Infrastructure
A lagging broadband program faces more delays as Trump plans changes
States will have an additional 90 days to submit their final plans for the Broadband Equity, Access, and Deployment Program.
Digital Government
The New York State Police are feeding ICE a gang database
For 20 years, the state police have been quietly building a database of suspected gang members — and they’re feeding it to Donald Trump’s administration.
Customer Experience
Building modern paid family and medical leave programs
COMMENTARY | How agile development, human-centered design and an API-first strategy drive success to ensure software always aligns with user needs.
Sponsor Content
Smarter Grants, Stronger Oversight: How AI is Transforming Fraud Prevention and Efficiency in State Funding
AI-powered grants management systems improve fraud detection, efficiency, and compliance, safeguarding taxpayer dollars and enhancing program impact.
Artificial Intelligence
Los Angeles turns to AI to give public benefits enrollment a boost
A chatbot tool launched in Los Angeles County looks to help case workers more quickly and efficiently get vulnerable residents linked to social services.
Digital Government
Governor rejects fast-track for small nuclear reactors at Arizona data centers
Katie Hobbs vetoes Arizona small modular nuclear reactor veto bill that would have exempted unproven technology from environmental review.
Digital Government
Louisiana will turn to AI to detect Medicaid fraud, health officials say
The University of Louisiana at Lafayette is developing an artificial intelligence and data analysis tool the Louisiana Department of Health will use to fight “fraud, waste and abuse,” state officials said.
Cybersecurity
‘Living off the land’ a major cyber threat to critical infrastructure, report finds
A recent report found that 62% of critical infrastructure operators have been attacked, and more than half have had their operations disrupted.
Public Safety
‘Spy High:’ Amazon documentary probes dangers of online student surveillance
Filmmaker uses infamous 2010 ‘WebcamGate’ case to examine present-day threats to student privacy and digital policing of marginalized kids.
Cybersecurity
Rhode Island College earns top federal marks for cybersecurity program
Rhode Island College earned federal recognition from the NSA as a Center of Academic Excellence in Cyber Defense, boosting its cybersecurity program's potential access to federal grant funding.
Customer Experience
These states have cracked the customer experience code
COMMENTARY | By implementing enterprise customer experience programs, New York and Maryland are improving service, lowering operating costs and building back trust with constituents.
Featured eBooks
Digital Government
Ending Direct File could have downstream impacts for states, experts worry
Without the free, government-backed tax filing service, state agencies could see their modernization and efficiency gains unraveled, those experts say.
Sponsor Content
Building AI-Ready Networks: A Public Sector Guide to Private Connectivity Fabric (SM)
Explore how AI-ready networks can transform public sector organizations with resilient infrastructure and advanced connectivity.
Finance
With AI at their disposal, financial scammers are on the rise
The rise of artificial intelligence, access to sensitive data on the dark web, and a lack of federal oversight for these crimes means it’s never been easier to be a scammer, security experts say.
Digital Government
Alabama Senate passes bills requiring device filters, app store age checks for minors
Lawmakers are considering two bills aim to prevent children from accessing potentially harmful content online.
Artificial Intelligence
How local governments are keeping AI under control
In the absence of national legislation, such governments are increasingly adopting AI governance policies and practices on their own, one expert says.
Management
Ohio judge permanently blocks social media age verification law
Gov. Mike DeWine is eager to appeal the decision, and state lawmakers are already working on alternatives.
Management
Election officials wary of shift to Texas’ centralized voter-registration system
Some lawmakers say a bill requiring counties to switch to TEAM would make it easier to monitor voter rolls. But the system has had its problems.
Cybersecurity
Trump is shifting cybersecurity to the states, but many aren’t prepared
Only 22 of 48 states in a Nationwide Cybersecurity Review met recommended security levels.
Workforce
Schools turn to VR to develop a ‘future-ready’ neurodivergent workforce
The tech can help neurodiverse students prepare for entering the workforce amid government programs aimed at fostering more inclusive workplaces, experts say.
Artificial Intelligence
Popular AIs head-to-head: OpenAI beats DeepSeek on sentence-level reasoning
COMMENTARY | Large language model AIs can ingest long documents and answer questions about them, but a key question is how well they ‘understand’ individual sentences in the documents.
