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There's no question that a responsive, innovative government is more critical than ever. Here are some issues that are top of mind for state and local technology leaders as we take on the new year.
The urban park was designed to connect residents and improve quality of life but has increased housing costs and pushed out low-income households. Amid a national housing crisis, the U.S. must now learn from Atlanta's experience.
The number of deaths on the state’s roads last year was the highest in more than 30 years. There is bipartisan support for legislation to increase Washington’s road safety and lower the blood alcohol limit.
State Sen. Barry Finegold used the artificial technology software to draft a bill that would regulate generative AI models and would require companies to obtain “informed consent” from individuals before using, collecting or disclosing their data.
The California county has terminated its use of Dominion Voting Systems over widely debunked claims of mass voter fraud. The state only has three voting systems it allows its counties to use and it is unclear which one Shasta will select.
State lawmakers from the Connecticut Reproductive Rights Caucus in 2023 have introduced several bills that would increase funding, protection and access to reproductive care for residents and out-of-state travelers.
GLAAD’s Tony Morrison, regarding the U.S. Food and Drug Administration’s proposed guidance to ease restrictions around blood donations by men who have sex with men. The restrictions were set in place in the early days of the AIDS epidemic to protect the blood supply from HIV; the new policy would eliminate time-based restrictions on men who have sex with men (and their female partners) and instead assess potential donors’ eligibility based on a risk assessment. (NPR — Jan. 27, 2023)
Food-related businesses are especially accessible for aspiring entrepreneurs, but there aren’t nearly enough shared-use food facilities. Supporting and promoting them is an opportunity for local governments.
The state government used more than half a million dollars of its $6.24 billion in COVID relief funds to buy SUVs to transport Gov. Phil Murphy and other officials around the state. Here’s how the rest of the money was spent.
The state is the nation’s fourth-largest producer of marketed natural gas, but it powered just 4 percent of the state’s net electricity generation in 2021. The legislation would designate suitable sites for natural gas electric generation projects.
Gov. Greg Abbott’s wide-ranging and controversial initiative deploys thousands of state authorities to apprehend and jail migrants along parts of the Rio Grande and is costing far more than has ever been spent on border security in a budget cycle.
Due to the state Legislature’s rush to fix an oversight in a previously passed property tax reform package, the property tax rollback rate is higher than it should be, which could mean relief for taxpayers and millions less for localities.
U.S. Rep Jake Auchincloss, regarding the speech he gave about a bill that would establish a joint U.S.-Israel artificial intelligence center that was entirely written by the online AI chatbot ChatGPT. His staff believes it is the first time that an AI-written speech was read in Congress. To create the speech, Auchincloss prompted the system to “write 100 words to deliver on the floor of the U.S. House of Representatives” about the bill; he had to refine the prompt several times before it rendered the speech he ultimately read. (Associated Press — Jan. 25, 2023)
She barely won re-election then her pick for the state's top judge was rejected by the New York Senate Judiciary Committee. Also, don't throw rocks and can states and locals get along?
The rate of grid expansion needs to double to bring wind and solar online and would cost $700 billion. Advocates want utilities and grid operators to build infrastructure that aligns with the states’ clean energy goals.
Elected prosecutors have a critical role to play in responding to policies that can erode trust and endanger public safety.
The bill would require the Public Utilities Commission to procure 2.8 gigawatts of wind energy over the next 12 years, enough to power 980,000 homes. The turbines destined for the Gulf of Maine are still in development.
Officials in Kansas and Missouri worry that a federal default could severely disrupt a variety of government services that could cause local layoffs, jettison retirement funds, restrict Medicaid access and more.
Joe Lombardo wants to do away with the state’s popular vote-by-mail system and also proposed using a photo ID as a prerequisite for voting. But the Secretary of State assured that the recent elections were secure and successful.
The city has suggested the TIF district could help deliver $115 million to South Side’s housing, streets, parks, public transit, small-business assistance and more. But TIF districts take time before they start producing revenue.
Lina Alathari, the U.S. Secret Service’s National Threat Assessment Center’s director, regarding mass shooting attacks. The center recently published a report that analyzes 173 mass attacks carried out over a five-year period from January 2016 to December 2020 and found that the attackers were overwhelmingly men. The report also found that half of the mass attacks analyzed were sparked by personal, domestic or workplace disputes. (Associated Press, Reuters — Jan. 25, 2023)
Despite rising grocery prices, a little more than 1 in 10 Americans can’t get enough to eat, which amounts to around the same share of the country that was experiencing food insecurity before the COVID-19 pandemic.
California has some of the strictest gun laws in the nation and yet the state has experienced two mass shootings in the last few days. However, you are still 40 percent less likely to die by gun in the state than anywhere else in the country.
Since the Supreme Court overturned Roe v. Wade, anti-abortion activists are pushing for expanded abortion bans and tighter restrictions while Democratic-led states are looking to shore up abortion protections.
Connecticut state Rep. Juan Candelaria has proposed a bill that would allow non-citizens the right to vote in state and municipal elections. But he knows it is unlikely to pass and just hopes it opens a discussion.
The Chattanooga Regional Homeless Coalition kicked off its weeklong point-in-time count this week with hopes of seeing the homeless population stabilize. Hamilton County saw an 81 percent increase in homelessness between 2020 and 2021.
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