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What to Know:
- HHSC supports operations for programs such as Medicaid, SNAP and WIC, and also oversees the Department of State Health Services.
- With $1.1 billion allocated for technology-related initiatives, the agency’s funding spans major modernization efforts.
- HHSC is focused on expanding artificial intelligence use, defending against cybersecurity threats and improving its data-driven decision-making.
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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 U.S. Energy Information Administration on Thursday noted that U.S. energy demand was set to grow by about 4-5 percent in the next two years.
- The EIA expects electricity demand on the ERCOT grid to increase by an average rate of 11 percent between this year and 2026.
- A number of crypto mines have popped up in the last several years, and opponents claim these facilities soak up so much power that it strains the power grid.
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.
Industry Insider — Texas is pleased to welcome Rocket Software to the Industry Insider family. Rocket Software offers a variety of software solutions spanning IT modernization, AI-driven automation, data integration and secure hybrid cloud to help organizations unlock the full potential of their data, applications and infrastructure. For more information, contact David Grun or visit the Rocket Software website.
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:
- 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:
- 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.
The project, a collaboration between the North Central Texas Council of Governments' TXShare arm, the Alliance for Innovation and Civic Marketplace, provides an AI tech purchasing platform with already vetted vendors.
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:
- Verizon has donated $100,000 to support search and rescue efforts.
- AT&T has announced that its Mobile Connectivity Center will remain at The Hunt Store for the next three weeks if weather permits.
- Gov. Greg Abbott directed the Texas Division of Emergency Management to activate state emergency response resources ahead of expected weather threats.
Contributed Content
Agentic AI is expanding identity security risk. Here’s how to adopt it without opening new pathways for attackers.
This report sounds the alarm on fraud in government programs. The message is clear: Fraudsters are attacking government programs with relentless speed, using stolen and fake identities, across state borders and within agencies, often driven by complex crime networks that are difficult to entirely track down and stop.
A new wave of employment fraud is targeting U.S. companies, with fake candidates using AI-enhanced resumes and stolen identities to infiltrate organizations. Socure uncovers how these sophisticated schemes, often linked to foreign operatives, pose significant security risks and highlights the urgent need for advanced identity verification in hiring processes.
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