of the American dream. As the transformative power of generative AI becomes clear, equitable access to education and jobs remains crucial. READ MORE

City of Goodyear Sees 75% Self-Service Portal Adoption Using the portal, the Arizona city has dramatically reduced the strain on its IT help desk. LEARN MORE

Cloud-Smart Strategies for IT Infrastructure Modernization The need to update digital infrastructure is more urgent than ever. To improve cybersecurity, meet residents' evolving expectations, and alleviate workforce pressures, local governments must have modern, efficient systems. 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

Colorado Police Must Now Use Common Law for Lawsuit Protection Sweeping police reforms in 2020 stripped Colorado law enforcement of qualified immunity, a legal defense that previously blocked officers and sheriffs from being sued in their individual capacities in most cases. READ MORE

Denver Taps Internal IT Lead for Chief Data Officer Job The city and county of Denver has chosen to hire from within for the role, which was created this summer. Sean Greer, Denver's IT director of service delivery, was selected and started work this week. READ MORE

DHS Issues Guidance on Adopting AI in Critical Infrastructure A new series of recommendations from the U.S. Department of Homeland Security is designed to enable cloud providers, AI developers, public-sector entities and others to integrate AI while balancing risk and opportunity. READ MORE

Ed Tech Confronts GenAI, Cybersecurity and Tech Use Issues Generative AI, cyber threats, TikTok and phone bans are some of the major issues that impacted ed tech in 2024. In the new year, school boards need to determine how to move forward. READ MORE

Empower Your Team with Automated Security Operations This paper explains how agencies can take strategic steps to incorporate AI-driven automation into routine security operations. DOWNLOAD

Envisio Names Gov Tech Vet Craig Ross as CEO Co-founder Mike Bell will have a seat on the board of the Canada-based firm, which sells performance management software to public agencies. Ross’ leadership experience includes jobs at Euna and eCivis. READ MORE

E-Scooter Operator Turns to AI to Ensure Parking Compliance Veo, a shared, electric scooter and bicycle provider in numerous cities around the nation, is using technology from Captur to ensure its devices are parked properly. The process is customized according to local regulations. READ MORE

Expanding Digital Services Remains a Priority for State and Local Govts State and local governments are moving toward constituent-centric digital services, using new and old tech to introduce new conveniences that simplify customer interactions. READ MORE

Food and Agriculture Sector Eyes Cybersecurity Threats The director of the sector’s ISAC spoke recently about ransomware and other threats. Plus, a tabletop exercise revealed ways to improve public and private response to a major attack on the sector. READ MORE

From Cybersecurity to Smart Tech: Insights for Event-Ready Cities  Is your city prepared to manage cybersecurity risks for large-scale events? As the world turns its focus to the 2026 World Cup, local governments hosting or supporting big gatherings face heightened security demands DOWNLOAD

FYLD Raises $10M for Utility Fieldwork Tech and U.S. Growth The British company is bent on expanding in North America — including the U.S., where recent federal funding of infrastructure could provide ample gov tech opportunities. The company’s CEO explains their vision. READ MORE

Gov. Gavin Newsom Calls to ‘Protect California Values’ in the Wake of Trump’s Win Less than 36 hours after Trump’s resounding victory, the California governor called to bolster the state’s legal resources with the aim of protecting reproductive health care, climate policies and immigrant communities in California. READ MORE

Gov. Hochul Proposes Modifying Manhattan Congestion Pricing to $9 a Day The New York governor proposed a 40 percent cut in the already-approved toll pricing with the expectation that the toll will ramp up to the original $15 base toll over the course of several years. READ MORE

How Are States Using Generative Artificial Intelligence? Many state governments are implementing AI technologies. A new NASCIO report offers insight into current use cases, the role of state CIOs and recommendations for states exploring generative AI implementation. READ MORE

How Does Dallas Plan to Hire 900 Police Officers? Dallas voters narrowly passed a new city charter that mandates the Texas city maintain a police force of at least 4,000 cops, an increase of about 900 positions. It’s unclear when the city will complete the “monumental task.” READ MORE

How Lansing, Michigan Empowered Residents to Eliminate Over $13 Million in Debt As low-income residents struggled to make ends meet, Lansing piloted a financial empowerment program to help eliminate debt and increase savings. LEARN MORE

 

How Philadelphia Helped Over 20,000 Immigrants Find Jobs and Start Businesses Immigration strengthened the local economy but employers still faced a “skills mismatch.” One program aims to close this gap by integrating immigrants into the workforce. LEARN MORE

How State Government Can Keep Pace With Artificial Intelligence While generative AI is still in the early days of government implementation, it's important for public-sector leaders to lay groundwork for successful use and adoption. 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

 

LLM on a Budget: How Small Cities Are Leveraging AI One Kentucky city is proving that generative AI projects are within reach for even small municipalities. At a cost of less than $200, Covington has launched a quirky LLM-powered chatbot to boost economic development. READ MORE

Macomb County, Mich., IT Seeks to Add Staff, Replace Laptops The Information Technology Department is looking to increase its budget by $2 million, or 11.6 percent, which would include adding one IT staffer each to the Clerk and Prosecutor’s offices. Also included is replacing hundreds of employee laptop computers. READ MORE

Make Data Your Generative AI Differentiator Learn how to build the right data strategy that gives you a strategic advantage with generative artificial intelligence (AI). DOWNLOAD NOW

Maricopa County CISO Lester Godsey Announces Retirement Assistant CISO Seema Patel is taking over that top tech job. Godsey accepted the appointment in 2019 and has won praise for his efforts to boost cybersecurity for the fourth-largest county in the U.S. READ MORE

Maryland Hires Poverty Expert as Chief Innovation Officer Francesca Ioffreda has a long list of job experiences that include consulting and economic development. She will lead a team funded by Bloomberg Philanthropies — an effort her new employer expects other states to imitate. READ MORE

Maryland Faces $2.7B Budget Deficit, ‘Worst Situation’ in 20 Years The five-year budget outlook is poorer than the one the state faced in the Great Recession and, without any changes, Maryland will only be able to cover 84 percent of planned spending through the 2030 fiscal year. READ MORE

Nebraska Innovates IT Through Reorganization, Modernization State CIO Matthew McCarville said he believes the state’s information technology reorganization and modernization efforts have laid the foundation for innovation, capacity building and cost savings. READ MORE

New Abortion-Rights Measures Could Trigger Legal, Legislative Challenges State constitutional amendments that voters approved in seven states last week  are vulnerable to federal moves that could essentially override them. READ MORE

NYPD Using Drones to Respond on ‘Select Priority’ Calls The Drone as First Responder program, piloted earlier this year, is now operational in five command areas of the New York City Police Department. The devices are intended to assist police in responding to shots-fired calls, robberies and other crimes. READ MORE

Officials Redraw Underwater Texas-Oklahoma Boundary to Secure Water Supply for 2 Million The new boundary officially returns the pump station on one of the nation’s largest manmade lakes fully back into the Lone Star State. READ MORE

Officials Redraw Underwater Texas-Oklahoma Boundary to Secure Water Supply for 2 Million The new boundary officially returns the pump station on one of the nation’s largest manmade lakes fully back into the Lone Star State. READ MORE

 

One County’s Approach to Training Latinos in Tech Latinos make up ever increasing shares of student bodies and the workforce but lag behind white Americans in science and technical education. Greene County, N.C., has a promising approach. READ MORE

Partnerships Helped Secure Election Day Against New Threats Election officials and law enforcement worked together to fend off Election Day threats, with a new tactic emerging: hoax bomb threats made against polling sites with the aim to disrupt voting. READ MORE

Preparing for Increased Fire Activity and Risk to Lives and Property Wildfire season is getting longer, more destructive, and has secondary hazards: flooding, erosion, and mudflows. CONTINUE READING  

Recreation Management software Click HERE to access a self-guided demonstration of this program.

Resource Explores Local Government AI Use, Offers Advice The National League of Cities released a report this week outlining strategic ways municipalities are using artificial intelligence to better serve constituents. An accompanying toolkit aims to facilitate analysis. READ MORE

Sacramento Considers Emergency Declaration Over Road Safety The city government will discuss a proposed state of emergency over pedestrian and cyclist safety just six days after the city’s 31st traffic death of 2024. READ MORE

Security Operations Management Sessions See our virtual trainings for best practices on centralized management, AI Powered detection and incident response readiness. LEARN MORE

Should New Jersey School Districts Merge to Increase Diversity? A 2018 lawsuit claims the level of segregation in state schools violates students’ rights to integrated schools. But a new poll found that most voters don’t know anything about the lawsuit nor do they think the state is segregated. READ MORE

Texas’ Uneven Population Growth Is Creating Ghost Towns Local leaders and rural revitalization experts say Texas’ smallest towns can survive despite a shift to urban and suburban counties, but it will take investments. READ MORE

The Case for Cooperative Procurement Arizona's Cooperative Purchasing Program serves more than 1,000 agencies and nonprofits across the U.S. This paper explains how the state used a "source to pay" model to drive value, boost efficiency and grow its supplier base. DOWNLOAD

The Governments We Will Need to Rely On It will be the leadership of our states and cities that will have the most direct impact on the issues that animated the presidential campaign. READ MORE

The Public Leadership Role of Public Universities When people think about higher ed, they picture the Ivy League. But state officials are trained almost exclusively at their own state’s schools. READ MORE

The Terrible Urban Mistakes That All of America Made Thanks to a celebrated book, we know all about Robert Moses’ dictatorial misdeeds in New York City. But the truth is that many of his worst visions were being realized in cities across the country. READ MORE

This Is an Obvious Time for a Centrist Party in America Moderates have been largely squeezed out of political relevance. There is room for a new party, and it would have to start at the state level. It could bring pragmatic solutions to critical problems the major parties avoid. READ MORE

Three Steps for Getting Started with AI Chatbots  Real-world government examples show how AI chatbots can transform service delivery for constituents and improve efficiency for public sector employees. DOWNLOAD

To Be Cyber Resilient, Put Critical Infrastructure First Cybersecurity is around-the-clock work, but panelists at the Southern Florida Digital Government Summit offered several ideas for keeping operations secure. Generative artificial intelligence, one official said, is moving humans away from operations. READ MORE

Using HHS Data and Best Practices to Change Lives This thought leadership paper covers three major best practices, along with corresponding real-world examples, around how to use data more effectively for health and human services programs. The paper also explains the value of cloud-based tools for data transformation. DOWNLOAD

Using Technology to Protect Responders and Residents — ICYMI ForceMetrics co-founder and CEO Andre McGregor addresses the need for real-time, actionable insights into critical risks for first responders to make them safer and more effective. READ MORE

Va. Veterans Hub Is a Central Resource for Health, Benefits A new state online portal, the Virginia Veterans Network connects veterans, military service members and their families with everything from health care to legal and employment support. The site provides links to hundreds of organizations. READ MORE

Washington Voters Say ‘Yes’ to Taxing Carbon Emissions An initiative to cut a carbon tax out of the Washington Climate Commitment Act was soundly rejected by voters. Gov. Jay Inslee sees the margin of defeat as an important message. READ MORE

What Factors Slow Enterprise AI Implementations? Several recent studies highlight what is happening in the public and private sectors regarding artificial intelligence initiatives, along with detailing barriers and cybersecurity challenges to address. READ MORE

What’s New in Digital Equity: Funding for Native Hawaiians Plus, Oregon announces more than $100 million in funding for broadband, more states have been awarded federal funding, a new report aims to support nonprofit organizations in their digital equity work, and more. READ MORE

Wrong-Way Cameras With AI Target Fatal Wrecks in Conn. The state Department of Transportation is continuing work on Route 15 in Norwalk, installing vehicle detection cameras with artificial intelligence on ramps entering the city. READ MORE

Your Mission Needs a Reliable Wireless Network Get speed and reliability you can count on and access mission critical info in real time with Verizon Business Internet. LEARN MORE

 

Albany woman pleads guilty: second defendant indicted for stealing more than $230,000 from elderly pensioner

On November 8, 2024, New York State Comptroller Thomas P. DiNapoli, Rensselaer County District Attorney Mary Pat Donnelly, and the New York State Police announced the guilty plea of Amber Diacetis, a 30-year-old Albany woman, and the indictment of Devin Zielinski, 33, for stealing over $230,000 from an elderly victim.

“Forcing an elderly man to live in squalor in order to take advantage of him and steal his hard earned State pension and federal social security benefits is reprehensible,” DiNapoli said. “I thank District Attorney Donnelly, the New York State Police and the Schodack Police Department for partnering to ensure that justice is served for the people who committed this heinous crime.”

Since taking office in 2007, DiNapoli has committed to fighting public corruption and encourages the public to help fight fraud and abuse. New Yorkers can report allegations of fraud involving taxpayer money by calling the toll-free Fraud Hotline at 1-888-672-4555, by filing a complaint online, or by mailing a complaint to: Office of the State Comptroller, Division of Investigations, 8th Floor, 110 State St., Albany, NY 12236.

Click HERE to access the Comptroller's press release concerning this matter.

 

Comparing New York State's social insurance programs available to unemployed and injured workers to those provided by peer states

The benefits from four major social insurance programs provide crucial financial support during difficult times in the lives of hundreds of thousands New York workers and their families each year, according to a new report by State Comptroller Thomas P. DiNapoli that reviews the benefit amounts, limits, and wage replacement rate of these programs and how they compare with peer states.

“New York’s social insurance programs play a vital role in helping hundreds of thousands of New Yorkers each year cope with the impact of losing a job, or being unable to work due to their own or a family member’s injury or illness, pregnancy or the arrival of a new child,” said DiNapoli. “We saw the importance of these benefits in helping employees meet household needs during the pandemic, keeping countless families from slipping into poverty.”

New York’s four major social insurance programs are: unemployment insurance (UI), workers’ compensation insurance (WC), temporary disability insurance (TDI), and paid family leave insurance (paid family leave). More than 138,000 New Yorkers claimed unemployment benefits for the week of Oct. 5, 2024. In 2023, there were almost 170,000 claims for workers’ compensation. In 2022, the most recent year for which data are available, more than 163,000 paid family leave claims were paid.

Assessing the adequacy of benefits can be challenging, and is influenced by the benefit rate, the maximum benefit or cap on benefits, and the wages earned by workers claiming benefits. Adequacy is subjective, and sufficiency may appear differently when assessed against wages lost or cost of living, or in conjunction with household size, other household income and savings, and the duration of benefit provided. In addition, benefit adequacy must also be balanced with other policy goals, such as affordability of funding the benefits and maintaining an incentive to return to work, among others.

DiNapoli’s report looks at how three types of workers – those earning minimum wage, a living wage, and a six-figure salary – would fare under New York’s programs, and compares these results to those of peer states. It shows that New York’s benefit rate for these programs are mostly in-line with other participating states, and New York is one of the only states that offers TDI and paid family leave.

Unemployment Insurance

All 50 states provide this benefit, and New York’s benefit rate of 50% is common. However, in 2024, the state’s maximum benefit of $504 is lower than in 29 other states. As a result, the UI benefit replaces 42% of the weekly wage of a worker earning a living wage in New York City. By contrast, a worker earning the same wage would have 60% of income replaced in New Jersey.

Under current law, increases to maximum benefits are being phased in through October 2026, at which point they will equal 50% of the New York State Average Weekly Wage. Four peer states offer higher replacement of wages for workers earning a wage comparable to a New York minimum wage: Pennsylvania, Texas, Vermont, and New Jersey. Only Florida and California offer less for workers earning a New York City living wage.

As of Oct. 15, New York continues to owe $6.2 billion to the federal government for UI benefits paid during the pandemic, one of three states that continues to carry a balance. As DiNapoli has previously reported, federal and state taxes on employers have risen and federal taxes will continue to rise until this balance is repaid. Employers will also continue to be subject to an interest assessment surcharge. Since Sept. 30, 2021, $452.3 million has been paid in interest assessment surcharges through Sept. 30, 2024.

 

Workers’ Compensation

New York’s workers’ compensation benefit rate of 67% for temporary total disability is mostly in line with other peer states, although its maximum benefit in 2024 is lower than 29 states. For workers receiving the maximum benefit rate under temporary total disability, New York’s two-thirds benefit rate is in the range of most peer states, with only Texas, New Jersey and Connecticut providing higher rates. However, New York’s $1,171 maximum benefit is lower than all peer states except New Jersey.

Legislation enacted in 2023 will phase in increases to the minimum benefit through 2026, after which it will be set at 20% of the New York State Average Weekly Wage.

 

Temporary Disability Insurance

Only five states offer TDI to employees for off-the-job short-term illness or injury, which includes pregnancy. New York’s $170 maximum weekly benefit ranks last, with the benefit replacing 27% to 28% of the wages of a minimum wage employee in New York. In comparison, wage replacement rates for minimum wage and living wage workers range from 58% to 85% in the other states that offer this benefit, including California and New Jersey. No changes have been made to the maximum benefit provided under this program since 1989.

 

Paid Family Leave

Only nine states and Washington, D.C. provide paid family leave benefits in 2024. As of Jan. 1, 2024, New York’s benefit rate is 67% of an employee’s average weekly wage, ranking 8th among the few states that offer this benefit. The amount is capped at a maximum benefit of $1,151, ranking 4th. DiNapoli’s report found that Connecticut’s policy is most beneficial to minimum wage workers, replacing 94% – 97% of income; however, New York’s higher maximum benefit makes its policy favorable for workers earning $100,000.

 

Click the text highlighted in color below to access Comptroller DiNapoli's Report posted on the Internet. 

New York’s Social Insurance Programs: Benchmarking Benefits

 

Reports addressing Unemployment Insurance in particular are set out below. Click of the text highlighted in color below to access each of these reports posted on the Internet: 

Unemployment Insurance Trust Fund: Challenges Ahead

 Update on New York’s Unemployment Insurance Trust Fund: Challenges Continue

 

 

Cybercriminals are stealing cookies to bypass multifactor authentication

Federal Bureau of Investigation [FBI], Atlanta Division, Public Affairs Specialist Jenna Sellitto has advised the public that cybercriminals are gaining access to the email accounts of their victims by stealing a "cookie" from their victims' computer. 

A “cookie” is a small piece of data, typically referred to as a “Remember-Me Cookie", that a website sends to the computer, allowing the website to remember certain information about its encounter with the computer, such as login details, preferences, or items in a shopping cart. 

“Remember-Me cookies” are tied specifically to a user’s login and often last for 30 days before expiring. This type of cookie helps a user login without having to keep putting in the username, password, or the user's multifactor authentication (MFA). This type of cookie is usually generated when a user clicks the “Remember this device” checkbox when logging in to a website. 

If a cybercriminal obtains the Remember-Me cookie from a user’s recent login to the user's web email, it can be used to sign-in as the user without requiring the username, password, or multifactor authentication (MFA). For these reasons, cybercriminals are increasingly focused on stealing Remember-Me cookies and using them as their preferred way of accessing a victim’s email. Victims unknowingly provide their cookies to cybercriminals when they visit suspicious websites or click on phishing links that download malicious software on to their computer.

Here are some tips to protect the user from such a risk: 

            Regularly clear the cookies from the computer's Internet browser. 

            Recognize the risks of clicking the “Remember Me” checkbox when logging into a website. 

            Do not click on suspicious links or websites. 

            Only visit sites with a secure connection (HTTPS) to protect the computer's data from being intercepted during transmissions. 

            Periodically monitor the device's login history.

Ms. Sellitto suggested that a victim of an account takeover or Internet scam contact the FBI Internet Crime Complaint Center [IC3] by clicking on www.ic3.gov.