Priorities Podcast

StateScoop

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Priorities Podcast

Each Wednesday, StateScoop’s Priorities Podcast explores the latest in state and local government technology news and analysis. Listen to in-depth conversations with government and industry’s top executives, and learn about trending stories affecting state and local IT leaders ranging from modernization and digital accessibility to the latest advances in generative artificial intelligence.

3D AGO

Inside New Jersey’s AI-powered ‘warm callback’ system

Years into an effort to consolidate and modernize the New Jersey state government’s call centers, humans remain an important part of the process. On this week’s Priorities Podcast, Dave Cole, New Jersey chief’s innovation officer, and Joe DeLaTorre, product manager at the New Jersey Office of Innovation, say that even after improvements to the state’s digital presence, residents said they still want to talk to a live human when it comes to sensitive questions about taxes or unemployment benefits. The state’s “warm callback” algorithm predicts how many calls must be added to agents’ queues, reducing wait times and maximizing agent productivity. “A lot of these call centers are billed per minute, so whether you're talking to somebody or they're sitting on hold, your costs are the same,” Cole says. “The problem was people needed to have confidence in the system whether they were going to wait on the line or get a call back. They needed to know that somebody was actually going to follow through.” This week’s top stories: States are picking sides as competing election integrity efforts move ahead. New York and Virginia each recently joined competing election integrity efforts, highlighting the growing weight of politics in the nation’s elections process. “I run at the speed of business, not at the speed of government,” Teena Piccione, North Carolina’s newly confirmed chief information officer, told StateScoop in a recent interview. Piccione became CIO last January and was confirmed last May. As the Atlantic hurricane season begins, at least one emergency response expert is raising concerns that federal staffing cuts at the Federal Emergency Management Agency and the National Oceanic Atmospheric Administration could hinder state and local government coordination and impede public warning systems during natural disasters. New episodes of StateScoop’s Priorities Podcast are posted each Wednesday. For more of the latest news and trends across the state and local government technology community, subscribe to the Priorities Podcast on Apple Podcasts, Google Podcasts,Soundcloud or Spotify.

30 min
JUN 4

Fountain bubble prank presented city CIO with unique technical challenge

For Stephen Dawe, the chief information officer for Opelika, Alabama, work life took an unexpected turn during the COVID-19 pandemic. He was tasked with building an IT system that could detect when detergent had been dumped into a city fountain, a recurring and costly prank kids had been pulling. Dawe says it took a lot of work, including recruiting the fire department to help his team set up an environment to create bubbles that could be photographed and used to train an artificial intelligence model. Today, the system works, he says, but even coming up with a possible solution wasn’t easy. “It was like, OK, what are we going to do to stop this? And it took probably about six months to come up with a reasonable answer to that question.” Top stories this week: Dozens of privacy advocates, along with groups like the American Civil Liberties Union and the Electronic Frontier Foundation, have attached their names to a new campaign to change the technological standard backing mobile driver’s licenses. The campaign, titled No Phone Home, is backed by a statement that calls for identity systems like mobile driver’s licenses to adopt a technological standard that is incapable of tracking or surveilling users. A group of more than 80 national and state school and library organizations have sent a letter to House members, urging them to vote against a measure that would repeal a Federal Communications rule allowing schools and libraries to spend E-Rate funds on wireless hotspot lending by schools and libraries. As California braces for what could be another blistering summer, Gov. Gavin Newsom has announced a new digital tool to help residents stay safe in extreme heat, along with a $32.4 million investment to support local efforts to combat the state’s rising temperatures. New episodes of StateScoop’s Priorities Podcast are posted each Wednesday. For more of the latest news and trends across the state and local government technology community, subscribe to the Priorities Podcast on Apple Podcasts, Google Podcasts,Soundcloud or Spotify.

16 min
MAY 28

How Pennsylvania is hiring employees faster

Two Pennsylvania state employees explain on this week’s Priorities Podcast how they’re accelerating the time it takes to hire new employees. Miranda Martin, director of talent management, and Harrison MacRae, director of emerging technologies, said that through a combination of process changes and technology, they’ve reduced time-to-hire from 90 days to 58 days. “Three months is just too long to compete for talent, so we got to work right away and looked at our processes and procedures and worked really hard to reduce that time,” Martin said. The state also used its ChatGPT Enterprise licenses to ensure that agencies were properly aligning their hiring needs with job classifications. Top stories this week: Washington state’s technology bureau has partnered with the University of California, Berkeley to better understand how nonprofits in the state may be exposed to cybersecurity risks. Bill Kehoe, Washington’s chief information officer, said protecting nonprofits ensures that the public will get the best from their state and local governments. Kentucky’s acting chief information officer, Jim Barnhart, has been promoted to lead the commonwealth’s Office of Technology as its statewide CIO. The promotion comes after Barnhart spent nearly two decades serving as the state’s deputy CIO. And Maine lawmakers last week urged the Trump administration to unfreeze Digital Equity Act funds that they say are essential for the state’s future. Led by Republican Sen. Susan Collins, the group said that the rural state was depending on the $35 million it was set to receive to improve access to technology and skills training. New episodes of StateScoop’s Priorities Podcast are posted each Wednesday. For more of the latest news and trends across the state and local government technology community, subscribe to the Priorities Podcast on Apple Podcasts, Google Podcasts, Soundcloud or Spotify.

17 min
MAY 21

Code For America's 2025 Summit will highlight an IT sea change, says CEO

Code For America CEO Amanda Renteria joins StateScoop’s Priorities Podcast this week to offer a preview of the organization’s 2025 Summit, scheduled for May 29-30 in Washington, D.C. Renteria says the event will include talks on human-centered design, the latest uses of artificial intelligence in state and local government and how agencies are driving efficiency under a new U.S. president. “When did technology really change in government? It’s happening right now. The conversations that are going to happen at Summit are really putting those seeds in place for what technology in government is going to look like a generation from now.” Top stories this week: Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem is asking governors to build sensitive compartmented information facilities and carry satellite phones when they travel. The recommendation baffled cybersecurity and national security experts contacted by StateScop. Business is booming for Civic Match, a service that launched last November, to connect outgoing federal employees with jobs in state and local government. The program announced it’s expanding by creating new partnerships and adding features after its early success. And a letter signed by a group of 40 state attorneys general on Friday asked Congress to reject a federal measure that would bar states from enforcing their own AI laws for the next 10 years. New episodes of StateScoop’s Priorities Podcast are posted each Wednesday. For more of the latest news and trends across the state and local government technology community, subscribe to the Priorities Podcast on Apple Podcasts, Google Podcasts, Soundcloud or Spotify.

13 min
MAY 14

On AI policy, states can learn from each other

This week’s Priorities Podcast is joined by Talita Elizeu, director of partnerships at Govern for America, and Cara Eckholm, the nonprofit’s research director. Elizeu and Eckholm say that a recent report published by the group provides valuable tips for states still early in their adoption of artificial intelligence policies. The report, which includes insights gathered from technology workers in at least 11 states, was itself guided in part by ChatGPT, which the authors used as part of their research into which states have created AI task forces or chief AI officers. “States have a common set of services they offer regardless of where they sit in our very diverse country, and I think there’s a lot states that are just starting on their AI strategy development today can learn from those states that are now two years into it,” Eckholm says. Top stories this week: Indiana state agencies on Tuesday warned residents to delete phony emails sent using official state government email addresses. Phishing emails emanating from numerous departments fraudulently informed recipients of unpaid toll fees and warned of financial penalties or vehicle registration holds if they refused to pay. In a message shared on Truth Social, President Donald Trump last week vowed to end the “unconstitutional” Digital Equity Act, which provides states with funding through a set of programs intended to close the digital divide. The act was enabled by the $1.2 trillion Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act of 2021, under the watch of former President Joe Biden. Nevada lawmakers are considering legislation that would create a statewide security operations center, offering school districts, local governments and other public offices in the Silver State greater access to cybersecurity services and products. New episodes of StateScoop’s Priorities Podcast are posted each Wednesday. For more of the latest news and trends across the state and local government technology community, subscribe to the Priorities Podcast on Apple Podcasts, Google Podcasts,Soundcloud or Spotify.

12 min
MAY 7

Inside Aqua Alert, a new maritime emergency alert system

The Long Island Sound sector of the U.S. Coast Guard last month announced Aqua Alert, a new pilot program to notify the public about maritime emergencies and provide real-time information to aid search and rescue efforts on the water. Joshua Smarzo, a Coast Guard lieutenant and command center sector chief, tells the Priorities Podcast the new program will help meet the challenges of managing search and rescue operations, especially during the summer boating season. Smarzo says it will be critical to test the system to avoid unnecessary alerts and ensure effective communication with 911 centers. Top stories this week: Gov. Greg Abbott on Saturday issued a disaster declaration for Marlin, Texas, in response to a failure of the city’s water treatment system. Maryland’s technology department on Monday announced it’s hired James Saunders, a former federal technology official, to serve as its new chief information security officer. Arizona Gov. Katie Hobbs on Friday vetoed legislation that would have placed as much as 10% of the state’s funds in cryptocurrency. In a letter Friday to Warren Petersen, the Republican president of the Arizona Senate, Hobbs dismissed the idea. New episodes of StateScoop’s Priorities Podcast are posted each Wednesday. For more of the latest news and trends across the state and local government technology community, subscribe to the Priorities Podcast on Apple Podcasts, Google Podcasts,Soundcloud or Spotify.

17 min
MAY 2

New mapping tech makes firefighting more proactive

On this week’s Priorities Podcast, Kern County, California, Deputy Fire Chief Zachary Wells and Ryan Lanclos, director of national government and public safety solutions at Esri, say ALERTCalifornia's new map layer strengthens emergency management and improves community safety. The wildfire-monitoring program from University of California San Diego provides instant access to live camera feeds across California, aiding in early fire detection and speeding up emergency response. Wells said the new map layer, which displays each camera’s location and image feed, is helping to shift firefighting from reactive to proactive. "The state of California is extremely large. Each county is big, and we only have so many firefighters, engines, hand crews, helicopters and air tankers. So adopting tools like ALERTCalifornia gives you that confidence that you have the resources strategically placed," Wells says. Top stories this week: Texas Gov. Greg Abbott last week signed legislation making his state the latest to launch an agency modeled after the federal Department of Government Efficiency. The new law created the Texas Regulatory Efficiency Office, which will receive $22.8 million in funding over the next five years. A new study from the University of Michigan found that law enforcement agencies are wary of using AI tools in policing. Of 1,800 local governments surveyed, 55% said they were unsure if automated assessments were as accurate as ones made by humans. The startup company behind Jobright.ai last week launched a new jobs website designed to help experienced public servants quickly find new positions. The website, GovJobs.fyi, includes more than 11,000 job listings across all levels of government, nonprofits and private companies. New episodes of StateScoop’s Priorities Podcast are posted each Wednesday. For more of the latest news and trends across the state and local government technology community, subscribe to the Priorities Podcast on Apple Podcasts, Google Podcasts,Soundcloud or Spotify.

33 min
APR 23

States shouldn't wait for federal action on data privacy, says one expert

Connecticut Attorney General William Tong recently recommended that the state’s lawmakers strengthen a statewide privacy law enacted two years ago, including by sending “warning letters” to violators and investigating consumer complaints. Kara Williams, law fellow at the Electronic Privacy Information Center, joins the Priorities Podcast to share why she thinks Connecticut’s law is weak in some respects, but that changes could create a “cascading effect” that leads other states to strengthen their data privacy laws or create new ones. "It’s encouraging to see that the AG advocates for this strong data minimization framework,” she says, “but it’s also great to see that some of these principles are included in [a proposed] update bill. … It's not really an option to sit and wait for the federal government to act on privacy.” Top stories this week: The National Telecommunications and Information Administration on Tuesday notified states that they’ve been granted a 90-day extension to submit their final spending proposals for the $42.45 billion Broadband Equity, Access, and Deployment program. Like most large government organizations, Oklahoma has for years been using various AI tools and machine learning models to trawl endless network logs for abnormal activity. After several years of using network monitoring software from the British firm Darktrace in “human confirmation mode,” Oklahoma last year allowed the company’s “Cyber AI Analyst” product to make decisions on its own. Pennsylvania Gov. Josh Shapiro on Monday launched a WhatsApp channel, with an English and Spanish language option, aimed at providing residents with updates on state news, services and initiatives. New episodes of StateScoop’s Priorities Podcast are posted each Wednesday. For more of the latest news and trends across the state and local government technology community, subscribe to the Priorities Podcast on Apple Podcasts, Google Podcasts, Soundcloud or Spotify.

23 min

Each Wednesday, StateScoop’s Priorities Podcast explores the latest in state and local government technology news and analysis. Listen to in-depth conversations with government and industry’s top executives, and learn about trending stories affecting state and local IT leaders ranging from modernization and digital accessibility to the latest advances in generative artificial intelligence.

Creator

StateScoop
Years Active

2022 - 2025
Episodes

170
Rating

Clean
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