State and Local

Budget and tech challenges loom over IRS's direct file pilot

The news of the forthcoming pilot was followed this week by a compromise debt ceiling bill that includes reallocating $20 billion of the funding the IRS got as part of the Inflation Reduction Act.

  • By Natalie Alms

Public entities in nearly every state use federally-banned foreign tech, report says

A new report from Georgetown University’s Center for Security and Emerging Technology found that at least 1,681 state and local governments purchased equipment from five Chinese companies that were banned by the federal government between 2015 and 2021.

  • By Edward Graham

New cybersecurity bill authorizes DHS to ramp up incident response efforts nationwide

The National Cybersecurity Preparedness Consortium Act gives the Department of Homeland Security a range of opportunities to bolster cybersecurity preparedness at the state and local level, including and technical assistance services.

  • By Chris Riotta

The struggle to modernize state UI systems

The Labor Department and the U.S. Digital Service are taking a central role in efforts to develop modernized, modular UI technology for states.

  • By Natalie Alms

Public libraries and government innovation

Steve Kelman notes an example of government reinvention at the very local level.

  • By Steve Kelman

Can federal funding fill gaps in rural cyber preparedness?

Utility firms in small towns and rural communities across the country lack critical funding and staffing resources necessary to counter an escalation in nationwide cyberattacks, state and local infrastructure experts warned on Wednesday.

  • By Chris Riotta

Labor watchdog calls out gaps in unemployment fraud reporting

The department says it will update current requirements so that data flagged as potentially fraudulent will be shared with the agency's Office of the Inspector General.

  • By Natalie Alms

With Biden's equity agenda in play, experts talk about making procurement more inclusive

Government procurement practitioners discussed equity and procurement at the Code for America summit, as leaders across the federal enterprise look to measure and expand inclusiveness in public spending.

  • By Chris Riotta

Funding is only part of the answer for UI modernization

State workforce agencies have funding for unemployment modernization and administration thanks to pandemic relief legislation but there are policy impediments, experts said.

  • By Natalie Alms

Pro-bono technologists look to help cash-strapped states struggling with legacy systems

As COVID-19 exposed vulnerabilities in state and local government IT systems, the newly formed U.S. Digital Response stepped in to help.

  • By Natalie Alms

Senate proposes $58M boost to CISA's budget to clear out risk assessment backlog

The Senate Appropriations Committee's bill would aim to help CISA reduce an ongoing backlog of vulnerability assessments requested by state and local agencies.

  • By Justin Katz

Tech experts call on feds to coordinate benefits solutions

With surges in unemployment insurance applications straining legacy IT systems at the state level, digital services specialists say that the federal government should take a more central role in fielding tech infrastructure.

  • By Natalie Alms

Chicago launches a challenge to extend outdoor dining into winter

As COVID-19 continues to upend local economies, the Windy City is getting creative to support the restaurant sector.

  • By Steve Kelman

A tribute to micro-innovations

Steve Kelman thinks more organizations should take a lesson from the Peak Academy's commitment to incremental change.

  • By Steve Kelman
Featured eBooks

Voting in Georgia: good news for democracy, bad news about govtech

The lines for early voting in Georgia are a sign of citizen engagement, Steve Kelman writes. But they're at least partly due to a new digital voting system.

  • By Steve Kelman

IT modernization for the COVID era

Crises are clarifying events, and the pandemic is making clear the limits of IT systems built for a different era.

  • By Mark Forman

Public sector employment continues to slide

However positive signs in the May jobs report could sideline federal legislation to extend aid to local governments.

  • By Adam Mazmanian

$3T COVID relief bill includes tech money and restructures health acquisition

The Health and Economic Recovery Omnibus Emergency Solutions Act, proposed by House Democrats, calls for far more than additional stimulus checks and emergency funding for state and local governments. FCW breaks down the provisions.

  • By Derek B. Johnson, Lia Russell and Adam Mazmanian

CISA leans into facilitator role in election security plan

A strategic plan for protecting the 2020 elections from foreign interference lays out a number of plans to support and empower other stakeholders from hacks, influence operations and other threats.

  • By Derek B. Johnson

Government at work -- curbing curbside congestion

Steve Kelman looks at another area where civil servants are quietly working to make our lives better.

  • By Steve Kelman

Election security lessons from Illinois

Officials express confidence that 2020 won't be a repeat of 2016, but testimony from state and local officials indicate that substantial security holes still exist.

  • By Derek B. Johnson