State Government
States own lands on reservations. To use them, tribes have to pay.
Schools, hospitals, prisons and other institutions in 15 states profit from land and resources on 79 tribal nations.
States still on a ‘learning curve’ amid generative AI’s promise
Leaders acknowledged the technology’s promise at the recent National Association of State Chief Information Officers conference, but said data management is a major obstacle preventing widespread use in government.
State CIOs take on bigger role in natural disasters
A recent survey of state tech leaders found that CIOs are increasingly an integral part of state emergency operations, tasked with making sure critical systems and communications remain available.
Ohio voters will once again weigh in on redistricting reform
After previous efforts to stop gerrymandering failed, Ohioans will try again—this time completely removing lawmakers and other politicians from the redistricting process.
Several states could change how their elections are run
Six states and Washington, D.C., will vote on ranked choice voting. Is the increasingly popular voting method’s honeymoon over?
Responding to post-pandemic norms, more states are lowering test standards
The changes have renewed criticism of a testing "honesty gap" and have sparked calls for states to level with parents about poor student performance in the aftermath of COVID.
Amid tight budgets and talent gaps, the job of state technology chief just keeps expanding
Many state chief information security officers say they don’t have a reliable budget, staff or expertise to adequately protect against cyberattacks, according to a new survey.
Eight states to vote on amendments to ban noncitizen voting
It is already illegal under state laws and rare, but Republicans in some states say the language needs to be clearer in their constitutions.
The IRS has made its free tax filing tool permanent. Now, these states want to take it a step further.
Maryland and North Carolina are the latest to join Direct File. They are also planning to allow taxpayers to seamlessly file their state returns alongside their federal ones. It’s a new frontier for tax filing tools, experts say.
Some states want to make it easier to cancel subscriptions
Pushback from cable, streaming services has challenged their efforts.
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Republican governors on international pandemic plan: We will not comply
Republican leaders have expressed their disinterest in complying with an international push for a coordinated, global pandemic response.
North Carolina OKs the use of student digital IDs to vote
The narrow approval is just for students and faculty on the University of North Carolina’s Chapel Hill campus. It comes as mobile IDs and driver’s licenses grow in popularity, but also as cyberattacks continue to rise.
Can states’ social media laws stand up to scrutiny?
Several states have tried to regulate the space in a bid to protect young people from the worst of the platforms. But whether their plans are workable, and can withstand legal challenges, remains to be seen.
Surgeon general says minors’ social media use is causing parental stress
Over the past two years, states have passed dozens of laws to protect young people from the worst of the platforms. Here’s how they’ve done it.
Impasse on SNAP benefits holds up farm bill
The current law expires at the end of September. Congress appears likely to extend the 2018 farm bill again.
States move to protect recording artists from AI-generated likenesses
After Tennessee passed the ELVIS Act this past winter to protect an artist’s name, image and likeness from being used by digital replicas, other states are considering similar legislation.
Does California's AI bill go too far or fall short? It depends who you ask.
The legislation requires developers of large AI systems to test if they can be used in various extreme scenarios. It has support as well as plenty of detractors in the state’s large tech community.
Texas’ $1.4B settlement with Meta highlights the need for data privacy protections, experts say
Attorney General Ken Paxton secured an eye-watering sum for Facebook’s alleged misuse of facial recognition tech. But observers argue that states need to go further and put more teeth in privacy laws.
Rules for out-of-town governors could cause headaches for potential VP pick
Half of the states strip governors of their executive powers when they leave the state, which can create confusion in emergencies and open the door for political mischief.
States are enacting school cellphone bans. Here’s what that looks like.
Virginia became the latest state to take action against smartphone usage in public schools. The policy approaches differ.
