State and local government (SLG) leaders are struggling to get a good night’s sleep amid growing cybersecurity fears, according to a new report from MeriTalk.

In a bid to improve emergency communications in New York State, Gov. Kathy Hochul pledged $45 million in state funding to improve the operability of emergency communications statewide.

Sen. Gary Peters, D-Mich., chairman of the Senate Committee on Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs, and Sen. Rob Portman, R-Ohio, the committee’s ranking member, have introduced legislation to require critical infrastructure entities to report cyberattacks to the Federal government, and to require most other entities to report to the government if they make a ransomware payment.

The FCC has announced a second set of awards for round two of its COVID-19 telehealth program, totaling more than $41.11 million to healthcare providers.

State and local governments are on the front lines of delivering services and restoring trust in government. Data from a new survey report by Deloitte provides insight into driving perceptions of trust in state and local government functions.

The National Association of State Chief Information Officers (NASCIO) released a new primer on states using low-code and no-code software. The primer, titled the Need for Speed: Why State CIOs are Turning to Low-Code and No-Code Software Development, is based on extensive interviews with state CIOs and NASCIO private sector members. In the primer, NASCIO outlines a handful of use cases, the upsides, the downsides, and strategies for success in using low-code and no-code software.

As part of its efforts to close the homework gap, the Federal Communications Commission (FCC) has opened the second filing window for the Emergency Connectivity Fund (ECF).

The Georgia Institute of Technology announced earlier this week that following a national search it has hired Leo Howell as its new chief information security officer (CISO).

Students at Syracuse University will now be able to use a hand scanner to gain access to the school’s dining centers, which the school says will “facilitate a quicker, contactless entrance at mealtimes.”

Alabama Governor Kay Ivey announced that the state is launching the Alabama Credential Registry, which she says is “first in a series of technology solutions that will implement Alabama’s talent development system.”