State Government

At the virtual convening of the National Association of State Chief Information Officers this week, sessions looked ahead to improving how states will continue to serve agencies and citizens in a post-pandemic world.

So-called vaccine hesitancy — often but not always based on misinformation — has emerged as a barrier in the effort to reach the “herd immunity” needed to extinguish COVID-19 as a serious health threat.

The Virginia Smart Community Testbed in Stafford County will test emerging technologies in real-world settings. The project is a partnership between the county and the Center for Innovative Technology.

Fla. Gov. Ron DeSantis signed a first-of-its-kind bill that prohibits companies like Facebook and Twitter from suspending political candidates from their social media accounts during election time.

Big tech companies like Amazon, Google, Facebook and Apple could soon face a 2 percent tax in New York state for profiting off of consumer data — if a recently proposed bill gains enough support to become law.

Rodgers confirmed that June 2 will be his last day as Ohio’s CIO. He will be joining retail company Designer Brands as senior vice president and CIO. Katrina Flory will serve as CIO in an interim capacity.

Washington state officials say jobless claims in May have spiked, and fraudsters are in the mix. The fraud isn't as severe as it was last year, but criminals will adapt to new security measures, experts say.

Municipal DNA identification indexes in New York have raised privacy concerns after a report showed they’re widely unregulated. One state lawmaker proposes to shut down these databases and create a single state-run index.

During the pandemic, the Florida Legislature has taken note of many issues with the state's unemployment insurance program, but the lawmakers haven't delivered a comprehensive solution yet.

There were valid reasons for the state to award no-bid contracts in the early days of the pandemic, but there is no reason to continue that practice, regardless of whether the state still is under an emergency order.

Drawing on user survey results, Utah has revamped how its official website presents services in order to reach younger generations. The state plans to offer even more services soon through its “Next Gen Citizen Portal.”

The Partnership for Inclusive Innovation, a public-private partnership focused on spurring innovation, is working to move the needle on the mission to make the state the “technology capital of the East Coast.”

Digital equity advocates, state broadband offices and local government staffers are encouraged by the president’s emphasis on their work, but what do they need at the federal level to fully solve this challenge?

West Virginia Department of Economic Development Secretary Mitch Carmichael unveiled a four-prong approach to spending $138 million of federal American Rescue Plan Act funds to expand broadband Internet in the state.

According to a recently proposed Massachusetts bill, companies could soon face penalties for misusing facial recognition technology, causing them to pay hefty fines or go to court.

Ransomware is now a national security threat, and states and municipalities require more resources to fight back effectively. A recent Congressional hearing looks to identify their financial and strategic needs.

In February, a state audit indicated that the Illinois Attorney General's Office lacked proper cybersecurity protections. Three weeks ago, the office suffered a ransomware attack.

Newly signed legislation will give Washington state agencies the choice to move to the cloud or continue utilizing the state’s data center. The lawmaker behind the bill says the shift could save the state millions.