At an event hosted by the Partnership for Public Service AI Center for Government, state and local government leaders shared key takeaways and lessons learned from putting AI into practice. AI in Government: A Use Case Showcase, on May 16, featured a county’s experience with using AI-powered chatbots to provide real-time answers, for example. After launching the tool, Snohomish County “handled more than 100,000 questions and cut incoming calls by 40%.” Final takeaways for the public sector include starting with the problem and not the tech, supporting your people and staying curious.
The AI Center for Government summarized another key takeaway. “Artificial intelligence can help governments deliver smarter and more responsive services, but only if the technology is rooted in the real-world needs of government teams and the people they serve.”
Pennsylvania ranks number 45 overall for all states and Puerto Rico in the 2024 State Occupational Licensing Index from the Archbridge Institute and the Knee Regulatory Research Center; the score places the state 45th among states for the highest occupational licensing burden. Besides the overall ranking, the report also features a state profile ranking that puts states in one of five quintiles. Pennsylvania ranks five in the quintile system, with one the “most occupational licensing” and five the “least occupational licensing.” The quintile system reviews several factors, including barriers and licenses, along with universal recognition reforms. The licensing index, released in August, contains information on 284 occupations.
See a listing of all state rankings in the latest edition of the State Occupational Licensing Index.
A proposed 10-year moratorium on states enforcing their AI laws, failed to pass in the senate; the Senate voted 99-1 to remove the ban from the budget bill, according to StateScoop on July 1. Meredith Ward, deputy executive director of the National Association of State Chief Information Officers, explained why NASCIO opposed the ban. In a statement, she said: “The provision would have negatively impacted CIOs’ efforts to deliver services to their citizens and ensure responsible data protections.”
Audit finds more kids missing from CT foster care
According to an audit, as the number of foster kids who ran away and went missing increased, the state Department of Children and Families failed to address this or ensure the safety of kids.
PDFs are the tip of the spear for Code for America’s new AI studio
Code for America hopes to help state and local governments make documents more accessible in time for a 2026 accessibility deadline.
