State and Local

Biden Asks OSHA to Consider COVID-19 Workplace Safety Rules

A national order from OSHA would bring all states under the same rules, since even states with independent agencies must meet or exceed the federal standard.

  • By The Pew Charitable Trusts

How the Biden Administration Can Restore Trust in Government

Governments can use technology to meet people where they are, serve people better in their real lives, and make successes visible to demonstrate the value of effective governing.

  • By Jeremy M. Goldberg

A State Becomes the First to Suspend Facial Recognition Technology in Schools

New York Gov. Andrew Cuomo said there are “serious and legitimate privacy concerns” with the technology—but only prohibited its use until 2022.

  • By Emma Coleman

How the U.S. Can Fight the Opioid Epidemic During COVID-19

A majority of states—more than 40—have reported increases in opioid-related deaths since the beginning of the pandemic.

  • By Carly Kempler, Futurity

Why It's Hard to Get People to Take COVID Seriously

It's difficult for public health agencies to raise the right amount of fear in people, an expert says.

  • By Jennifer French Giarratano, Futurity

Tribes Mount Organized Responses to COVID-19, in Contrast to State and Federal Governments

Responding to the pandemic also means continuing to exercise sovereignty.

  • By Lisa Hardy, Gwendolyn Saul and Kerry F. Thompson, The Conversation

House Bill Would Create NOAA-Led National Database to Help Coastal Communities Confront Rising Seas

The hope is to ready them up to face future weather threats.

  • By Brandi Vincent

Election Disinformation Fears Came True for State Officials

Some state and local Republican officials are refusing to concede elections and claiming voter fraud.

  • By The Pew Charitable Trusts

Shortened Census Led to an Incomplete Count in Some Areas

The Census Bureau claimed a 99.98% completion rate nationally when the count ended Oct. 15, but some areas did not reach that level.

  • By The Pew Charitable Trusts

CISA’s Elections Operations Center to Remain Open for Another 45 Days  

Officials acknowledged reports of misleading robocalls and suspicious traffic around a Florida system, but said neither were out of the ordinary.

  • By Mariam Baksh

U.S. Elections Are Safer from Foreign Interference, But Gaps Remain

Four years after a big wake-up call, federal, state, and local governments are working harder and more closely to ward off threats.

  • By Patrick Tucker

3 Steps U.S. Officials Can Take to Shore Up Election Cybersecurity

Securing the 2020 election will be an immense undertaking.

  • By Mattie Gullixson

Census Pulls Back on Year-End Delivery Commitment, Pushes Decision to Career Staff

Rushing in an effort to truncate the data processing timeline has "some risks," bureau official admits.

  • By Eric Katz

Federal Government to Offer $10M to Research COVID-19 Spread on Public Transportation

Major cities could be excluded from receiving grants for “permitting anarchy, violence, and destruction,” per a presidential memo cited in the funding opportunity. 

  • By Aaron Boyd

Featured eBooks

Biometrics in Action
The Future of Defense Networks
How the Cloud is Helping the Government’s Pandemic Response

Foreign Hackers Cripple Texas County’s Email System, Raising Election Security Concerns

The malware attack, which sent fake email replies to voters and businesses, spotlights an overlooked vulnerability in counties that don’t follow best practices for computer security.

  • By Jessica Huseman, Jack Gillum, Derek Willis and Jeff Kao, ProPublica

Cybercriminals Strike Schools Amid Pandemic

At least 16 school districts have been victimized in a rash of ransomware attacks since the end of July.

  • By The Pew Charitable Trusts

The First True Smart City Blossoms in Georgia’s Peachtree Corners

The city founded the Curiosity Lab, a huge facility designed to help industry test new technology.

  • By John Breeden II

After Decision Upholding FCC’s 5G Rules, Cities Now Weighing Appeal

The 9th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals largely upheld FCC rules limiting local government’s ability to regulate 5G infrastructure and cap fees. Cities involved in the case have until Sept. 28 to file an appeal, but some experts say the ruling wasn’t all bad.

  • By Andrea Noble

Employers in D.C. Region Expect Some Remote Work Into Mid-2021, Survey Finds

About 60% of respondents anticipated less than a third of workers would return to the office by early September because of coronavirus risks. Some are planning for a portion of staff to still be working remotely even next summer.

  • By Bill Lucia

What the U.S. Needs to Do to Secure Election 2020

Concerns extend far beyond safeguarding insecure voting machines and questions about voting by mail.

  • By George Vlahakis, Futurity

City Ban on Business Use of Facial Recognition Tech Said to Be a First

Elected leaders in Portland, Oregon approved the measure this week.

  • By Bill Lucia