Several cities and states are passing resolutions against corporate personhood. The resolutions are the result of Supreme Court decision, Citizens United v. Federal Election Commission which gave corporations the same first amendment rights as individuals and thereby opening the floodgates for money in politics in the US. Cities and states with rules governing political contributions [...]
Maine and Massachusetts are moving forward on broadband. Minnesota’s broadband task for released its first report last week which shows that co-ops are helping the state expand rural broadband. Massachusetts Broadband Institute (MBI), a division of the Massachusetts Technology Collaborative, has selected Lightower to provide a diverse network solution as part of its MassBroadband 123 [...]
Continuing resolutions are a key part of the federal budget process. They allow for the government to continue to meet its obligations on a temporary basis when congress fails to pass a full budget measure. However, when the federal government relies solely on temporary budget measures as it has for quite awhile, programs without automatic [...]
Oregon is facing more hurdles in its broadband expansion. Clackamas County, won a $7.8 million grant for its broadband expansion project designed to bring anchor institutions in the area online. However, because due to franchise fees, one of the larger city centers in the area may not be included in the network.
Government agencies at all levels are examining how to use cloud services as a means of upgrading their systems while maximizing value. Moving to cloud can allow agencies to condense sprawling IT systems, offer more mobility options and manage legacy systems. However, along with all of this convenience comes a significant security headache. Many agencies [...]
Officials in Arizona are pushing for increased transparency in the state, in the wake of questions raised over dealings between state officials and lobbyists. Secretary of State Ken Bennett and State Representative Kimberly Yee are pushing a new measure that would put more sunlight on the financial disclosure statements and lobbyist filings of the state’s [...]
An announcement earlier this month that the federal government will not establish a national health benefits standard to go along with requirements in the new health care reform law is already impacting some state insurance exchanges. Oregon exchange director Howard “Rocky” King, called the decision “a grenade.” The Obama administration is giving states broad latitude [...]
IT, Health Care and Mobility are three key focus areas for state and local government going into 2012 and beyond. All three areas have the potential to save governments millions and improve service delivery but they can also cause significant short term headaches in this era of austerity. CivSource spoke with Joe Doherty, EVP & [...]
The federal government has approved West Virginia’s plan to get their statewide broadband plan back on track. The $126.3 million project has been delayed since early this year with state officials and private sector contractors blaming everything from the Washington D.C. earthquake to the tsunami in Japan as reasons for the lack of progress. The [...]
Virginia is stalling out on its health insurance exchange plans. Governor Bob McDonnell’s administration has indicated that it will not push lawmakers to create a state-run health insurance exchange during the 2012 session. Despite that, some legislators are working on a placeholder measure that would ensure that the state maintains control of its exchange.
