State Government

Gov. Kay Ivey said the new Technology Quality Assurance Board will offer state leaders a way to collaborate on cybersecurity and newer forms of government technology. It’s the latest example of states trying to get a better grip on AI.

Chatham County is the second North Carolina county to halt the permitting of new data centers, a move local officials say will allow them to develop zoning rules and study the impacts of such facilities.

Consumer protection and child safety will likely be the focus of legislation on AI during the state’s General Assembly session that ends in early May, according to state officials.

Massachusetts has partnered with OpenAI to launch the ChatGPT-powered enterprise AI assistant for the nearly 40,000 employees across the executive branch to assist them in their work; using the tool is optional.

A proposed state Senate bill would transfer the Florida Digital Service’s duties and functions to a new division within the governor’s office. It’s the second reorganization of state IT suggested in a year.

The district has announced a new AI training requirement for all government employees and contractors, in an effort to guide the responsible daily use of the technology. It’s provided through InnovateUS.

To guard against phishing-based ransomware attacks, the state is outfitting 161 of its jurisdictions and other public-sector organizations with hardware-based protection. And it's not alone.

Gov. Tim Walz has authorized $1.2 million in state emergency disaster assistance to address a cybersecurity incident that disrupted digital services in St. Paul for several weeks this summer.

The state’s new accessibility and equity strategy focuses on how state agencies design and run digital services. It aims to ensure government websites and other online resources can be used by all.

Bills now active in the Statehouse include proposed laws to require disclaimers with the use of AI in political ads, and to ensure AI systems would be considered nonsentient entities.

The state is upgrading its Division of Motor Vehicles technology system this month to improve security, usability and efficiency. To do so, several temporary service closures are planned.

The state is weighing legislation that would require companion chatbots to notify users that they are interacting with AI and not a human at the beginning of the interaction and every three hours.

Mark Combs, Vermont’s inaugural chief technology and enterprise services officer, helped expand the scope of state digital services as his role changed. Officials are now seeking his successor.

Gov. Gretchen Whitmer signed bipartisan legislation into law this week requiring school districts to draft policies banning the use of cellphones on campus during instructional time, with some exceptions.

The new data analytics platform brings health, public safety and service information into a single view, in an effort to help officials guide substance abuse prevention efforts and resource decisions.

A new initiative from the National Governors Association moves beyond math and ELA proficiency to track data contributing to “lifelong well-being" and “civic engagement.”

Amy Tong, the former director of the California Department of Technology and state CIO for more than five years, was most recently senior counselor to Gov. Gavin Newsom. Her last day in the role was Jan. 31.

Tarek Tomes, who is also commissioner of Minnesota IT Services, will leave in mid-March for a tech role in higher education. When he does, Deputy Commissioner Jon Eichten will step in as interim CIO.