On May 21, state cyber leaders testified before the House Homeland Security Subcommittee on Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Protection and noted the prevalence of AI-generated attacks. During the hearing, “State and Local Cybersecurity: Escalating Threats, Federal Partnership, and the Resilience of America’s Communities,” they explained how the State and Local Cybersecurity Grant Program helped their states. Committee leaders invited members of the National Association of State Chief Information Officers to testify, including Tennessee CIO Kristin Darby and Florida CIO Warren Sponholtz.
“The adversarial use of artificial intelligence is fundamentally changing the speed and scale of cyber threats facing state and local governments. We are rapidly approaching an era of AI-driven vulnerability identification and rapid exploit development,” Sponholtz said.
Darby echoed those concerns. “State and local governments operate critical systems that citizens rely on every day, including emergency services, schools, utilities, courts and public infrastructure. Those systems are increasingly targeted by criminal organizations and nation-state actors. In Tennessee, we are seeing rapid growth in AI-enabled attacks, ransomware activity, and exploitation of cloud and identity systems. The pace of these threats continues to accelerate. At the same time, many local governments across our state have little or no dedicated cybersecurity staff. This creates a dangerous imbalance between highly sophisticated attackers and severely resource-constrained defenders.”
Other witnesses included Colin Ahern, director of security and intelligence for New York state, and Samir Jain, vice president of policy at the Center for Democracy & Technology.
The National Association of State Chief Information Officers, or NASCIO, works with the committee on reauthorization of the State and Local Cybersecurity Grant Program and emphasizes the need for resources to help states improve cybersecurity. “We are encouraged that committee leadership has invited NASCIO members to testify and look forward to illustrating the value that SLCGP has for states and local communities nationwide,” said Alex Whitaker, NASCIO’s director of government affairs.
The National Association of State Chief Information Officers, or NASCIO, released a checklist with guidance for state technology leaders as states work toward compliance with the U.S. Department of Justice’s Final Rule. 10 Strategies for Mitigating Legal Risks Involving Digital Accessibility Compliance, released May 4, outlines tips from Max Heintz, supervising attorney at New York ITS. Items on the checklist range from vendor expectations to clear documentation aimed at strengthening states’ legal defense posture.
Some of the 10 strategies include:
Keep comprehensive documentation of policies, processes and testing: “States may better manage their risks for web accessibility investigations through a well-managed, consistent digital accessibility program with documented policies, clear procurement requirements and testing procedures.”
Create a corrective plan for known digital accessibility gaps: “States can decrease legal exposure by having a clear, time-bound correction plan that prioritizes high-impact barriers, assigns responsibility and tracks progress.”
Create a process for handling unknown or emerging issues: “Litigation risks may decrease when states can show structured, transparent and repeatable methods are in place to address emerging digital accessibility issues.”
Editor’s note: NASCIO said the interview took place before the deadline extension for the DOJ Final Rule on web and/or mobile app accessibility.
A new report from the Archbridge Institute examines how expedited licensing programs benefit states. The report, Expedited Licensure for Workers with Out-of-State Licenses, released April 29, focuses on expedited licensing programs for military personnel. According to the findings, “many of these programs lack key features — such as fast processing timelines or temporary licenses — that would allow workers to enter the labor market quickly.” The brief outlines the effectiveness of expedited licensing and offers policy recommendations to improve license portability for military families and the broader workforce.
Renee Moseley joined GL Solutions in 2016 with an educational and professional background in research and writing, along with software documentation. At GL Solutions she produces informative content to help regulatory agencies stay current on news and information that supports their success.
