Policy

State elected officials are working on a legislative package that would address growing energy needs and rising costs — without derailing ambitious carbon-free goals. A driving force is capacity spikes.

The state Senate and House of Representatives have both halted a bill that would have compelled the state to stop issuing drivers’ licenses and ID cards. As of April 1, just 27 percent of Mainers have a Real ID.

The technology is increasingly being used by state and local police agencies, and lawmakers are considering a proposal that would limit and regulate their acquisition and deployment.

Mark Wixon will serve as the new commissioner of the Bureau of Information and Technology, after the recent departure of Madhu Gottumukkala, its now-former commissioner and chief information officer.

A provision in a controversial reconciliation bill would block state-level AI regulation for 10 years. Educators and lawmakers alike are warning that this could have dire consequences, including harm to children.

The state governor announced the membership this week, 19 in all, chosen from state and local technology, education and the private sector. Announced in November, the committee held its first meeting this month.

The European Commission and the Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development yesterday released a draft framework for teaching AI literacy in schools, along with a request for stakeholder feedback.

The federal Department of Government Efficiency — as well as state and local counterparts — is a ubiquitous subject among gov tech vendors. For the market, expert Jeff Cook argues that will be a good thing.

The proposal, part of the reconciliatory federal budget document dubbed the “One Big Beautiful Bill,” now heads to the U.S. Senate. It includes a 10-year stop on states being able to regulate artificial intelligence.

Plus, officials launched a new global coalition to support multilingual Internet access, advocates continue calling for the renewal of congressionally approved federal funding, one county will expand fiber Internet, and more.

If recent legislation passes, TikTok would be blocked from school networks and devices, and employees would be barred from using it for classroom instruction or to communicate or promote any school-sponsored activities.

The economic uncertainty surrounding tariff policies and the potential of a global trade war could have ripple effects throughout higher education, including strained budgets, less tech investment and lost research.

Some researchers say the federal government's proposal will drastically impede cutting-edge work in fields that are critical to the nation's future, such as artificial intelligence, cybersecurity and power grids.

Studies show the United States is not keeping up with electric demand, as electric vehicles and data centers continue to ramp up their burden on the grid. A slowdown in federal funding has not seemed to impact this.

The director of the Utah Office of AI Policy, which supports AI innovation through regulatory mitigation agreements, looks at the progress the office has made in its first year toward advancing innovation.

In the second part of a series, the National Association of State Chief Information Officers examines aligning enterprise architecture with strategy, collaboration, and resident-focused service delivery.

An amended version of Assembly Bill 1111, if passed, would allow small education agencies to have the electric-bus requirement waived temporarily. Most polled superintendents are skeptical about the 2035 deadline.

Connecticut lawmakers on the state and national level are pushing for new Internet-related legislation aimed at protecting children, citing a state insider investigation.