PODCAST · news
Priorities Podcast
by StateScoop
Each Wednesday, StateScoop’s Priorities Podcast explores the latest in state and local government technology news and analysis. Listen to in-depth conversations with government and industry’s top executives, and learn about trending stories affecting state and local IT leaders ranging from modernization and digital accessibility to the latest advances in generative artificial intelligence.
Episodes
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Inside Minnesota’s $40 Million bet on IT modernization
What does it take to modernize state government when legacy systems, limited budgets and competing priorities stand in the way? Minnesota is taking a different approach, using a $40 million Technology Modernization Fund to accelerate projects across state agencies. The initiative has earned...
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The ever-changing role of State CIOs: a reporter's eye view
The everchanging role of State CIOs: a reporter's eye view Last episode, we heard directly from State Chief Information Officers who attended the annual National Association of State Chief Information Officers conference in San Diego last week. They shared their hopes and fears regarding…
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Rapidfire Chats with State CIOs at NASCIO's 2026 annual conference
The National Association of State Chief Information Officers held its annual conference this week in San Diego, bringing together dozens of state technology leaders to discuss the most pressing IT challenges agencies across the country are facing, including modernization, cybersecurity and…
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Developers, states or the federal government: who's really responsible for AI regulation?
Developers, states or the federal government: who's really responsible for AI regulation? Michael Pastor, New York Law School's Dean of Technology Law, discusses the intensifying debate for AI legislation and the urgency to regulate the rapidly advancing technology. He identifies the pros and…
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Can a city combat homelessness with improved data? San Jose's new shelter dashboard aims to find out
Can a city combat homelessness with improved data? San Jose's new shelter dashboard aims to find out Matt Mahan, mayor of San Jose, California, discusses the city's new shelter system dashboard and how better data infrastructure could improve its response to homelessness. The new tool will track...
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U.S. Digital Response’s roadmap for better government digital services
Keith Wilson, a talent engagement manager at the U.S. Digital Response, discusses the organization’s new Digital Service Toolkit and the evolution of digital service teams in state and local government. He highlights the challenges governments face in building the internal structures and talent...
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The Magic of maps: the federal push to digitize mapping efforts in rural counties across the country
Luis Bettencourt, a professor at the University of Chicago, discusses the evolution and importance of rural mapping. He highlights the role of high-resolution satellite imagery, drone technology, and AI in enhancing mapping precision. Bettencourt emphasizes the significance of the Modernizing...
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How Pennsylvania is modernizing its evaluation of the state's senior care agencies
Jason Kavulich, secretary of Pennsylvania's Department of Aging, talks about the state's new Comprehensive Aging Performance Evaluation tool, or CAPE, which delivers upgrades to the agency's IT system. The tool represents a new statewide approach to modernizing how the state evaluates its 52 area...
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Why does the federal government need expanded access to TANF data?
A coalition of advocacy and privacy groups this month filed a lawsuit challenging the Trump administration’s effort to expand federal access to sensitive data collected through the Temporary Assistance for Needy Families program. Representatives from two groups involved with the lawsuit told the...
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NTIA plans to restore Digital Equity Act funding, but what comes next?
After the Trump administration canceled the Digital Equity Act last May, the National Digital Inclusion Alliance sued the federal government. Now, more than a year later, there’s a path toward restoring at least some of that funding. In a joint status report filed last week, the National...
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Water utility cyberattacks product of expedient decisions, IT staff shortages, experts say
Last week’s cyberattacks against water and wastewater facilities in Minnesota have actually affected at least 12 states, according to ABC News. The federal government has said it’s looking into whether Iran is responsible for the coordinated attack, but has not formally attributed it to any...
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Inside Texas' next-generation flood warning system
One year after catastrophic flooding killed more than 100 people along the Guadalupe River, another round of deadly July flooding swept across Central and South Texas, creating flash flood emergencies that forced evacuations and rescues along the Guadalupe River and in Kerr County. To give...
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It’s getting really hot. How can state and local governments mitigate the negative effects?
Extreme heat is becoming one of the fastest-growing challenges facing state and local governments across the country, an issue that affects far more than public health. Rising temperatures threaten infrastructure, electric grid reliability, worker productivity, agriculture, emergency management…
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AI-charged cyber threats are especially tough for small organizations
The democratization of technology is ordinarily considered a good thing, but as AI models become more powerful, people working in cybersecurity, in particular, have raised concerns about what that is doing to the threat landscape. The availability of models that can find vulnerabilities in…
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Is ‘privilege debt’ creating cyber risk in your organization?
Things like identity management and threat intelligence are important for cybersecurity, said Kevin Greene, the public sector chief cybersecurity technologist with the software firm BeyondTrust, but limiting access is the key. The fast pace of change in technology has led organizations to become...
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For digital government, trust is essential, says Estonia official
When Estonia escaped Soviet occupation and regained its independence in 1991, it took a propitious turn to the internet. In seeking to establish a new, democratic government, the northern European nation began building digital services, setting a foundation that would lead it eventually to become...
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Funding AI-powered building-code permitting
The Department of Housing and Urban Development last month offered state and local governments up to $3 million to deploy AI-powered building code permitting systems. Julia Richman, the former chief transformation officer of Colorado and a vice president of the software company Clariti, said on…
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A Home for Every Child Initiative eight months in: PIPs and predictive algorithms
Assistant Secretary Adams joins the podcast to discuss the "A Home for Every Child Initiative," and how modernizing child welfare systems with predictive algorithms and automated tools can better support families in need. New episodes of StateScoop’s Priorities Podcast are posted each Wednesday....
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The AIDE initiative: How AI can help emergency managers better prepare for disasters
Greenberg joins the podcast to discuss the AIDE initiative and how it fits into the national effort to use emerging technologies in emergency management New episodes of StateScoop’s Priorities Podcast are posted each Wednesday. For more of the latest news and trends across the state and local...
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The pole problem: A hidden challenge for BEAD deployment
Michael Santorelli of the New York Law School said the BEAD program will involvle as many as four million utility poles across the country, and complex regulations and rules around their use could slow dow broadband deployment. Santorelli joins the podcast to discuss the his organization's recent...
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Chief AI officer role is ‘part strategy, part operator, part change leader’
Chief AI officer role is ‘part strategy, part operator, part change leader’ A growing number of states are hiring officials whose primary job is to ensure the considerate deployment of artificial intelligence. In Oklahoma, that’s Tai Phan, who last November was named the state’s first chief...
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The digital divide is shrinking, but 'there's still a long way to go'
Lopez and Varn discuss how states are implementing BEAD while dealing with uncertainty, technical debates around the program and the core challenge of access versus adoption.
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Will we return to the 'golden age of FEMA'?
The Federal Emergency Management Agency could be headed for one of the biggest overhauls in its history. Samantha Penta, associate professor at the University of Albany’s College of Emergency Preparedness, Homeland Security and Cybersecurity, describes for the Priorities Podcast what it might…
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'Now is the time to build bridges,' says Code for America CEO
The civic tech nonprofit Code for America is hosting its annual summit, in Chicago, this week. Amanda Renteria, the group’s chief executive, said the event is “one moment you get in community on this marathon,” the marathon being the long stretch of challenges facing government technology…
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The nation's public safety communications is at a crossroads
The House of Representatives this month approved legislation that would extend the legal mandate of the FirstNet Authority through 2037. Such a long-term authorization would come with both “a positive and a negative impact,” according to Paul Rosenzweig, a lawyer who served in the Department of...
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How Utah’s AI policy office is laying the foundation for governance
Zach Boyd, director of the Utah Office of Artificial Intelligence Policy, said in a recent interview that he’s trying to “lay the foundations for AI governance.” His office doesn’t regulate or enforce AI policy, but acts as “a developer of legal frameworks” and “manager of pilot” projects in the...
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Meet Texas's new CIO, Tony Sauerhoff
Tony Sauerhoff has been serving as Texas’s interim chief information officer since January, after Amanda Crawford, the former statewide CIO, stepped down. Last month Gov. Greg Abbott removed Sauerhoff’s interim status, leaving him to head the state’s IT policy work, from AI to cyber. “I think AI…
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Lawsuits, soundwaves and broadband — A look at state IT's latest headlines
The fire department of San Bernardino County, California, is testing a new firefighting technology that uses low-frequency sound waves, rather than water or chemicals, to suppress flames. The Paiute Tribe of Bishop, California, on Thursday became the first group to connect to the state’s...
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Meet CODE PA's new executive director
The Commonwealth Office of Digital Experience, Pennsylvania’s digital services bureau, also called CODE PA, has a new executive director. Sara Hall recently took over the office, with plans to build on the “strong foundation” built by Bry Pardoe, now the state’s chief information officer, she…
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The cyber experts helping local officials prepare for 2026, 2028 elections
“Smarter people than I always describe it as: cyber is a team sport, and you don't want it to be a pick-up game,” Geoff Hale, visiting fellow for election security at the Center for Democracy and Technology, said in a recent interview for the Priorities Podcast. “You want to know who you're…
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Banning 'woke' AI in Idaho
A piece of legislation advancing through the legislature in Idaho would, uniquely, prohibit state agencies from procuring or even using artificial intelligence systems that promote principles of diversity, equity or inclusion. Borrowing much of the same language from a similar proposal advanced...
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New Mexico's timely broadband subsidy program
New Mexico's timely broadband subsidy program by StateScoop
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Are states prepared for the digital accessibility deadline?
On April 24, states will be held to new accessibility standards for their websites. Some states are further along than others in being able to meet that deadline. Some states — including Colorado, Maryland, Minnesota and Texas — are ahead of the pack, said Marie Cohan, Texas’ statewide digital...
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Report about data privacy laws not protecting public servants
“People should not be forced to choose between serving their community and protecting their family,” Justin Sherman, interim vice president of the Public Service Alliance, told the Priorities Podcast. States’ data privacy laws are typically focused on protecting the public, but offer little to...
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'High expectations' drove IT in Tim Walz's Minnesota, says outgoing CIO
“Technology is the engine of government,” and any administration looking to accomplish its policy objectives should hire a strong technology team. That’s the advice of Minnesota Chief Information Officer Tarek Tomes, who after nearly seven years, will soon step down for a CIO role with the...
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State, local government cyber's 'new normal'
“A lot is going on” with state and local government cybersecurity in 2026, said Carlos Kizzee, senior vice president of MS-ISAC strategy and plans at the Center for Internet Security. He told the Priorities Podcast that he thinks government is going through yet another transition to a “new…
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Faced with budget constraints, federal pressure, states turn to modernization
Faced with budget constraints and diminished support from the federal government, many states are turning to modernize their processes and technologies, according to a recent report from the Pew Charitable Trusts. Melissa Maynard, a project director at Pew who authored that report, says states…
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When will BEAD networks finally be completed?
States are working toward approvals that could help them soon begin building out their broadband networks with funds from the federal Broadband Equity, Access and Deployment Program. Drew Garner, director of policy engagement at the Benton Institute for Broadband & Society, said this begins with...
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The technologies modernizing Alaska's avalanche management
In Alaska, state officials responsible for keeping the public safe from avalanches are increasingly looking to use commercial products, such as drones, roadside sensors and digital maps to reduce their reliance on military technologies. Timothy Glassett, Alaska’s statewide avalanche and artillery...
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States are trying to reduce SNAP error rates to keep the program alive
Changes to the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program brought about by H.R. 1 could mean millions or even billions of dollars of additional costs for states. The civic tech nonprofit Code for America is helping some states reduce their error rates, through technology and process changes, to…
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'Privacy enforcement really woke up' in 2025
Last year was “the year when [privacy] bills came online,” says David Botero, a state data privacy fellow at the nonprofit IAPP. He joins the Priorities Podcast to reflect on a year that he also called “the year of amendments,” in which a handful of states changed their privacy laws in…
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AI, budget and accessibility are rising concerns for state CIOs
The past year has brought shifting priorities for states’ top technology officials. Artificial intelligence tops the list of annual priorities published by the National Association of State Chief Information Officers. Accessibility is also in the spotlight as states rush to remediate their…
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‘Fear and excitement’ are driving AI discourse in government
After two years of research into how states are using and thinking about AI, New America has published an expansive report that its creators say contains encouraging signs. Lilian Coral, vice president of New America's technology and democracy programs, and Neil Kleiman, urban policy professor at...
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Inside Washington state’s award-winning procurement and innovation programs
Quite a few states have innovation programs, mechanisms for jumpstarting new and interesting ways to improve government, but Nicholas Stowe, Washington state's outgoing chief technology officer, shares on this week’s Priorities Podcast why he thinks his state’s innovation and modernization…
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The shutdown led states to ‘fundamentally rethink’ their relationships with the federal government
The extended government shutdown has begun to strain state and local governments usually dependent on reimbursement checks for major projects and support from officials who haven’t been in their offices, according to Justin Marlowe, a research professor at the University of Chicago’s Harris…
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Redesigning a ‘repetitive and clunky’ learning program with AI
A learning program for notaries in Indiana was not getting good reviews. Robert Fulk, the chief information officer for the Indiana Secretary of State’s office said people thought it was outdated, long, repetitive and clunky. And it was, until his office redesigned it from top to bottom using AI....
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How Kansas lost the 'weird shortcodes' and modernized its UI system
Star Wars and disco were hip when Kansas built its previous unemployment insurance system and it was “sufficient,” Kansas Labor Secretary Amber Shultz says. But on the latest episode of StateScoop’s Priorities Podcast, Shultz describes how, over the course of two years, the state transformed that...
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What happens to disaster relief during a shutdown?
Ratna Dougherty, an assistant professor at the University of South Florida’s Public Affairs school, joins the Priorities Podcast to explain how the government shutdown is affecting disaster relief efforts. One change, Dougherty says, is that state and local governments face a more complex process...
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‘Uncertainty’ is the word of the year for state CIOs
Doug Robinson, executive director of the National Association of State Chief Information Officers, joins the Priorities Podcast this week to explain why “uncertainty” is the word of the year for state technology leaders. “That has a lot to do with obviously the states’ fiscal conditions and...
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Inside NYC's Digital Inclusion Week
Diversity, equity and inclusion are dirty words in Trump’s America, and though many private companies and government agencies have rebranded such efforts in 2025, equity lives on in New York City. Digital Inclusion Week is underway in New York, where Paolo Balboa, the city’s first chief digital...
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ABOUT THIS SHOW
Each Wednesday, StateScoop’s Priorities Podcast explores the latest in state and local government technology news and analysis. Listen to in-depth conversations with government and industry’s top executives, and learn about trending stories affecting state and local IT leaders ranging from modernization and digital accessibility to the latest advances in generative artificial intelligence.
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StateScoop
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Frequently Asked Questions
How many episodes does Priorities Podcast have?
Priorities Podcast currently has 236 episodes available on PodParley. New episodes are automatically indexed when they're published to the podcast feed.
What is Priorities Podcast about?
Each Wednesday, StateScoop’s Priorities Podcast explores the latest in state and local government technology news and analysis. Listen to in-depth conversations with government and industry’s top executives, and learn about trending stories affecting state and local IT leaders ranging from...
How often does Priorities Podcast release new episodes?
Priorities Podcast publishes regularly with 236 episodes available. Check the episode list for the typical release schedule.
Where can I listen to Priorities Podcast?
You can listen to Priorities Podcast on PodParley by clicking any episode. We provide an embedded audio player for direct listening, and you can also subscribe via your preferred podcast app using the RSS feed.
Who hosts Priorities Podcast?
Priorities Podcast is created and hosted by StateScoop.
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