Finance

Lake County Treasurer Holly Kim is now the first Illinois candidate to receive a campaign donation in the form of a cryptocurrency. She received $3 in Litecoin, and more crypto donations are expected to come.

A new product could make it easier for municipalities to plan capital projects and budgeting. The product launch comes as an infrastructure bill makes its way through the federal government.

Gov. Mike Parson has announced a plan to invest $400 million toward efforts to increase broadband access throughout Missouri. The funding for this investment comes from the American Rescue Plan.

A study found that York City, Pa., could feasibly set up a 55-camera system to surveil the entire city. But the initial $3.4 million investment and ongoing costs is a hurdle for the municipality of roughly 44,000 people.

Yesterday, the U.S. Department of Labor announced it would send $500 million to states from three different pots of money to address unemployment insurance fraud and equity. Two of the funding streams involve grants.

Periscope, which offers e-procurement technology to the public sector, will join a global e-commerce vendor under the deal. The company is 20 years old and recently helped Oregon launch a statewide procurement portal.

State and local governments are set to receive billions if the legislation passes, including funding to support cybersecurity, broadband, transit, roads, water and more. Here are the details.

According to a recent study, the expansion of high-speed Internet service across the United States is worth around $160 billion in economic gains, mostly benefiting the middle-class, professional workforce.

Water may be among the least cyber-defended critical infrastructure sectors. Keeping it safe may include channeling more funds and training to tiny agencies and establishing voluntary guidelines.

The pandemic and consumer trends have fueled fresh deployments of payment technology for bills, taxes and fees. Can local and state government find new savings via online and mobile transactions?

Recently signed legislation will ramp up the state’s cybersecurity and legacy system upgrades through the newly created Technology Improvement and Modernization Fund. The new law takes effect Sept. 1.

With DemandStar and other tech providers reporting big recent growth, the future shines brightly for digital procurement services at the state and local levels. But look out for Amazon — maybe.

Rhode Island recently approved a statewide program to fund body camera purchases for police departments. For some cities, like the Newport Police Department, a body camera program has been active for years.

The possibility of new funding and potential expansion opportunities has high-speed rail advocates watching the activity in Washington, D.C. If new infrastructure is funded, it could jumpstart a new era of rail travel.

A U.S. House hearing last week heard testimony from experts who underlined the disconnect between federal, state and local IT as well as how leadership can stall efforts to improve digital user experience and cybersecurity.

The Biden administration’s proposals to increase funding for physical assets like roads are essential, but should not overshadow the need for digital infrastructure to maximize technology, equity and transparency.

To compete globally and optimize our nation’s productivity, America needs to invest quickly in its digital future by spending the money needed for public access to — and technical leadership in — the digital world.

The county recently migrated nearly 20 years worth of financial data into a new ERP system, a move officials hope will ensure improved efficiency across financial operations for years to come.