Virginia Gov. Glenn Youngkin signed a new Executive Order (EO) 39 intended to reduce wait times, reduce costs, and improve the permit, license, certification, and registration, application processes for Virginians.

The Commonwealth of Virginia is joining a host of other states in launching a new Artificial Intelligence (AI) Task Force.

Natural Bridge State Park in Virginia has become the first state park in the country to install the RightHear Accessibility system which improves inclusivity and accessibility for people who are blind or have low vision.

In a bid to address the statewide teacher shortage, the Virginia Department of Education (VDOE) has launched its Virginia Licensure Online system (VALO). VDOE, which launched the new system late last year, said its goal is to modernize the teacher licensure process and make the application and renewal experience more user-friendly for prospective and current teachers. 

Two counties in Virginia – Bath and Highland – will use a $2 million grant from the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) to improve coordination of emergency medical care, strengthen preparedness and resilience, and improve emergency communications interoperability.

As artificial intelligence (AI) technology is seeing an explosion in interest and use cases in government, the governors of Pennsylvania and Virginia last week issued executive orders that aim to create baselines of policy for development of generative AI applications.

Sen. Mark Warner, D-Va., recently announced $1.8 million of funding or Virginia universities to research and develop AI capabilities to mitigate cyberattacks. 

The Virginia Information Technologies Agency (VITA) announced that it has selected Everlaw, a cloud-native investigation and litigation platform, for a multi-year standardized contract to transform the commonwealth’s legal technology.

Arlington County, Va., announced that it is expanding its online permitting system – Permit Arlington – to include Certificate of Occupancy applications and inspections.

Ken Pfeil, who became chief data officer (CDO) for the Commonwealth of Virginia in April, says that the most difficult aspect of his new job with the state is also proving to be the most surprising.