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State AI Moratorium Eroding Reconciliation Bill Support
A small but significant slice of lawmakers – including several Republican members of the House and Senate – are getting cold feet over supporting the Trump administration’s reconciliation funding bill because it includes a House-approved provision that would impose a ten-year moratorium on state-level artificial intelligence regulation.
Recent News
  1. South Dakota Taps Mark Wixon as CIO
    South Dakota Gov. Larry Rhoden has announced that Mark Wixon is the state’s new chief information officer (CIO) and commissioner of the Bureau of Information Technology (BIT).
  2. OPM’s ‘Merit’ Hiring Plan Targets STEM, Early Career Talent
    The Office of Personnel Management (OPM) issued a governmentwide hiring plan on Thursday that instructs agencies to hire employees more quickly, focusing on early career and STEM talent.
  3. fraud White House Halts Grants for State UI System Modernization
    The Trump administration has cancelled funding for a Department of Labor (DoL) grant program that was used to fund modernization efforts for states’ unemployment insurance (UI) systems that were overwhelmed with claims during the coronavirus pandemic.
  1. Enhance Public Safety and Enrich Community Experiences With Computer Vision Powering Public Safety, CX Gains With AI-Driven Tech
    The use of artificial intelligence-powered computer vision and edge computing are combining to reshape public safety and customer service capabilities, local government and municipal officials said during a new webinar produced by MeriTalk and underwritten by Dell Technologies.
  2. Computer Vision for Enhanced Campus Safety and Operational Efficiencies AI, CV Paying Off With Better Campus Safety
    Integrating artificial intelligence (AI) and computer vision technologies is paying off with improvements to campus safety and operational efficiencies, AI experts told MeriTalk in a new webinar in which they advised organizations to consider a deliberate approach to implementation.
  3. USF Launches K-12 AI Programs, Summer Camps
    The University of South Florida (USF) is partnering with local community groups to launch a range of new initiatives aimed at arming K-12 students with artificial intelligence skills. 
  4. NSF AI Program Teaches Students to Train Machines with Fossils
    The National Science Foundation (NSF) has launched a free online curriculum to introduce Florida middle schoolers and teachers to artificial intelligence using paleontology.  
  1. Senators Urge Trump Administration to Release BEAD Funding
    A group of 12 senators led by Sen. Jacky Rosen, D-Nev., is calling on the Trump administration to release funding for states under the Broadband Equity, Access, and Deployment (BEAD) program.
  2. AI Regulation Debate Heats Up as House OKs State Preemption Bill
    Democrats and Republicans on Capitol Hill clashed this week over who should police artificial intelligence technologies – the Federal government or states – and on what AI regulation should look like no matter which level of government has the upper hand.
  3. Wisconsin-Madison Names Contis CIO
    The University of Wisconsin-Madison has hired Didier Contis as the university’s new chief information officer (CIO) and vice provost for information technology, with a start date of July 7.
  4. State CIOs Share Practical Paths to Better Citizen Services
    At NASCIO’s 2025 Mid-Year Conference, the energy in Philadelphia was focused on the future but grounded in pragmatism. In the post-conference State Tech Vision roundtable hosted by MeriTalk, Amanda Crawford, executive director and state CIO of Texas; Heather Abbott, West Virginia’s CIO; and Tom Nieto, president and COO of PayIt, unpacked how states are translating NASCIO’s top priorities into citizen-centered outcomes.
  5. Tenn. School District Latest to File Suit Over PowerSchool Data Breach
    Tennessee’s Memphis-Shelby County Schools is the latest to file a Federal lawsuit against edtech provider PowerSchool for alleged negligence tied to a massive data breach, joining more than 100 districts across the country in seeking accountability.
  6. Missouri Approves K-12 Phone Restrictions for 2025-2026
    The Missouri state Senate voted on May 13 to approve a bill that will require public school districts and charter schools in the state to adopt formal policies restricting K-12 student use of electronic personal communication devices during the school day.
  7. Local Officials Call on Congress for Election Security Funding Boost
    With the fiscal year (FY) 2026 appropriations process underway, more than 165 local election officials and associations from 40 states are calling on Congress to provide $400 million in election security funding they say is necessary to protect the integrity of the voting process.
  8. Texas Town Deploying Drones to Help Emergency Response
    The town of Prosper, Texas, is deploying a new aerial drone system that officials said will help to improve emergency response times and enhance public safety efforts.
  9. Reconciliation: $500M for Commerce AI, Damper on State AI Regs
    House Energy and Commerce Committee Chairman Brett Guthrie, R-Ky., is pushing to give the Commerce Department an extra $500 million for artificial intelligence (AI) tech capabilities – and to block state AI regulations – through the budget reconciliation process that is kicking off in Congress this week.
  10. New York Sets K-12 Student Phone Restrictions for Coming Year
    The state of New York is mandating “bell-to-bell” restrictions on K-12 student use of smartphones  beginning in the 2025–2026 school year.