The ever-changing role of State CIOs: a reporter’s eye view

Last episode, we heard directly from state chief information officers who attended the annual National Association of State Chief Information Officers conference in San Diego last week. They shared their hopes and fears regarding artificial intelligence, cybersecurity, workforce development and the IT projects they’re undertaking.

This week StateScoop reporter Keely Quinlan, who attended the conference, joins us to talk about the looming DOJ digital accessibility deadline and how artificial intelligence is reshaping the widely held standards for IT modernization and what it means to be a State CIO.

Top stories this week:

A bicameral group of federal lawmakers on Monday introduced the Ban Flock Act, a bill that would block federal funding from state and local governments that use automatic license plate readers and prohibit the federal government from using them or the data they collect. The legislators — Sen. Bernie Sanders of Vermont., Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez of N.Y., and Sen. Jeff Merkley, Oregon. — all Democrats, cited the proliferation of the technology across the country and widespread abuses by some law enforcement officers as reasons for writing the bill.

A judge sentenced a Massachusetts man to two years in federal prison this week for his role in a multi-state conspiracy that used stolen identities to obtain hundreds of thousands of dollars in Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program benefits. Prosecutors said Raul Vicioso of Fitchburg, MA and three alleged co-conspirators, used personal information belonging to more than 100 people to create 24 fraudulent SNAP “households” in Massachusetts and Rhode Island, resulting in $440,000 in stolen SNAP benefits and more than $700,000 in fraudulent Pandemic Unemployment Assistance funds.

The Vermont Community Broadband Board launched VT Speed Check on Tuesday, a new online tool that lets residents test how fast their broadband connections really are. On the site, Vermonters can find the speed test, a map that anonymously aggregates the results of all speed tests, and tools to help them learn more about their connection. State officials said the app aims to help residents navigate common problems that could result in slower internet speeds.

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, Soundcloud or Spotify.