Jake Williams

Urbana

Vice President, Community and Content at Statescoop

Vice President, Community and Content at EdScoop

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Articles

New Orleans' battle over facial recognition

1 week ago | statescoop.com | Jake Williams

On this week’s Priorities Podcast, Chad Marlow, senior policy counsel at the American Civil Liberties Union, says that the broad use of facial recognition technology by New Orleans police extends even beyond endangering the city’s residents, but invites outside actors to take advantage of its surveillance environment.
Jake Williams: Coloradans to Congress - ‘We’re not dummies’

1 week ago | greeleytribune.com | Jake Williams

As the U.S. Senate debates the “One Big Beautiful Bill Act” — which could cut Medicaid funding by more than $800 billion over the next decade — some politicians, including the 8th Congressional District’s own Rep. Gabe Evans, are trying to spin the massive cuts to Medicaid as somehow beneficial to their constituents.
Inside New Jersey’s AI-powered ‘warm callback’ system | StateScoop

2 weeks ago | statescoop.com | Jake Williams

Years into an effort to consolidate and modernize the New Jersey state government’s call centers, humans remain an important part of the process. On this week’s Priorities Podcast, Dave Cole, New Jersey chief’s innovation officer, and Joe DeLaTorre, product manager at the New Jersey Office of Innovation, say that even after improvements to the state’s digital presence, residents said they still want to talk to a live human when it comes to sensitive questions about taxes or unemployment benefits.
Fountain bubble prank presented city CIO with unique technical challenge

3 weeks ago | statescoop.com | Jake Williams

For Stephen Dawe, the chief information officer for Opelika, Alabama, work life took an unexpected turn during the COVID-19 pandemic. He was tasked with building an IT system that could detect when detergent had been dumped into a city fountain, a recurring and costly prank kids had been pulling.
How Pennsylvania is hiring employees faster

1 month ago | statescoop.com | Jake Williams

Two Pennsylvania state employees explain on this week’s Priorities Podcast how they’re accelerating the time it takes to hire new employees. Miranda Martin, director of talent management, and Harrison MacRae, director of emerging technologies, said that through a combination of process changes and technology, they’ve reduced time-to-hire from 90 days to 58 days.
Code For America's 2025 Summit will highlight an IT sea change, says CEO

1 month ago | statescoop.com | Jake Williams

Code For America CEO Amanda Renteria joins StateScoop’s Priorities Podcast this week to offer a preview of the organization’s 2025 Summit, scheduled for May 29-30 in Washington, D.C. Renteria says the event will include talks on human-centered design, the latest uses of artificial intelligence in state and local government and how agencies are driving efficiency under a new U.S. president. “When did technology really change in government? It’s happening right now.
Polis must sign HB-1094 for PBM accountability, lower Rx prices | OPINION

1 month ago | coloradopolitics.com | Jake Williams

As the leader of a health advocacy organization, I’ve heard story after story from Coloradans struggling to afford the medications they need to live. Far too many Coloradans are choosing between filling a prescription and paying their bills, cutting pills in half to ration, and discontinuing treatment altogether, leading to severely worsening health outcomes. These stories aren’t rare, and are a symptom of a broken system.
On AI policy, states can learn from each other

1 month ago | statescoop.com | Jake Williams

This week’s Priorities Podcast is joined by Talita Elizeu, director of partnerships at Govern for America, and Cara Eckholm, the nonprofit’s research director. Elizeu and Eckholm say that a recent report published by the group provides valuable tips for states still early in their adoption of artificial intelligence policies.
Inside Aqua Alert, a new maritime emergency alert system

1 month ago | statescoop.com | Jake Williams

The Long Island Sound sector of the U.S. Coast Guard last month announced Aqua Alert, a new pilot program to notify the public about maritime emergencies and provide real-time information to aid search and rescue efforts on the water. Joshua Smarzo, a Coast Guard lieutenant and command center sector chief, tells the Priorities Podcast the new program will help meet the challenges of managing search and rescue operations, especially during the summer boating season.
New mapping tech makes firefighting more proactive

1 month ago | statescoop.com | Jake Williams

On this week’s Priorities Podcast, Kern County, California, Deputy Fire Chief Zachary Wells and Ryan Lanclos, director of national government and public safety solutions at Esri, say ALERTCalifornia’s new map layer strengthens emergency management and improves community safety. The wildfire-monitoring program from University of California San Diego provides instant access to live camera feeds across California, aiding in early fire detection and speeding up emergency response.