Digital Government
Utah lawmakers advance bill requiring age verification for app store purchases
The Utah Senate advanced a law to require app stores to verify the ages of customers to give parents more control over their kids' accounts.
Cybersecurity
A simple fix could stop millions in food stamp theft. Will New York commit?
Chip technology has been standard in credit and debit cards for a decade. They could stop New York’s surging rate of stolen benefits.
People
Amid DOGE push, states wrestle with defining ‘government efficiency’
Several states have instituted new committees in their legislatures in a bid to rein in spending. But others suggest the path to efficiency is less about grabbing headlines and more about finding new ways of working.
Sponsor Content
GovExec TV: Five Questions with Brian Chidester
Adobe’s Experience Driven Government empowers agencies to modernize digital services, enhance citizen engagement, and ensure privacy through digital maturity.
Cybersecurity
Kept in the dark: Inside a trio of Los Angeles school cyberattacks
A 74 investigative series: Meet the hired guns who make sure school cyberattacks stay hidden.
Digital Government
Texas’ social media law takes another hit with temporary blocks on three more provisions
The new injunction prohibits advertising and age verification restrictions in the SCOPE Act, which aims to make social media safer for teenagers.
Workforce
DEI controversy collides with state-level cyber workforce needs
Despite the federal government’s movement away from DEI practices, state agencies can still explore ways to broaden their cyber workforces to fill talent gaps.
Digital Government
Youth-focused social media mandates need teeth, not just training
Recent legislation in Iowa would require sixth through eighth graders to study the “effects of social media.” But experts caution that minors can’t just be warned about the platforms’ dangers.
Digital Government
Ohio lawmakers mull energy overhaul as data center demand piles up
Ohio lawmakers on the House Energy Committee began discussion this week on a measure to overhaul the state’s energy landscape as a supply and demand imbalance is emerging between the state's aging fossil fuel plants and manufacturing and data center development.
Infrastructure
Trump administration tells states billions in EV charger money is on hold
Washington was in line to receive $71 million for chargers along I-5 and other roads. But the U.S. Department of Transportation says it will revamp the program.
Workforce
California county taps tech to improve labor negotiations
Placer County has moved from spreadsheets to a software tool that helps officials conduct cost negotiations with labor groups more effectively.
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Public Safety
Facial recognition in policing is getting state-by-state guardrails
Instances of false arrests and privacy concerns are drawing lawmakers’ attention.
Sponsor Content
Navigating data security challenges in hybrid cloud environments
<p>As data grows exponentially and cyber threats become more sophisticated, agencies must adapt their approaches to data security and IT modernization. Government agencies are navigating a rapidly evolving cybersecurity landscape in their shift to hybrid cloud environments. Rising cyber threats and an exponential increase in data volume have made managing and securing information more critical — and more complex — than ever before. Seamless, any-time-access to data is vital for operational efficiency, but agencies must balance accessibility with robust security measures.</p> <p>So, how can agencies modernize their infrastructure while ensuring data security?</p>
Infrastructure
Washington governor orders team to study data centers’ impact on energy use, job creation and tax revenue
Data centers receive some of Washington’s largest corporate tax breaks and require enormous amounts of electricity, a need that is only expected to grow with increasing reliance on artificial intelligence.
Public Safety
How emerging tech is shaping law enforcement
Sensors and analytics are helping under-resourced departments be more effective. But agencies must do their due diligence when adopting these new systems.
Management
How Philadelphia incentivizes residents to sharpen their digital skills
The city’s Digital Navigators Program can help residents more effectively leverage city resources and improve their employment prospects, one official says.
Public Safety
DHS personnel descend on New Orleans to help secure Super Bowl LIX
CISA has already conducted physical and cybersecurity vulnerability assessments ahead of the Feb. 9 NFL championship game.
Infrastructure
Straight to the top: new nonstop elevators to speed subway accessibility coverage
The J/Z’s Woodhaven Boulevard station in Queens is the first stop in the system where elevators bypass an existing turnstile level and deposit riders directly at the platform.
Digital Government
Using human-centered design to improve public service experiences
Agencies may be risk-averse, but using this method is the perfect way forward as it puts those impacted by a product or service’s design at its heart.
People
A BEAD critic could end up running the internet access program
Arielle Roth, a former aide to Sen. Ted Cruz, R-Texas, has been tapped to head up the National Telecommunications and Information Administration. She has long been skeptical of some of the $42 billion effort’s provisions.
Digital Government
Tech and chip manufacturing help make metro areas ‘dynamic’
The increase in semiconductor facilities, spurred in part by federal funding, has helped vault some cities forward. But some experts caution not to rely too heavily on one sector for economic development.
