Montana Ban Targets TikTok, Along with China and Big Tech
State lawmakers are treading on new ground with an outright ban, but legislators around the country are concerned about the reach of social media. Plus, more news to use from around the country in this week's State and Local Roundup.
How Agencies Can Clean Up Criminal Records to Automate Expungement
Automatic record clearance is a growing priority for states as criminal records delay individuals’ ability to reenter society and fill open job slots.
6G Promises Immersive Communications for Public Safety
The next-generation cellular network is poised to massively upgrade situational awareness for public safety agencies, experts say.
Public Sector Weighs Procurement Outsourcing
Facing a shrinking workforce and a largely paper-based procurement processes, more state and local agencies are pushing routine purchasing tasks to third parties.
An Outdated Tracking System Is a Key Factor in Texas’ Foster Care Shortcomings
The decades-old system foster care officials use to track and monitor the health records of the nearly 20,000 children in their custody is both outdated and unreliable—so much so, advocates say, that children have been harmed or put at risk.
Agencies Opting for Bots See More Efficiency—And Resistance
With enterprise automation saving thousands of work hours, IT leaders are looking for ways to introduce the technology to government offices.
Biden Will Veto Republican-Led Clawback of Unemployment Funding
The Office of Management and Budget says that the president would veto a Republican proposal to rescind American Rescue Plan Act funding for unemployment if passed by Congress.
Microsoft Quietly Supported Legislation To Make It Easier To Fix Devices. That’s a Big Deal.
Major tech companies have long opposed the right to repair, but Microsoft is finally engaging with lawmakers and activists.
How One City Transformed Its Approach to Data
COMMENTARY | Carlsbad, California, had siloed data streams and didn’t effectively communicate between departments. It changed that and is using its smart city status to tackle today's biggest problems.
NYC Experiments with 'Microhubs' to Ease Street Congestion
Delivery centers will take some trucks off the streets to reduce double and illegal parking that snarls traffic.
ChatGPT’s Other Risk: Oversharing Confidential Data
As many as 6.5% of employees have pasted their organization’s data into ChatGPT, and 3.1% have copied and pasted sensitive data to the program, recent research showed.
States Abandon Access to Shared Voter Registration Data
As states gear up to leave the Electronic Registration Information Center, few have specific plans in place to maintain accurate voter rolls on their own.
New York City to Weigh Strict Facial Recognition Ban
Legislation would bar the use of the technology in public places and in residential buildings and would be one of the strictest prohibitions in the United States.
Watchdog Urges States to Use ‘Extreme Caution’ on Facial Recognition
The use of facial recognition in unemployment insurance programs has spread across states, raising concerns from the Labor Department's watchdog about access and privacy.
How Do Benefits Enrollment Sites Stack Up?
Civic tech organization Code for America analyzed state social services websites for customer experience. A few states stood out.
The Barriers to Getting More Unconnected Households Online
A federal program meant to connect low-income households to the internet isn’t reaching all the people it is supposed to. Here’s how to change that.
New Guide Looks to Slash 'Time Tax' on Benefits Applications
The project is one example of a Biden administration push to rework intake forms for government programs to be more user-friendly and less time consuming.
The Other Digital Divide
Jobs using technology are more common in some parts of the country than in others, according to a recent study. The divide is leading to a widening wage and skills gap.
The CHIPS Act Challenge for State and Local Governments
The federal government has a powerful policy vision for the development of a vibrant U.S. semiconductor industry. How those visions play out is of intense interest.
Key Steps in Creating a Diverse Broadband Workforce
COMMENTARY | States urgently need to identify and build robust workforces now or risk being left behind.
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