On the Priorities podcast, New York state’s Chief Cyber Officer Colin Ahern says the state’s new cybersecurity strategy will bring together cyber resources across government to confront a “unified response” to growing cyber threats.
https://www.governor.ny.gov/news/governor-hochul-announces-nation-leading-cybersecurity-strategy
https://statescoop.com/new-york-opens-joint-cybersecurity-center-state-local/

In the news this week: 

Wisconsin is creating a task force to evaluate how artificial intelligence will impact the state’s workforce.
https://statescoop.com/wisconsin-creates-task-force-for-ais-impact-on-workforce/

The National Telecommunications and Information Administration released draft rules outlining which materials used in federally-funded broadband deployment must be made in the U.S.
https://statescoop.com/bead-equipment-american-made-ntia/

Former West Virginia CIO Josh Spence has taken a role at managed service provider Alpha Technologies.
https://statescoop.com/joshua-spence-west-virginia-alpha-technologies/

Register now for StateScoop's IT Modernization Summit on September 19.
https://itmodernizationsummit.upgather.com

StateScoop’s Priorities Podcast is available every Thursday. 
Listen more here.
www.prioritiespodcast.com

Inside New York’s new cyber strategy

On this week's Priorities podcast, New Jersey's Chief Innovation Officer says that digital services are a top focus for him as he steps into the role. Dave Cole, who took the helm of the state's innovation team in January, says he's also looking at how the state can incorporate generative artificial intelligence into processes to save employees time. Cole started at the state in 2020 as an innovation fellow, and has also ran for public office, worked for software company Mapbox and served in the White House under President Barack Obama.

How New Jersey's new innovation lead approaches digital services

Alongside concerns of cyberattacks and a growing interest in generative artificial intelligence, efforts to improve digital services are retaining status in the offices of state chief information officers. On this week's Priorities podcast, Ohio CIO Katrina Flory and New Hampshire CIO Denis Goulet share how their digital services efforts are maturing in 2024. Speaking last spring from the National Association of State Chief Information Officers midyear conference in National Harbor, Maryland, Flory says the state’s InnovateOhio platform is continually improving how it connects residents to government services, while providing agencies with better data. Goulet shares how New Hampshire’s multiyear effort to retool its online services started with evangelizing state agencies that were initially reluctant to participate.

How state government’s digital services are evolving in 2024

Data breaches and fraud are on the rise, with synthetic identity fraud representing the biggest fraud trend in 2024. On this week’s Priorities podcast, Jeffrey Huth, a senior vice president at TransUnion, breaks down a recent report from the credit bureau outlining several rising threats facing the public sector. Huth says artificial intelligence is further complicating matters, and that it “will become much easier and faster to create completely realistic-looking, fabricated identities, whether it’s building a financial profile, [or] a digital footprint.”

StateScoop’s Priorities podcast is available every Thursday. Listen more here.
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Synthetic identity fraud rising in 2024

As state and local governments race to incorporate generative AI into their operations, so too are political campaigns using the technology in their election materials. Election administrators are readying themselves for the technology's misuse in spreading misinformation and disrupting the democratic process. On this week's Priorities Podcast, Washington Secretary of State Steve Hobbs and Mekela Panditharatne, a lawyer with the Brennan Center for Justice's Democracy Program, address the mounting AI challenge. As the first American presidential election year in the generative AI era, 2024 will serve as a test case for the spread of AI-generated election disinformation and the ability of states to regulate it.

StateScoop’s Priorities podcast is available every Thursday. Listen more here.
If you want to hear more of the latest across the state and local government technology community, subscribe to the Priorities podcast on Apple Podcasts, Google Podcasts, Soundcloud, and Spotify.

Deepfakes & misinformation: How generative AI impacts elections

Automation bias, a tendency to favor the output of computer algorithms over other factors, is among the top concerns of Washington state’s chief privacy officer as the state establishes its policies for generative artificial intelligence. On this week’s Priorities Podcast, Washington state Chief Privacy Officer Katy Ruckle says she’s worried people could become too comfortable with generative AI. “I have a concern or fear that once we as a workforce get used to using these types of tools and they become more and more reliable in terms of their outputs that we might defer to them and question less about the results,” she says. Washington state officials are currently on deadline to develop numerous policies pertaining to generative AI after Gov. Jay Inslee’s executive order last January.

StateScoop’s Priorities Podcast is available every Wednesday.
If you want to hear more of the latest across the state and local government technology community, subscribe to the Priorities Podcast on Apple Podcasts, Google Podcasts, Soundcloud and Spotify.

Automation bias worries Washington's privacy chief

After an announcement last month that Maryland is expanding its digital services efforts with five new hires, the state’s digital experience officer joins StateScoop’s Priorities Podcast to share what that expansion looks like. Marcy Jacobs, who oversees the state’s Office of Digital Experience, says her team is taking a targeted approach. “I think that is kind of a big shift from traditional kind of project management,” she says. “Is it on time and on budget to product management? Are we achieving the outcomes for the people that we are trying to serve? And can we do that in small, agile ways?”

StateScoop’s Priorities Podcast is available every Wednesday.
If you want to hear more of the latest across the state and local government technology community, subscribe to the Priorities Podcast on Apple Podcasts, Google Podcasts, Soundcloud and Spotify.

How Maryland is expanding digital services efforts

Data ‘a strategic asset’ for state government, says CIO

South Dakota Chief Information Officer Madhu Gottumukkala says on StateScoop’s Priorities Podcast that his state’s data governance efforts aren’t only about protecting against threats
to cybersecurity and data privacy, but that he’s also striving to transform the state’s data into a “strategic asset.” Gottumukkala says building the “foundation” of data governance may take about a year, but that that effort, along with updating old IT systems, will prepare the state to use artificial intelligence in ways that make government more “responsive and efficient.” He says early AI projects will involve boosting employee productivity, and that the state will eventually seek to integrate AI into more of its applications.

New episodes of StateScoop’s Priorities Podcast are posted each Wednesday.
For more of the latest news and trends across the state and local government technology community, subscribe to the Priorities Podcast on Apple Podcasts, Google Podcasts, Soundcloud or Spotify.

Data ‘a strategic asset’ for state government, says CIO

During his four-and-a-half years as South Dakota’s chief information officer, Jeff Clines says he watched as the neighboring Wyoming churned through several of its own CIOs. Now roughly one month into the CIO role in Wyoming, Clines says one of his top priorities is to bring stability to the state’s IT. “[I’ve been] trying to understand why there was so much turnover in the leadership in Wyoming. What was the impact there? … One of [the staff’s] big desires for the new CIO is stability in the consistency of vision and implementation of that vision.”

New episodes of StateScoop’s Priorities Podcast are posted each Wednesday.
For more of the latest news and trends across the state and local government technology community, subscribe to the Priorities Podcast on Apple Podcasts, Google Podcasts, Soundcloud or Spotify.

After heavy leadership turnover, Wyoming’s new CIO wants to bring stability

After the devastating Hurricane Helene struck North Carolina last September, Gary Thompson, the state’s deputy hazard mitigation officer, says on StateScoop’s Priorities Podcast that the state hopes to make its stream gauges and flood warning system more resilient before next year’s storm season. Thompson says North Carolina plans to upgrade those critical communication systems with ultrasonic radar sensors and satellites so they can continue to predict flood zones, issue evacuation warnings and deliver critical information to residents about incoming storms. “One of the advantages is all the equipment is out of the water, so if there's a lot of rain, a lot of velocity, if we have the equipment high enough and stable enough for it to survive during that event,” Thompson says. Joining him is Taylor Kerby, founder of Triangle UAS, an equipment vendor that helped design North Carolina’s modern stream gauges, and Pattiy Torno, a longtime resident of Asheville, North Carolina, which was hit particularly hard by Hurricane Helene.


New episodes of StateScoop’s Priorities Podcast are posted each Wednesday.
For more of the latest news and trends across the state and local government technology community, subscribe to the Priorities Podcast on Apple Podcasts, Google Podcasts,Soundcloud or Spotify.


Hurricane Helene devastated communities, inspired tech upgrades

Massachusetts Chief Information Officer Jason Snyder joins the latest episode of StateScoop’s Priorities Podcast to break down a new program designed to spur innovative AI solutions in the state. Snyder says the project, which started last January, connects university students with difficult challenges facing state agencies. But he says not only has the program yielded an unexpected number of productive solutions to government problems, but it’s also impressed officials into hiring eight of the first participants. “The students developed an AI that just in using human language: ‘I want to build a bridge.’ And it would come back and list all the policy associated with it and provide the actual links to that policy and references so they could click on it and access it,” Snyder says on the podcast. “The commissioner was blown away and actually hired the two students that worked on that project.”

New episodes of StateScoop’s Priorities Podcast are posted each Wednesday.

For more of the latest news and trends across the state and local government technology community, subscribe to the Priorities Podcast on Apple Podcasts, Google Podcasts,Soundcloud or Spotify.

AI sandbox generates new solutions, talent pipeline in Massachusetts

On this week’s Priorities Podcast, Madeliene Dwyer, a policy analyst for the nonprofit Center for Democracy and Technology, breaks down the executive orders on artificial intelligence released by 13 states and Washington D.C. Dwyer says that although governors are generally being thoughtful about how they approach AI, some states are taking greater care to avoid “unintended consequences.” She points to potential pitfalls and best practices, such as Washington state’s explicit mention of civil rights in its order.

New episodes of StateScoop’s Priorities Podcast are posted each Wednesday.

For more of the latest news and trends across the state and local government technology community, subscribe to the Priorities Podcast on Apple Podcasts, Google Podcasts,Soundcloud or Spotify.

Breaking down states' AI executive orders

After more than one year on the job, New York State Chief Information Officer Dru Rai says he’s concerned about several emerging IT trends, including shared services, procurement and the potential high cost of artificial intelligence. On StateScoop’s Priorities Podcast, Rai also says it’s important for state government technology officials to consider their processes in tandem with their IT consolidation efforts. “Consolidation does not result in cost saving if you don't do what needs to be done. For example, did you find common applications?” he says. “On procurement side, for example, when you buy things, did we ever create enterprise agreement?"

New episodes of StateScoop’s Priorities Podcast are posted each Wednesday.
For more of the latest news and trends across the state and local government technology community, subscribe to the Priorities Podcast on Apple Podcasts, Google Podcasts,Soundcloud or Spotify.

Shared services, AI cost key concerns for New York's CIO

This week, the Priorities Podcast is joined by Amanda Renteria, CEO of the civic tech nonprofit Code for America, and Robert Gordon, a former Joe Biden White House adviser who spent the past three decades working across state, local and federal government. Both Renteria and Gordon, who’ve centered their careers on making government function more efficiently and effectively, share why they think the first three weeks of the Trump administration have been disruptive and potentially damaging for state and local governments, but that the administration’s posture may also present an opportunity. “I have a feeling government is going to look very different in a year from now,” Renteria says.

This week’s top stories:

Iowa Gov. Kim Reynolds this week signed an executive order creating a Department of Government Efficiency task force. It will include 15-20 private-industry business leaders tasked with finding ways to maximize the use of taxpayer funds.

California Gov. Gavin Newsom has ordered updates to the state’s fire maps, which were most recently updated last April. The changes mandate a more conservative approach to managing natural vegetation in some of the state’s most fire-prone regions.

The Beeck Center for Social Innovation and Impact at Georgetown University in Washington, D.C., has published a new tracker for state chief data officers. Ali Benson, director of the Beeck Center’s Data Labs initiative, told me the tool lends increased visibility to an increasingly important role.

New episodes of StateScoop’s Priorities Podcast are posted each Wednesday.
For more of the latest news and trends across the state and local government technology community, subscribe to the Priorities Podcast on Apple Podcasts, Google Podcasts, Soundcloud or Spotify.

How Trump and DOGE will affect state and local services

On this week’s Priorities Podcast, a director at the Advanced Communications Law & Policy Institute at New York Law School shares ways the administration of President Donald Trump can accelerate funding to states through the $42.45 billion Broadband Equity, Access, and Deployment program. Michael Santorelli says BEAD can be made more effective by rolling back unnecessary requirements, addressing rate regulation and providing clearer guidance on satellite services like Starlink. But he says his group’s main recommendation is to get shovels in the ground faster. “Had Biden been re-elected, and the NTIA regime had stayed the same, they were on a timeline for not getting shovels in the ground in some states until like later next year,” he says. “And so anything that can close that or shorten that period of time and start getting projects going soon in the spring, certainly, hopefully, I think would be easy to claim a success then.”

This week’s top stories:

Amid delays by the federal government to release public health data like counts on avian influenza cases, state governments are continuing to build up their own public health reporting tools, including a new global report developed by the New York State Department of Health.

The National Association of Secretaries of State has sent a letter to U.S. Department of Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem, noting a preference that she retain certain services used by state and local election officials to protect the nation’s critical elections infrastructure. The request arrives as the former South Dakota governor evaluates further cuts to her department and its Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency.

Voting is open for the 2025 StateScoop50 Awards. Cast your votes for nominees being recognized for their achievements and contributions to the state government technology community.

New episodes of StateScoop’s Priorities Podcast are posted each Wednesday.
For more of the latest news and trends across the state and local government technology community, subscribe to the Priorities Podcast on Apple Podcasts, Google Podcasts,Soundcloud or Spotify.

How Trump could accelerate broadband deployment

Recent research by the nonprofit U.S. Digital Response and the National Association of State Chief Information Officers examined what vendors don’t like about states’ request for proposal documents. The work was dead simple, as was the solution they proposed: Just put a cover sheet on your RFPs. Waldo Jaquith, a government delivery manager with USDR, joins StateScoop’s Priorities Podcast to explain the findings and why he thinks this one simple change could not only save vendors time, but improve the quality of responses that states get when they’re making purchases.

This week’s top stories:

In a letter addressed to Department of Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Norm last week, 21 Republican secretaries of state asked for improvements to her department’s Systematic Alien Verification for Entitlements, or SAVE, program, so they can more easily detect noncitizens who are voting in elections.

According to a recent report published by the Multi-State Information Sharing and Analysis Center, state and local governments need to adopt a more “whole-of-state” approach to cybersecurity, involving all levels of government in policy and strategic planning in order to better protect critical infrastructure.

In recognition of the growing threats posed by artificial intelligence, a new security advisory committee in Arizona has published its first recommendations, including one to create an AI elections lab that can fine tune election-specific AI models for use by election offices. 
New episodes of StateScoop’s Priorities Podcast are posted each Wednesday.
For more of the latest news and trends across the state and local government technology community, subscribe to the Priorities Podcast on Apple Podcasts, ,Soundcloud or Spotify.


One really simple way to improve state RFPs

It’s been two years since New York City Chief Privacy Officer Michael Fitzpatrick joined the Priorities Podcast to discuss how an updated citywide privacy policy could foster better collaboration between cybersecurity and data privacy teams. This week, Fitzpatrick returns to share what has happened in the two years since. He explains how artificial intelligence fits into the relationship between cybersecurity and privacy and how the city’s Office of Technology and Innovation, in the three years since its inception, has fought workforce shortages common across the public sector.

This week’s top stories:

A spokesperson from the Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency confirmed on Tuesday that it removed support from the Multi-State Information Sharing and Analysis Center. In a statement shared with StateScoop, the spokesperson said the action will save taxpayers $10 million annually. State and local technology officials said the MS-ISAC, which was created in 2004, has been a valuable resource as they’ve sought to protect their networks from a growing barrage of cyberattacks.

Commerce Secretary Howard Lutnick last week announced that his department is removing the “pointless requirements” inserted by former President Joe Biden into a major broadband program that is set to deliver high-speed internet to millions of Americans. Lutnick said the $42.45 billion Broadband Equity, Access, and Deployment program had been hampered by “woke mandates.”

At the GitHub headquarters in San Francisco last week, software developers gathered for a hackathon, where they used their coding skills to help bring information and services to survivors of the recent Los Angeles wildfires.
New episodes of StateScoop’s Priorities Podcast are posted each Wednesday.
For more of the latest news and trends across the state and local government technology community, subscribe to the Priorities Podcast on Apple Podcasts, Google Podcasts,Soundcloud or Spotify.

Inside NYC's citywide privacy policy

Milwaukee County, Wisconsin, is convening experts to develop interventions that could decrease the number of motor vehicle deaths and address disparities in where collisions occur. Dr. Ben Weston, chief health policy adviser for Milwaukee County, Wisconsin, joins the Priorities Podcast to explain how a recent public safety project is pitting data against a fatal challenge. After publishing a data dashboard last year, a county task force is now looking at trends and recruiting the help of expert statisticians, biomechanical engineers and academics who can develop ways to make streets safer. “[We’re] saying, why is this the most fatal intersection in Milwaukee County, and what can we do about it?” Weston says.

This week’s top stories:

Current and former government officials told StateScoop they’re concerned by cuts at two information sharing organizations widely used by state and local governments to protect IT and election systems from cyberattacks.

Two cybersecurity experts are questioning whether officials in Mission, Texas, were too hasty when they declared a state of emergency this month in response to a recent cyberattack.

Jim Bryson, commissioner of the Tennessee Department of Finance and Administration, has announced that Kristin Darby, a former health care and finance executive, will be the state’s new chief information officer.

New episodes of StateScoop’s Priorities Podcast are posted each Wednesday.
For more of the latest news and trends across the state and local government technology community, subscribe to the Priorities Podcast on Apple Podcasts, Google Podcasts,Soundcloud or Spotify.



Pitting data against a fatal challenge in Wisconsin county

On this week’s Priorities Podcast, Ohio State Police Captain Justin Cromer shares how airborne microwave downlink technology is helping law enforcement gain better intelligence during incidents.

This week’s top stories:

Pennsylvania Gov. Josh Shapiro has shared preliminary results from the state’s ChatGPT pilot program, noting that the generative artificial intelligence tool was a “job enhancer” for most employees, saving each worker an average of eight hours per week.

After months of technical issues at Louisiana’s Office of Motor Vehicles caused by “outdated software,” Gov. Jeff Landry has signed an executive order declaring a state of emergency, and ordering modernization of the state’s vehicle licensing, titling and registration system.

Scoop News Group has announced the winners of the 2025 StateScoop 50 Awards! This year’s awards recognize leaders and projects from 21 states, along with executives from 13 companies. See who won.
New episodes of StateScoop’s Priorities Podcast are posted each Wednesday.
For more of the latest news and trends across the state and local government technology community, subscribe to the Priorities Podcast on Apple Podcasts, Google Podcasts,Soundcloud or Spotify.

Inside aerial imagery technology used by Ohio state police

On this week’s Priorities Podcast, we’re joined by Robert Fulk, chief information officer of the Indiana Secretary of State’s Office, to talk about the work behind “Captain Record,” the state’s newest generative artificial intelligence tool. It allows users to search more than 100 years’ worth of state documents, and by intelligently indexing over 20 million unstructured records, including some that were handwritten, Captain Record has transformed the latent documents into a treasure trove of data. 
This week’s top stories:

A new report from Alabama's AI task force found that generative artificial intelligence is being used by nearly a quarter of state agencies and for a variety of use cases, including text generation, language translation, software code development and complex problem-solving.

The Florida Senate is considering a bill that would — for at least the fifth time in recent years — yet again reorganize the state’s technology bureau. And despite the enormity of the state’s IT problems and the hurdles that must be overcome to fix the “absolute unmitigated tire fire,” some current and former state officials, including Former Florida Chief Information Officer Jamie Grant, think this one might stick.

Indiana Gov. Mike Braun on Friday announced that Warren Lenard, a private sector tech executive, will take over as the state’s new chief information officer and director of Indiana’s Office of Technology. He fills the vacancy left by Tracy Barnes, who stepped down in January. 

Scoop News Group has announced the winners of the 2025 StateScoop 50 Awards! This year’s awards recognize leaders and projects from 21 states, along with executives from 13 companies. See who won.

New episodes of StateScoop’s Priorities Podcast are posted each Wednesday.

For more of the latest news and trends across the state and local government technology community, subscribe to the Priorities Podcast on Apple Podcasts, Google Podcasts,Soundcloud or Spotify.


On the record about ‘Captain Record,’ Indiana’s newest AI tool

Carlos Kizzee, the senior vice president of MS-ISAC strategy and plans at Center for Internet Security, joins the Priorities Podcast to share how the group’s recent funding cuts are affecting operations and how it might affect the group’s future. Kizzee says the claims that the MS-ISAC’s services are duplicated by those offered by federal agencies are “not necessarily true.” He also points to a recent poll of its membership, showing that 95% believed elimination of the group’s services would have a negative effect on their cybersecurity.

This week’s top stories:

California on Wednesday announced it had opened applications for $50 million in digital equity grants. This is one day after the Trump administration confirmed it had frozen funding for $2.7 billion in digital equity funding approved under the Biden administration. One broadband analyst told StateScoop the move is political and will slow down deployment. 

Philadelphia Mayor Cherelle Parker on Tuesday unveiled a new data dashboard that displays progress on the city’s housing restoration and modification initiatives. The tool is designed to show the public how the mayor is doing on meeting her goal of restoring 30,000 city housing units.

And New Jersey last week joined the many other states to have passed laws criminalizing the production or dissemination of deepfakes. Upon signing the new legislation, Gov. Phil Murphy said AI is a “powerful tool” that must be used responsibly.

New episodes of StateScoop’s Priorities Podcast are posted each Wednesday.
For more of the latest news and trends across the state and local government technology community, subscribe to the Priorities Podcast on Apple Podcasts, Google Podcasts, Soundcloud or Spotify.

The MS-ISAC is planning for its future

On this week’s Priorities Podcast, we’re joined by Mark Lindeman, the policy and strategy director of election nonprofit group Verified Voting, to discuss the final passage of a piece of legislation in Maryland that would require the state to conduct a post-election, risk-limiting audit process after each statewide election. 

The legislation also allows for the audits, which Lindeman’s organization says are highly effective methods to ensure correct election results and increase public trust in elections, to be done via an automated software after a statewide election. But Lindeman tells StateScoop that with software audits, “it's important to go beyond the software. It's important to get human eyes on the ballots and to have a check that doesn't depend on the software working correctly.”

Going beyond the software for election audits in Maryland

Connecticut Attorney General William Tong recently recommended that the state’s lawmakers strengthen a statewide privacy law enacted two years ago, including by sending “warning letters” to violators and investigating consumer complaints. Kara Williams, law fellow at the Electronic Privacy Information Center, joins the Priorities Podcast to share why she thinks Connecticut’s law is weak in some respects, but that changes could create a “cascading effect” that leads other states to strengthen their data privacy laws or create new ones. "It’s encouraging to see that the AG advocates for this strong data minimization framework,” she says, “but it’s also great to see that some of these principles are included in [a proposed] update bill. … It's not really an option to sit and wait for the federal government to act on privacy.”

Top stories this week:

The National Telecommunications and Information Administration on Tuesday notified states that they’ve been granted a 90-day extension to submit their final spending proposals for the $42.45 billion Broadband Equity, Access, and Deployment program.

Like most large government organizations, Oklahoma has for years been using various AI tools and machine learning models to trawl endless network logs for abnormal activity. After several years of using network monitoring software from the British firm Darktrace in “human confirmation mode,” Oklahoma last year allowed the company’s “Cyber AI Analyst” product to make decisions on its own.

Pennsylvania Gov. Josh Shapiro on Monday launched a WhatsApp channel, with an English and Spanish language option, aimed at providing residents with updates on state news, services and initiatives.


New episodes of StateScoop’s Priorities Podcast are posted each Wednesday.
For more of the latest news and trends across the state and local government technology community, subscribe to the Priorities Podcast on Apple Podcasts, Google Podcasts, Soundcloud or Spotify.

States shouldn't wait for federal action on data privacy, says one expert

On this week’s Priorities Podcast, Kern County, California, Deputy Fire Chief Zachary Wells and Ryan Lanclos, director of national government and public safety solutions at Esri,​ say ALERTCalifornia's new map layer  strengthens emergency management and improves community safety. The wildfire-monitoring program from University of California San Diego​ provides instant access to live camera feeds across ​California, aiding in early fire detection and speeding up emergency response. Wells said the new map layer, which displays each camera’s location and image feed, is helping to shift firefighting from reactive to proactive​. "The state of California is extremely large. Each county is big, and we only have so many firefighters​, engines, hand crews, helicopters ​and air tankers.​ So adopting tools like ​ALERTCalifornia gives you that confidence that you have the resources​ strategically placed," Wells says.

Top stories this week:

Texas Gov. Greg Abbott last week signed legislation making his state the latest to launch an agency modeled after the federal Department of Government Efficiency. The new law created the Texas Regulatory Efficiency Office, which will receive $22.8 million in funding over the next five years.

A new study from the University of Michigan found that law enforcement agencies are wary of using AI tools in policing. Of 1,800 local governments surveyed, 55% said they were unsure if automated assessments were as accurate as ones made by humans.

The startup company behind Jobright.ai last week launched a new jobs website designed to help experienced public servants quickly find new positions. The website, GovJobs.fyi, includes more than 11,000 job listings across all levels of government, nonprofits and private companies.


New episodes of StateScoop’s Priorities Podcast are posted each Wednesday.
For more of the latest news and trends across the state and local government technology community, subscribe to the Priorities Podcast on Apple Podcasts, Google Podcasts,Soundcloud or Spotify.


New mapping tech makes firefighting more proactive

The Long Island Sound sector of the U.S. Coast Guard last month announced Aqua Alert, a new pilot program to notify the public about maritime emergencies and provide real-time information to aid search and rescue efforts on the water. Joshua Smarzo, a Coast Guard lieutenant and command center sector chief, tells the Priorities Podcast the new program will help meet the challenges of managing search and rescue operations, especially during the summer boating season. Smarzo says it will be critical to test the system to avoid unnecessary alerts and ensure effective communication with 911 centers.

Top stories this week:

Gov. Greg Abbott on Saturday issued a disaster declaration for Marlin, Texas, in response to a failure of the city’s water treatment system.

Maryland’s technology department on Monday announced it’s hired James Saunders, a former federal technology official, to serve as its new chief information security officer.

Arizona Gov. Katie Hobbs on Friday vetoed legislation that would have placed as much as 10% of the state’s funds in cryptocurrency. In a letter Friday to Warren Petersen, the Republican president of the Arizona Senate, Hobbs dismissed the idea.
New episodes of StateScoop’s Priorities Podcast are posted each Wednesday.
For more of the latest news and trends across the state and local government technology community, subscribe to the Priorities Podcast on Apple Podcasts, Google Podcasts,Soundcloud or Spotify.


Inside Aqua Alert, a new maritime emergency alert system

This week’s Priorities Podcast is joined by Talita Elizeu, director of partnerships at Govern for America, and Cara Eckholm, the nonprofit’s research director. Elizeu and Eckholm say that a recent report published by the group provides valuable tips for states still early in their adoption of artificial intelligence policies. The report, which includes insights gathered from technology workers in at least 11 states, was itself guided in part by ChatGPT, which the authors used as part of their research into which states have created AI task forces or chief AI officers. “States have a common set of services they offer regardless of where they sit in our very diverse country, and I think there’s a lot states that are just starting on their AI strategy development today can learn from those states that are now two years into it,” Eckholm says.

Top stories this week:

Indiana state agencies on Tuesday warned residents to delete phony emails sent using official state government email addresses. Phishing emails emanating from numerous departments fraudulently informed recipients of unpaid toll fees and warned of financial penalties or vehicle registration holds if they refused to pay.

In a message shared on Truth Social, President Donald Trump last week vowed to end the “unconstitutional” Digital Equity Act, which provides states with funding through a set of programs intended to close the digital divide. The act was enabled by the $1.2 trillion Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act of 2021, under the watch of former President Joe Biden.

Nevada lawmakers are considering legislation that would create a statewide security operations center, offering school districts, local governments and other public offices in the Silver State greater access to cybersecurity services and products.
New episodes of StateScoop’s Priorities Podcast are posted each Wednesday.
For more of the latest news and trends across the state and local government technology community, subscribe to the Priorities Podcast on Apple Podcasts, Google Podcasts,Soundcloud or Spotify.

On AI policy, states can learn from each other

Code For America CEO Amanda Renteria joins StateScoop’s Priorities Podcast this week to offer a preview of the organization’s 2025 Summit, scheduled for May 29-30 in Washington, D.C. Renteria says the event will include talks on human-centered design, the latest uses of artificial intelligence in state and local government and how agencies are driving efficiency under a new U.S. president. “When did technology really change in government? It’s happening right now. The conversations that are going to happen at Summit are really putting those seeds in place for what technology in government is going to look like a generation from now.”

Top stories this week: 

Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem is asking governors to build sensitive compartmented information facilities and carry satellite phones when they travel. The recommendation baffled cybersecurity and national security experts contacted by StateScop.

Business is booming for Civic Match, a service that launched last November, to connect outgoing federal employees with jobs in state and local government. The program announced it’s expanding by creating new partnerships and adding features after its early success.

And a letter signed by a group of 40 state attorneys general on Friday asked Congress to reject a federal measure that would bar states from enforcing their own AI laws for the next 10 years.

New episodes of StateScoop’s Priorities Podcast are posted each Wednesday.
For more of the latest news and trends across the state and local government technology community, subscribe to the Priorities Podcast on Apple Podcasts, Google Podcasts, Soundcloud or Spotify.

Code For America's 2025 Summit will highlight an IT sea change, says CEO

Two Pennsylvania state employees explain on this week’s Priorities Podcast how they’re accelerating the time it takes to hire new employees. Miranda Martin, director of talent management, and Harrison MacRae, director of emerging technologies, said that through a combination of process changes and technology, they’ve reduced time-to-hire from 90 days to 58 days. “Three months is just too long to compete for talent, so we got to work right away and looked at our processes and procedures and worked really hard to reduce that time,” Martin said. The state also used its ChatGPT Enterprise licenses to ensure that agencies were properly aligning their hiring needs with job classifications.

Top stories this week: 

Washington state’s technology bureau has partnered with the University of California, Berkeley to better understand how nonprofits in the state may be exposed to cybersecurity risks. Bill Kehoe, Washington’s chief information officer, said protecting nonprofits ensures that the public will get the best from their state and local governments.

Kentucky’s acting chief information officer, Jim Barnhart, has been promoted to lead the commonwealth’s Office of Technology as its statewide CIO. The promotion comes after Barnhart spent nearly two decades serving as the state’s deputy CIO.

And Maine lawmakers last week urged the Trump administration to unfreeze Digital Equity Act funds that they say are essential for the state’s future. Led by Republican Sen. Susan Collins, the group said that the rural state was depending on the $35 million it was set to receive to improve access to technology and skills training.

New episodes of StateScoop’s Priorities Podcast are posted each Wednesday.
For more of the latest news and trends across the state and local government technology community, subscribe to the Priorities Podcast on Apple Podcasts, Google Podcasts, Soundcloud or Spotify.

How Pennsylvania is hiring employees faster

For Stephen Dawe, the chief information officer for Opelika, Alabama, work life took an unexpected turn during the COVID-19 pandemic. He was tasked with building an IT system that could detect when detergent had been dumped into a city fountain, a recurring and costly prank kids had been pulling. Dawe says it took a lot of work, including recruiting the fire department to help his team set up an environment to create bubbles that could be photographed and used to train an artificial intelligence model. Today, the system works, he says, but even coming up with a possible solution wasn’t easy. “It was like, OK, what are we going to do to stop this? And it took probably about six months to come up with a reasonable answer to that question.”
Top stories this week:
Dozens of privacy advocates, along with groups like the American Civil Liberties Union and the Electronic Frontier Foundation, have attached their names to a new campaign to change the technological standard backing mobile driver’s licenses. The campaign, titled No Phone Home, is backed by a statement that calls for identity systems like mobile driver’s licenses to adopt a technological standard that is incapable of tracking or surveilling users.
A group of more than 80 national and state school and library organizations have sent a letter to House members, urging them to vote against a measure that would repeal a Federal Communications rule allowing schools and libraries to spend E-Rate funds on wireless hotspot lending by schools and libraries.
As California braces for what could be another blistering summer, Gov. Gavin Newsom has announced a new digital tool to help residents stay safe in extreme heat, along with a $32.4 million investment to support local efforts to combat the state’s rising temperatures.
New episodes of StateScoop’s Priorities Podcast are posted each Wednesday.
For more of the latest news and trends across the state and local government technology community, subscribe to the Priorities Podcast on Apple Podcasts, Google Podcasts,Soundcloud or Spotify.

Fountain bubble prank presented city CIO with unique technical challenge

Years into an effort to consolidate and modernize the New Jersey state government’s call centers, humans remain an important part of the process. On this week’s Priorities Podcast, Dave Cole, New Jersey chief’s innovation officer, and Joe DeLaTorre, product manager at the New Jersey Office of Innovation, say that even after improvements to the state’s digital presence, residents said they still want to talk to a live human when it comes to sensitive questions about taxes or unemployment benefits. The state’s “warm callback” algorithm predicts how many calls must be added to agents’ queues, reducing wait times and maximizing agent productivity. “A lot of these call centers are billed per minute, so whether you're talking to somebody or they're sitting on hold, your costs are the same,” Cole says. “The problem was people needed to have confidence in the system whether they were going to wait on the line or get a call back. They needed to know that somebody was actually going to follow through.”

This week’s top stories:

States are picking sides as competing election integrity efforts move ahead. New York and Virginia each recently joined competing election integrity efforts, highlighting the growing weight of politics in the nation’s elections process.

“I run at the speed of business, not at the speed of government,” Teena Piccione, North Carolina’s newly confirmed chief information officer, told StateScoop in a recent interview. Piccione became CIO last January and was confirmed last May.

As the Atlantic hurricane season begins, at least one emergency response expert is raising concerns that federal staffing cuts at the Federal Emergency Management Agency and the National Oceanic Atmospheric Administration could hinder state and local government coordination and impede public warning systems during natural disasters.
New episodes of StateScoop’s Priorities Podcast are posted each Wednesday.
For more of the latest news and trends across the state and local government technology community, subscribe to the Priorities Podcast on Apple Podcasts, Google Podcasts,Soundcloud or Spotify.


Inside New Jersey’s AI-powered ‘warm callback’ system

Each Wednesday, StateScoop’s Priorities Podcast explores the latest in state and local government technology news and analysis. Listen to in-depth conversations with government and industry’s top executives, and learn about trending stories affecting state and local IT leaders ranging from modernization and digital accessibility to the latest advances in generative artificial intelligence.

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