The founders of the nonprofit, Code for America, share “four truths” about improving government efficiency and effectiveness. Among those include the truth that simplifying and streamlining processes saves time for clients and governments. In the July 1 article, they cite an example of automation that reduced time and effort related to manually processing applications. Other truths include: better services don’t have to break the bank—they can actually save government dollars. They provide an example of modern solutions creating efficiencies that helped save governments money.
According to their website, Code for America partners with “government at all levels across the country to build digital tools, change policies and improve programs. We use human-centered technology to improve public services and make government work well for everyone.”
Government Technology researched AI bills by state to reveal the total number of bills mentioning “artificial intelligence” enacted since 2003. Their interactive map allows users to quickly see the totals for each state. California, for example, leads with 47 bills enacted with the words “AI,” followed by Texas (40), Maryland (32), Virginia (25), Hawaii (20) and New York (19). The July 29 report also categorizes what states regulate about AI; these categories include government use and transparency, regulation of AI companies and task forces and study commissions. In the category of Government Use & Transparency (234 bills), the author explains that “many states are passing legislation about how state governments themselves can use AI. These rules mandate states create inventories of their AI tools and conduct audits to ensure responsible and transparent use by state government workers.”
A new AI action plan from President Donald Trump, Winning the Race: America’s AI Action Plan, released in July, prompted the research to better understand the impact on states.
Wyoming ranks number 49 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 49th 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. Wyoming 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.
How We Built Our AI Application to Handle PDFs
Code for America explains why they built an AI-enabled web application that makes PDF audits easier by gathering all PDFs in one place and providing ways to search and filter their documents.
The License Portability Scorecard (LPS)
Edward Timmons explains the License Portability Scorecard, breaking this down by policy; scores add up for states based on answers to the following: reliance on other states, licensing board gatekeeping and increasing bureaucracy.
