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Chandler Treon

Chandler Treon is an Austin-based staff writer. He has a bachelor’s degree in English, a master’s degree in literature and a master’s degree in technical communication, all from Texas State University.

  • What to Know:
    • In a statement to Industry Insider — Texas, TDLR confirmed Texas Lottery Commission operations and personnel will transition to the agency on Sept. 1.
    • Most TLC staff will continue in their roles within the new Lottery and Charitable Bingo division within TDLR.
    • Texas Lottery leadership will remain, although TDLR has signaled that it will continue evaluating processes and may implement additional changes following the transition.
  • What to Know:
    • The IT Fund makes up the largest portion of Arlington’s tech spending, totaling $24.3 million.
    • Of that amount, $5.5 million is set aside for IT projects.
    • The budget includes $3.9 million for the replacement of the Planning and Development Services Department’s permitting platform, known as AMANDA.
  • What to Know:
    • The largest share of citywide IT funding is $17 million for licensing, maintenance and support.
    • The Police Department expects to use $6 million in capital outlay to upgrade its records system and equip officers with body-worn cameras.
    • The city is establishing a new Code Enforcement Department.
  • What to Know:
    • H-GAC seeks a cloud-based, software-as-a-service case management system capable of automating workflows, compliance checks, dashboards and performance tools.
    • The council’s objectives include improving collaboration, ensuring consistent outputs and increasing transparency across its monitoring activities.
    • The vendor must host the solution on domestic data servers and meet Texas Risk and Authorization Management Program Level 2 certification requirements at contract initiation.
  • What to Know:
    • The county's IT Department has requested a $39 million budget for Fiscal Year 2026.
    • The preliminary budget for 2026, which is subject to change, only includes $21 million for the department.
    • The largest differences between requested funds and granted preliminary funds are related to hardware, software, utilities and software maintenance.
  • O’Neill assumed the role on Aug. 1 following former Department of Family and Protective Services Commissioner Stephanie Muth’s departure on July 31.
  • What to Know:
    • The Harris County Department of Education is seeking a broad range of technology goods and services for its cooperative purchasing division, Choice Partners.
    • Choice Partners serves more than 2,500 members nationwide.
    • The scope of work includes the supply and support of technology hardware, software, asset management services, IT support and leasing options.
  • What to Know:
    • The session includes proposals that would require modernized emergency communications systems, improved data transparency tools and updates to public recordkeeping processes.
    • House Bill 2 would establish a Texas Interoperability Council tasked with overseeing a new grant program for emergency communication improvements.
  • What to Know:
    • DPS is researching market capabilities around a biometric NFC badge that can authenticate users through fingerprint recognition.
    • The agency's existing infrastructure no longer meets updated Criminal Justice Information Services (CJIS) requirements.
    • The agency anticipates use cases for permanent employees and temporary contractors.
  • The Best of Texas Awards, part of the Texas Digital Government Summit, honor public agencies working to improve the constituent experience.
  • What to Know:
    • A recent Texas Digital Government Summit panel brought public- and private-sector IT leaders together to discuss practical AI.
    • Agencies are evaluating AI investments not on novelty but on measurable impacts.
    • Panelists stressed the importance of understanding agency missions, building trust and offering solutions that agencies can scale across multiple business units.
  • What to Know:
    • The district’s intention is to contract with a provider that can monitor traditional, digital and social media channels and provide customizable reports.
    • The media monitoring system should include features such as keyword tracking, earned media valuation, social media listening and integration with press distribution tools.
    • The solution must also support multilingual coverage in English and Spanish and include tools for correlating social and traditional media activity.
  • What to Know:
    • The UT System's Supply Chain Alliance represents 14 individual institutions.
    • The preferred platform is a comprehensive, scalable, cloud-hosted payment platform for all 14 institutions.
    • The chosen vendor is required to provide the necessary hardware components, implementation support, onboarding, configuration and training.
  • What to Know:
    • TDA CIO Chris Bunton and Dallas College Director of Workforce Development LaKesha Raynor spoke at a panel at the Texas Digital Government Summit in Austin.
    • TDA has rolled out several AI-enabled tools, including a chatbot for its Farm Fresh program and a new internal HR bot.
    • Dallas College serves more than 130,000 students each year and is expanding sector-based partnerships designed to meet the unique upskilling and reskilling needs of public agencies.
  • What to Know:
    • The Enhanced Surveillance System for the Early Notification of Community Epidemics tracks public health threats across the state.
    • The vendor will be required to provide not only software licensing but also installation, updates, defect remediation and enhancements to the existing system.
    • The vendor will also help with SQL query support, build analytical cubes for operational efficiency and maintain the system’s API.
  • What to Know:
    • Texas Department of Public Safety CIO Jessica Ballew spoke at an Industry Insider — Texas member briefing on July 23.
    • The agency is moving away from maintaining internal support teams for every system in favor of managed services contracts to free up and refocus DPS staff.
    • Ballew is eyeing a new internal automation capability aimed at streamlining administrative workflows and improving customer-facing services.
  • What to Know:
    • State Rep. Giovanni Capriglione, the most prominent Texas legislator on tech issues in recent sessions, announced the end of his tenure in the Texas House after 14 years.
    • In the 89th Legislative Session alone, Capriglione authored or co-authored five tech-related bills that were signed into law by the governor.
    • The Southlake Republican has not yet indicated his next steps.
  • What to Know:
    • The city is interested in AI-powered interpretation and translation tools for a potential pilot program.
    • The four-month pilot would support live AI interpretation and captioning services during both virtual and in-person public meetings and events.
    • The city wants to understand how tools might support in-person settings and hybrid formats.
  • Sen. Parker authored legislation to establish the Texas Cyber Command and spearheaded the state’s first AI governance framework for public agencies.
  • What to Know:
    • Nearly 90 percent of the projected IT spending will be focused on modernizing the George Bush Intercontinental Airport’s Automated People Mover (APM) System.
    • The next largest project is a $13 million implementation of the SAP S/4HANA enterprise resource planning system.
    • The city has plans to migrate at least two systems to the cloud.
  • What to Know:
    • The district is seeking vendors to deliver an enterprise-scale solution across thousands of endpoint devices.
    • The effort is part of the Federal Communications Commission’s three-year Schools and Libraries Cybersecurity Pilot Program.
    • The initiative centers on patch management, identity protection and network access controls.
  • What to Know:
    • The county aims to gather details on available technologies and best practices for an integration platform that could support a wide range of justice system stakeholders.
    • The judicial web system currently serves as the central system for more than 100 courts and multiple agencies.
    • The county processes more than 70,000 civil cases annually and over 30,000 criminal cases through the platform each month.
  • What to Know:
    • H-GAC requires a solution that will replace the council’s current system and support a full life cycle of project tracking
    • The new platform is intended to be mobile compatible, support multiple user roles across agencies and integrate with existing systems.
    • The selected contractor will provide hosting, configuration and annual technical support.
  • What to Know:
    • The library is looking to modernize its information security via the Federal Communications Commission’s three-year Schools and Libraries Cybersecurity Pilot Program.
    • The library seeks a managed solution to safeguard about 1,000 public-facing Windows machines used by patrons.
    • Identity and access management services will also play a key role.
  • What to Know:
    • The city's proposed budget includes $166 million for Austin Technology Services (ATS).
    • Two-thirds of ATS' proposed budget would be allocated to its information and technology fund.
    • $12 million has been transferred from the city's Information Security Department to ATS.
  • What to Know:
    • The preliminary budget includes nearly $1 million for IT operations and maintenance.
    • $550,000 has been allocated for enterprise resource planning software.
    • The budget includes funding for a new assistant director of IT position at an annual cost of $133,000.
  • What to Know:
    • Workforce Solutions Cameron (WFSC) provides employment and training services under the Texas Workforce Commission’s workforce network.
    • WFSC's website was last updated in 2017.
    • The chosen contractor is expected to conduct a full content audit, optimize user experience and ensure compliance with federal accessibility standards.
  • What to Know:
    • The budget bill for Fiscal Years 2026-2027 grants DPS a $133 million IT capital budget.
    • Jessica Ballew, who assumed the role in September 2024, is the department’s chief information officer.
    • Ballew will headline an Industry Insider — Texas member briefing July 23.
  • What to Know:
    • The bulk of new investments appear in the Austin District, where TxDOT is proposing $32 million in projects along the I-35 corridor.
    • The draft also underscores continued investment in infrastructure that supports smart mobility and emission reduction goals.
    • TxDOT is administering $75 million through the Carbon Reduction Program for non-urban areas.
  • What to Know:
    • TWC is seeking a fully developed, web-based platform that enables individuals to store, manage and share their academic and workforce credentials.
    • The solution aims to support the state’s goal of addressing the middle-skills gap by helping job seekers track credentials and share verified information with employers.