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Maine enlists AI to help combat rising home insurance rates
The state is administering a grant program for residents to retrofit their homes with climate resilient roofs, and an artificial intelligence-enabled platform looks to enhance program speed and efficiency.
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Walz signs bill enacting social media guardrails for Minnesota children
The bipartisan law requires parental consent for Minnesota children under 16 to obtain a social media account. The account defaults to the highest privacy settings that allow parents to limit their child’s usage.
Denver launches AI platform to boost permitting efficiency and housing development
Using AI, the Denver Permitting Office hopes to simplify the application process for customers and thereby streamline staff reviews.
WhatsApp, Meta can access Texans’ private messages, AG Ken Paxton claims in lawsuit
The attorney general’s office argues WhatsApp and parent company Meta are deceiving users by claiming the companies can’t view their encrypted messages.
Indiana schools face stricter cellphone rules under new ‘bell-to-bell’ law starting July 1
During a signing event, Gov. Mike Braun called the legislation one of the country’s strongest statewide responses to student cellphone distractions.
How Boston modernized its hiring infrastructure to attract talent
By reviewing user feedback and existing hiring requirements, the city was able to design a more streamlined and cost-effective hiring and onboarding system, local officials say.
State audit slams NYC schools for lack of student data privacy oversight
The state comptroller's audit comes as NYC expands AI use in classrooms and relies more on third-party tech vendors.
Michigan Senate passes ‘Kids Over Clicks’ bill targeting social media addiction, online exploitation
State lawmakers brought new changes for the ways in which Big Tech companies are held accountable for unethical practices that leave children and teenagers vulnerable to the perils of social media.
New report aims to help states define the chief data officer role
The findings are intended to provide state leaders with the successes and limitations learned from other states’ efforts to establish the position.
An Illinois governor-backed bill to restrict school cell phone use gains momentum
One of the state’s teachers unions has raised concerns about the costs of implementing the proposal to restrict cell phone use by children.
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Pennsylvania has spent $1.4 million updating its voter registration system — but won’t provide progress reports
The state embarked on a project to update the antiquated SURE system last year. Officials hope to have the new version ready by 2027.
Rural Hoosiers lean on the law to fight drones
Farmers fearful that drones might be spreading disease among livestock recently persuaded the Indiana General Assembly to pass a law that prohibits the devices from being used to harm or harass farm animals.
States use data to ‘push back’ on federal immigration enforcement
Officials are launching public data reporting tools to gather community members’ reports on harmful and potentially unlawful actions from federal agents, which experts say could inform legal actions in the future.
College students using deepfakes to harass could be investigated, punished under proposed law
A Louisiana legislative committee has advanced a bill that would add the creation of deepfakes to a list of punishable offenses for college students and employees.
Report: Digital classroom tools could improve teacher retention, student outcomes
Burnout and career departures among the nation’s teacher workforce can have significant effects on the outcomes of their students.
Voting rights groups sue Trump administration to stop collection of voter data
So far, 12 states have voluntarily shared their full voter rolls with the Department of Justice.
California students author new ‘digital wellness’ bill, say phone bans fall short
Assembly Bill 2071 would require California schools to include social media and AI use in health classes.
Surveilled and sold: Privacy and sanctuary in Portland
How effective are Portland, Oregon’s sanctuary city policies when ICE can track and surveil immigrant communities with ease?
REPORT: Agencies are getting better at communicating with the public, but progress remains
Agencies are increasingly leveraging audience engagement data to better communicate with residents, but how they use it is crucial to yielding the results they want, one expert says.
Public-facing AI tools could yield more efficiency gains for states, report says
States should not underestimate the time and cost savings that external artificial intelligence-based tools can generate for government agencies, one expert said.
