Gov. Gavin Newsom signed a bill that would phase out the sale of new gas-powered lawn equipment in the state by 2024
California is set to become the first state in the country to phase out gas-powered lawn equipmen.
Gov. Gavin Newsom (D) signed a bill Saturday that would require new small off-road engines (SOREs), used primarily for landscaping, to be zero-emission by 2024. The legislation comes with $30 million in funding to help aid the transition.
“Small gas engines are not only bad for our environment and contributing to our climate crisis, they can cause asthma and other health issues for workers who use them,” said California Assemblywoman Lorena Gonzalez (D), an author of the bill, in a statement. “It’s time we phased out these super polluters.”
Read full story at Washington Post…
first published week of: 10/18/2021
A company called Rescu says it can enable people to get quicker help in emergencies — and help governments improve 911 services. The tool joins other efforts at upgrading dispatch tech in this increasingly mobile age.
As public agencies strive to upgrade technology in a national push, a San Diego-based company is positioning its new app as a way to help take pressure off hardworking emergency dispatchers.
That app, called Rescu, enables subscribers to get in touch with public agency emergency communication centers via the company’s own private dispatch professionals. In that sense, it shares some similarities with home alarm companies, and could potentially become more familiar to public agency dispatchers if the product catches on.
Read full story at GovTech…
first published week of: 08/30/2021
The US Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency (CISA) is taking over the administration of the .GOV top-level domain (TLD) as its new policy and management authority starting next month.
The DotGov Program operates the .GOV top-level domain (TLD) and makes such domains available to US government organizations, from local municipalities to federal agencies.
DotGov and its shared infrastructure were previously overseen by the US General Services Administration (GSA) for more than 20 years.
Read full story at BleepingComputer…
first published week of: 03/15/2021
Mobility data firm Populus is working to help cities leverage data from micromobility fleet operators to craft road safety plans as part of the second phase of a U.S. Department of Transportation (USDOT)-backed initiative.
Micromobility operators collect a range of user data, everything from where people are picking up and dropping off vehicles to how long people are riding. However, that data can come in many different forms and in large volumes, making it a challenge for transportation departments to wrangle alongside existing infrastructure information, especially when they lack data-sharing standards. The goal of the pilot, said Populus CEO and co-founder Regina Clewlow, is to give cities a platform to use that “really messy data” as part of safety initiatives.
For example, she said, cities could layer GPS data from scooters over maps of existing and planned bike infrastructure, which would help identify where the bike plans may miss areas that see significant ridership. “A lot of cities now have access to so much information that can help them make better and quicker infrastructure improvements,” Clewlow said. “In the past, most cities didn’t have a lot of bike or pedestrian data at their fingertips. Now they have so much more.”
Read full story at SmartCitiesDive…
first published week of: 11/01/2021
In a bill recently sent to Colorado Gov. Jared Polis, state lawmakers have proposed increasing the state’s cybersecurity by creating a dedicated council and better defining the role of the Office of Information Technology.
In a move to protect Colorado government agencies from cyber threats, a bill sent to Gov. Jared Polis looks to create a cybersecurity council and consolidate the authority of the Office of Information Technology to reflect the state’s current needs.
The legislation will also update the state’s cyber operation center to establish protocols for sharing information with state and federal law enforcement and intelligence agencies to investigate and collect information associated with cyber-based criminal and national threats.
Read full story at GovTech…
first published week of: 06/14/2021
The Nutmeg State, which hopes to stand up a new centralized agency by the spring of 2022, wants to streamline how government technology operates.
Following in the footsteps of other states, such as Kansas and Illinois, that have moved to consolidate state IT operations in recent years, Connecticut is aiming to create a centralized state IT agency within a year’s time.
Connecticut Gov. Ned Lamont announced the plan in mid-March, and the state argues the new setup will allow Connecticut to use more modern technology, create efficiencies and improve cybersecurity, among other benefits.
“The process will bring best practices to all state agencies, provide flexibility in the cross-training of employees, and ensure there is a pool of specialized experts at the ready to serve state agencies, rather than requiring a dedicated, smaller group of IT staff to individual agencies,” the state noted in a press release.
Read full story at StateTech…
first published week of: 05/03/2021
Municipalities are adopting internet of things solutions to improve services, save energy, and increase public safety. Risks and cybersecurity should be considered givens.
The ongoing COVID-19 pandemic has accelerated the digital transformation of municipalities around the world. The digitization of state and local governments has resulted in streamlined operations and greater efficiency of government services. While technological advances are transforming municipalities via networks, apps, equipment, and the internet of things (IoT) – these internet-connected devices and systems significantly increase exposure to cybersecurity risks.
IoT refers to a system of internet-connected devices and equipment that are embedded with sensors, software, and other technologies, which collect and transfer data over a network without human interaction.
Most of us are familiar with and use IoT in the home environment, such as smart lighting, doorbells, speakers, security systems, locks, and appliances, to name but a few of the range of smart devices available. The phrase “work smarter not harder” could be used to describe smart cities that leverage IoT technologies. Municipalities around the world are adopting IoT solutions in a variety of applications ranging from household objects to sophisticated industrial tools to improve services, save energy, and increase public safety.
Read full story at ICMA…
first published week of: 08/02/2021
The Office of American Innovation, Cloud Smart and the Federal Reskilling Academy are some of Trump-era tech policies left behind. Now the Biden team must decide what to do with them.
The incoming Biden administration and outgoing Trump administration both made modernizing the federal government’s IT infrastructure a priority. But the nascent Biden presidency has yet to make its mark on a host of Trump-era IT policies and programs.
The Biden administration recently appointed its first federal chief information officer, Clare Martorana, who, once up to speed on all active programs and ongoing issues, will set the IT agenda for the rest of government.
… In a recent interview with Nextgov, Roat highlighted some short-term objectives for federal IT modernization and spoke to the fate of several initiatives held over from the last administration.
One of the most visible Trump-era programs, the Technology Modernization Fund, just received a major influx of cash—$1 billion—included in the latest COVID-19 relief bill. With that kind of congressional support, the program certainly isn’t going anywhere, though Roat said there are changes afoot.
Read full story at NextGov…
first published week of: 03/29/2021
Chris DeRusha, who headed information security efforts for the Biden-Harris campaign last year, will become the Federal government’s next chief information security officer, Federal government security officials said ... .
His appointment as Federal CISO has not yet been formally announced by the White House, but DeRusha reported the news via a social media account.
Acting Federal CIO Maria Roat and Sean Connelly, who heads the Trusted Internet Connections (TIC) Program Office at the Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency (CISA), both offered their congratulations on the appointment via Twitter.
Read full story at MeriTalk9…
first published week of: 02/01/2021
Government is tasked with the hefty responsibility of doing the people’s business, but what happens when people can’t access services or online systems fail?
According to Consumer Intelligence Research Partners, 126 million Americans had Amazon Prime memberships as of September 2020. That’s an increase of 8 million over the number of Prime members in March 2020, when the pandemic began to encourage much more time at home. Shopping, paying bills and otherwise conducting life online became the norm for most Americans in 2020. Most, but not all.
But what about the people that haven’t increased their online activity in the past year? What about those that are offline altogether? Big retailers can afford to focus their efforts on the connected majority. But government must serve everyone.
Among the lofty list of government’s responsibilities are things like ensuring domestic tranquility, providing for the common defense and promoting the general welfare. Adapting that last one to the present day, it means making sure unemployment benefits get delivered and that residents can access other elements of the social safety net.
Read full story at GovTech…
first published week of: 03/15/2021