Finance

Gov. Ron DeSantis’ fiscal year 2026 proposed budget recommendations include funding for state IT projects across criminal justice. Initiatives include hardening security, replacing infrastructure and a platform upgrade.

From Oklahoma to Mississippi to New Hampshire, nearly a dozen states are putting their imprint on the government efficiency movement in the form of committees and task forces, looking to improve operations.

Plus, a report found the Affordable Connectivity Program pays for itself, the BEAD program funding dispute continues, a bill aims to reduce barriers for broadband deployment, Oswego County, N.Y., gets a broadband grant and more.

Hundreds of technology partners focused on the public sector gathered outside Washington, D.C., for the annual Beyond the Beltway event, an industry-focused forecast of what 2025 looks like for state and local IT.

The state’s House of Representatives advanced legislation this week that would create a task force dedicated to reviewing state programs and identifying areas in which officials could improve efficiency.

Envisio’s Stefan Baerg and Tyler Technologies’ Chris Fabian discuss their unique collaboration and explore how governments are transforming budgeting to be more strategic, transparent and outcome-focused.

This year the organization will change its name to reflect its “mission and community inclusivity" across all levels of government. The change will not affect agreements, procurements or fees.

The coalition is a relatively new but growing group that promotes the responsible use of AI in the public sector. It has teamed with Pavilion, which offers a platform for shareable contracts, on this fresh data-building push.

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.

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.

Jeff Cook, a gov tech market expert with Shea & Company, looks back at an uneven year in gov tech and predicts a stronger year going forward — with a potential shift in the market’s most active sectors.

These funds can be key to breaking the innovation stalemate. In California, funding nimble, high-impact solutions can help replace inertia with action to modernize IT systems and deliver better services for the public.

Plus, $117 million in NTIA grants go out, Indiana funds county broadband expansion, the E-BRIDGE Act is now the law of the land, new legislation aims to support rural broadband development, and more.

The state has been working diligently in recent years to make its services more accessible to constituents. The latest development is TAX2GO, which makes taxpaying services mobile; others are in the works.

Gov. Gavin Newsom’s proposal for a balanced state budget would spend $168 million to “standardize and streamline data collection” across state community colleges. It would also create two new entities.

The capital city received nearly $8.5 million from the American Rescue Plan Act and committed it all. To date, $4.5 million has been spent on internal projects including updates to at least three areas of tech.

Plus, the BEAD Progress Dashboard gets updated this week, a comprehensive report examines website accessibility across government, and one Georgia county gets to work on digital inclusion.

In a high-level view of the 2025-2026 fiscal year state budget, Gov. Gavin Newsom highlighted technology work and reforms by the Office of Data and Innovation, which is helping lead California’s tech evolution.