State Government

The state began recruiting this week for a chief technology officer after Alex Pettit, who formerly held the position, returned to Oregon state government for a role in digital transformation.

Michigan Central in Detroit is quickly becoming a center for air and ground mobility innovation. The state Advanced Air Mobility Initiative, announced in July, aims to stimulate drone development.

A break in service Thursday morning, which has been attributed to a domain name system service degradation, affected all state agencies. Its precise impact is unclear; however, an analysis is ongoing.

Under a state grant program announced in October, 86 New Jersey school districts are receiving a cumulative $980,000 to implement secure storage systems such as lockers, locked pouch systems or check-in cabinets.

Officials are prepping for long-term technology needs, state CIO Matthew McCarville said, with efforts including a statewide IT apprenticeship program and a strong foundation in cybersecurity.

The state and private-sector backers will offer $20 million to help companies develop artificial intelligence tools. The move is the latest sign of New Jersey’s desire to become a national AI leader.

Gov. Tony Evers has signed legislation authorizing the Wisconsin Department of Justice to award grants for platforms aimed at improving information sharing among law enforcement.

Effective Jan. 1, 2026, a new state law in North Carolina will require school districts to enact policies and measures to prevent students from accessing social media on school devices and networks.

A budget request submitted by the state attorney general seeks $901,782 to do more to stop cryptocurrency scams. The funding would enable the office to hire additional attorneys, investigators and staff.

A 30-member California Innovation Council will include executives and leaders from the UC system, the Brookings Institute, Stanford University and the California Chamber of Commerce, among others.

A bipartisan coalition of lawmakers and advocates in Maryland is worried that one of the governor’s recent vetoes — the Data Center Impact Analysis and Report bill — was a critical mistake.

A group of 20 California state lawmakers sent a letter before the executive order was signed, asking their congressional counterparts to push back against pre-emption or other efforts to limit flexibility.

The new executive will lead the state’s artificial intelligence and machine learning strategy as the Department of Innovation and Technology builds out a formal AI office.

The document emphasizes governance, risk assessment and safety principles to protect operational technology as AI adoption grows. Understanding security concerns during development is one recommendation.

State CIO Bryanna Pardoe was previously the inaugural director of the state’s digital experience office. That work is shaping her approach to leading state IT and driving human-centered design.

President Donald Trump has signed an executive order seeking to limit states’ abilities to enact AI-related policy that could be deemed “burdensome.” Experts argue the action is illegal.

The state Department of Administration is considering adding agentic AI modules in the myAlaska app, which residents use for a variety of key services. A recent request for information sought industry input.

Holly Drake, the state chief information security officer, will join the University of Central Florida as its CISO. She was recognized for her work this fall by the National Association of State Chief Information Officers.