State Government

With elections on their minds, governors’ most watched policy speech of the year had some technology highlights, like luring tech companies and remote workers with robust broadband.

As states increasingly adopt cloud services, maintaining security means careful contract negotiations, attention to cloud configurations and understanding shared security responsibilities.

Gov. Glenn Youngkin has selected former Kansas CITO Phil Wittmer to serve as the new CIO of the Virginia Information Technologies Agency. The announcement came Friday with a series of other administration appointments.

The New York State Department of Labor created a Twitter account to improve access to information on training, employment, assistance programs, policies and more for New Yorkers who speak Spanish.

Wisconsin Gov. Tony Evers is encouraging all eligibile households to apply for the federal Affordable Connectivity Program, which recently replaced the Emergency Broadband Benefit Program.

The Colorado Secretary of State is looking into whether a county clerk has committed an elections security breach. The clerk is scheduled to appear at a deposition in early February.

Earlier this month during the omicron variant surge, Georgia’s COVID-19 dashboard didn’t have up-to-date infection data because of aging legacy infrastructure that wasn’t built to handle millions of data points.

The recently passed legislation reinforces cybersecurity and reporting measures and requires water purveyors in the state to develop cybersecurity programs, policies, processes and procedures.

General Motors plans to invest heavily in EVs, creating some 4,000 new jobs and building new production facilities for the development and manufacturing of electric autos and their batteries.

The deal models a new enterprise-focused approach, says CIO Jamie Grant. The Florida Digital Service is pushing to better vet IT procurements, launch a cybersecurity operations center and win the trust of other agencies.

In a recently proposed bill, state lawmakers are asking to create a permanent commission to oversee and support the responsible use of artificial intelligence technology among state agencies.

Texas has refused to modernize and create an online voter registration system. As a result, communities across the state have less accurate voter rolls, and taxpayer money is wasted on paper.

The state of Michigan has launched 19 new agency websites and will continue to launch additional sites in the coming months. The effort replaces the state's 20-year-old content management system.

During a recent U.S. House hearing, experts discussed how the federal government can help state and local election officials defend election software, stop doxxing of election officials and the looming misinformation threat.

The Indiana Management Performance Hub has played a key role in the state’s data-driven pandemic response strategy, as well as helping the state center data in its overall approach to governing.

After grappling with development delays, Alaska has launched a contact tracing app that lets users know in confidence when they come close to someone who has tested positive for COVID-19.

Georgia is replacing a lagging statewide voter registration system that caused colossal lines during early voting in the 2020 election, hoping to prevent similar waits in this year’s races for governor and the U.S. Senate.

A bill that would lift restrictions on nuclear power plant construction in West Virginia moved closer to passage in the state Senate Wednesday afternoon, after a Senate committee advanced it with little discussion.