Government Experience

With a new requirement from the Department of Justice looming, state and local governments must make their digital services accessible for people with disabilities, but not all are starting from the same place.

The money, allocated by a budget trailer bill, will enable the California State Payroll System Project to hire a system integrator. The initiative, underway since 2016, will replace a significant piece of legacy.

The state’s Artificial Intelligence Strategy details how agencies will leverage the technology for predictive analysis, to improve resident services and drive workforce development. Ethics and security are part of the plan.

Interim CIO Michael Makstman, in place since Jan. 1, has been made permanent and will lead the city-county’s Department of Technology. Makstman has been with San Francisco more than six years and was previously its CISO.

In an email Wednesday, the Florida Department of Highway Safety and Motor Vehicles said it will revise the Florida Smart ID application, and asked users to delete it. The app has since been deactivated.

A new paper from the National Association of State Chief Information Officers explores the role of generative AI in improving accessibility for people with disabilities. It finds use cases and limitations alike.

The New York State Office for the Aging is giving older adults more options to connect with each another and the world by providing them with a variety of technologies — and the skills they need to use them.

The Philadelphia City Commissioners will retain a marketing firm to battle voter deception, boost voter participation and bolster confidence in the electoral process. The campaign will also remind people when and how to vote.

Two local governments have taken steps to make residents aware of their digital rights. Experts argue that cities actually have a responsibility to do so.

The Oregon Department of Motor Vehicles is using a new real-time customer management system known as Next in Line in 59 field offices, helping to improve wait times for more than 3 million.

The city has launched a digital map so the public can track progress for community improvement projects that they approved through the city’s participatory budgeting process.

The city has taken steps toward modernization and sustainability by approving a new software initiative. In addition, it has also moved to add four Teslas to the city vehicle fleet.

Maryland’s Motor Vehicle Administration overhauled its computer-based learner’s permit tests, and passing scores increased within months. Data obtained by Government Technology details the secret to their success.

The federal Department of Justice’s final rule in April updated the Americans with Disabilities Act, requiring accessibility for all government content. Here’s what that means for state and local entities.

City Clerk Jason Bell said he had been working on the website upgrade for a few months and got pricing from three companies: Munibit, Revize and Granicus. The city's current website is by CivicPlus.

Watch Duty, a wildfire-tracking app manned by volunteers monitoring fire scanners, provides emergency information to the public. As the app expands, so does debate about fire department scanner traffic encryption.

Open data portals hold the promise of transparency and civic engagement, but only if people actually use them. Washington state tackled this challenge head on by conducting a usability study of their portal.

The CivStart Innovation Hub will have the backing of the advocacy group for municipal governments across the country, as it seeks to help those jurisdictions better understand startups and their technology.