In April, the State of Texas launched a coordinated effort to handle a surge of new payment activity due to the COVID-19 pandemic. To accommodate the increased workload, Accenture, which administers the Texas Medicaid and Healthcare Partnership (TMHP) program on behalf of the Texas Health and Human Services Commission, immediately called on its robotics process automation (RPA) group to plan an expansion of its digital worker program.

Legislation introduced on Friday by Texas State Senator Jane Nelson seeks to strengthen the state’s push to the cloud, the role of the Chief Data Officer, and the state’s IT modernization efforts.

The Texas State Legislature is considering two pieces of legislation that would move the state government out of its two data centers and into the cloud, with the goal of securing sensitive state data and saving taxpayer dollars.

President Donald Trump signed the Providing Resources, Officers, and Technology to Eradicate Cyber Threats to (PROTECT) Our Children Act of 2017, which reauthorizes the National Internet Crimes Against Children Task Force Program through 2022.

This hurricane season has already been one of the most destructive on record. Verizon is stepping up its efforts to support public safety and relief efforts in storm-battered states. Most importantly, the company is focused on repairing damaged communications networks and infrastructure to help governments focus on other restoration efforts.

State CIOs and technology industry leaders will gather in Austin next week for the NASCIO 2017 Annual Conference in Austin, Texas. State CIOs and other government officials will be able to exchange best practices, network, and learn about the latest technology that improves state services and citizen satisfaction.

The Department of Homeland Security’s Science and Technology First Responders Group is working with the Lower Colorado River Authority in Texas to develop Internet of Things sensors and geo-targeting alerts that will enable faster reporting of flood conditions so that first responders can better respond to problem areas.

Coming out of a Smart Cities Council Grant win in February, the city of Austin recently hosted a full-day readiness workshop with city leaders, staff, and key community members to tackle issues of housing, mobility, and economic development for the city’s underserved communities.

The Texas state senate is considering a bill that would fund a high school program that would allow technology companies to partner with schools to teach students relevant technical skills.

Chris Connors, CEO of Shooter Detection Systems (SDS), stressed the importance of having zero false alerts with shot detection technology. SDS’s solution, dubbed the Guardian Indoor Active Shooter Detection System, boasts zero false alerts during its more than 16 million hours of use across the world. “It’s a major event when the sensor goes off, and we have to be right every time,” Connors said.