State Government

Officials from Gov. Josh Shapiro’s administration on Monday confirmed data stored on the state’s computer system servers had been deleted affecting at least the state police and the State Employees’ Retirement System.

During a meeting of the task force this week, lawmakers highlighted the importance of notifying people when they are interacting with artificial intelligence. The group is likely to propose new legislation to that effect.

The U.S. General Services Administration has chosen to collaborate with four states to pilot a text notification platform geared toward enhancing internal and external communication surrounding federal benefits services.

Virginia Gov. Glenn Youngkin’s latest executive order on artificial intelligence targets the use of the technology in the classroom and offers standards to safeguard state databases and individual data.

The California Department of Tax and Fee Administration is looking for a solution capable of using generative AI to generate potential responses to taxpayers via telephone and live chat.

Kimberly Weis, a North Dakota native, talks about her plans for data management and artificial intelligence as she digs into her new job as the state’s permanent CDO. One of her most important lessons came via COVID-19.

With a new governor in place, Howze retired from a job he had held for nearly 11 years. During his time with the Office of Technology Services, he worked to reduce the technical debt while also spearheading online bidding, security and other projects.

California Attorney General Rob Bonta joined 25 other top state attorneys to ask the federal government for an inquiry into how AI technology could make it more difficult to protect consumers from illegal scam calls and texts.

In the absence of nationwide policy, 13 states have enacted their own data privacy laws. Several others have taken a different approach with a mix of basic and substantive protections. Congress may take the issue this session.

In a discussion about the near future, the writers and editors at Governing walk through the legislative issues to keep an eye on this year. Technology, budget and transportation top the list.

Massachusetts has appointed Ashley Bloom as the state’s new chief IT accessibility officer, a role in which she will be responsible for improving the accessibility of the state’s digital services.

A Sacramento manufacturing plant could stand to benefit from the $3.1 billion federal grant awarded last month to revive an over-budget and overdue high-speed rail project between Merced and Bakersfield.

After nearly a decade of service with the state of Nebraska, Chief Information Officer Ed Toner will be leaving state government in February for retirement. A search for his replacement is in the works.

Leandro Garcia has been tapped to lead Florida's efforts to expand broadband Internet access throughout the state. Garcia was serving as the deputy director for the Florida Department of Commerce prior to this appointment.

California Gov. Gavin Newsom unveiled a $291.5 billion budget this week that proposed resolving a roughly $37.8 billion shortfall with cuts, delayed and deferred funding and by withdrawing $13 billion from state reserves.

Christie Burris has been tapped to lead North Carolina data efforts as chief data officer and director of the Government Data Analytics Center. She replaces Carol Burroughs, who retired in December 2023.

Plans to overhaul IT services in the state include new AI regulations; policies ensuring ease of access to state platforms; a collaborative approach to cybersecurity; and a new office dedicated to user-centric digital innovations.

The California Department of Transportation, teaming up with other state agencies, is asking technology companies to propose generative AI tools that could help reduce traffic and make roads safer.