Policy
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With the popularity of electric bicycles and scooters on the rise, here’s what state and local laws say about their use in Fort Worth, Colleyville, Texas Christian University and elsewhere. -
As tech titans invest billions into data centers and high-tech computer chips to fuel their AI ambitions, concerns are building over energy costs, especially in communities where data centers pop up.
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New Mexico schools are part of a nationwide push to curb phone use in classrooms, driven by teacher concerns about disruption and growing worries about record daily screen time.
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Insurance company Humana is pitching a discounted insurance plan if patients are willing to meet virtually. The downside is that any necessary in-person visits to the doctor's office would be much more expensive.
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The Facebook-backed cryptocurrency has economists and lawmakers questioning whether the social media company will become too powerful. Financial experts are split on the societal value of the undertaking.
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Two California bills aimed at enabling and regulating new forms of urban mobility have been put on hold at least until early next year. Like other states, it is grappling with how to address emerging mobility solutions.
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The city’s Commission on Human Relations, which is drafting regulations for the new law, voted June 21 to push back implementation so the public could better understand the ordinance’s requirements.
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A package of bipartisan bills introduced in the state House and Senate last week would, among other things, allow the state to open up state parks and park-and-ride lots to install or lease space for charging stations.
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The legislation, which passed mostly along party lines, would require paper backup ballots and other improvements in federal races. Republicans have criticized the bill as an overreach into state and local affairs.
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The city is one of a handful of local governments creating new rules around the use of the technology. Officials at all levels of government have voiced concern about built-in bias and the need for regulation.
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California lawmakers Wednesday tasked State Auditor Elaine Howle with looking into how law enforcement agencies in the state use and share the data gathered through license plate-scanning technology.
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If the it does pass, Oakland will be either the second or third city in the nation to ban its departments from using the technology. San Francisco already banned the equipment, and Berkeley is voting July 9th.
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A recently enacted law adds clarity to the rules around body camera footage as public record — something that has been a deterrent for smaller departments — but the changes will likely come with costs.
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Plus, a look at state support for net neutrality; Boston overhauls its My Neighborhood Resources tool; Deloitte releases its Government Trends 2020 report; 18F publishes inclusive language guidelines; and more.
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Thanks to massive gains in accuracy and lower costs, facial recognition is better than ever and its applications for governments are growing. But with the technology’s adoption come increased threats to personal data.
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In interviews last week, key lawmakers declined to say if they were close to completion or even specify a timeline for the legislation. But other sources say there isn’t consensus on what a bill should look like.
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An international coalition of cities, departments of transportation, nonprofits, mobility companies and other stakeholders is taking a big swing at urban mobility data, rules and regulations.
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The bill would create a new civil cause of action, allowing voters to sue to stop the spread of fake videos and pictures. People who spread falsely edited images to manipulate elections could be sued for damages.
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Initial estimates were the new fee would cost cellphone subscribers between $4 and $12 a year. At the lower rate now proposed, state forecasters estimate the fee would cost about $4 on average for each wireless line.
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Americans want more control over their data, but little is being done at the federal level to update regulations for the digital age. Here's what some state IT leaders are doing to fill the gaps.
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GDPR has been in effect in the EU for one year, and regulators, consumers and businesses are facing its unintended consequences. Other countries can take those outcomes and do better with their own data protections.
