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Rae D. DeShong

Rae D. DeShong is a Dallas-based e.Republic staff writer and has worked at The Dallas Morning News and as a community college administrator.

Environmental,Technology,Concept.,Sustainable,Development,Goals.,Sdgs.
News
Tracking the Spend: Texas Commission on Environmental Quality
The agency that monitors environmental impacts spent $980,530 in February, mostly on consulting and telecom services.
Insider
March 17, 2023
 · Rae D. DeShong
Medicaid,Top,View,,Doctor,Writing,Medical,Records,On,A,Clipboard,
News
Health and Human Services Commission Says Focus Is on Continuous Coverage Wind-Down
The agency has been deliberating ending the Families First Coronavirus Response Act and will need to address all aspects, including data and IT needs.
Insider
March 16, 2023
 · Rae D. DeShong
View from the balcony, Texas House of Representatives Chamber in Austin.
News
Legislature Considers Two New Ways to Fund Broadband
Bills aim to provide additional funding to the state's Broadband Development Office; however, each would require approval from voters before becoming law.
Insider
March 14, 2023
 · Rae D. DeShong
Cloud Computing Security Concept - Security Service Edge and Secure Access Service Edge - SSE and SASE - New Cloud-based Cybersecurity Solutions - 3D Illustration
News
Tracking the Spend: State Spent $353M in February
Spending included payments to 162 agencies and almost 2,400 vendors.
Insider
March 10, 2023
 · Rae D. DeShong
A finger print surrounded by lines of code, all in blue.
News
Modernizing Data Could Multiply Agency’s Financial Recoveries
The HHS Office of the Inspector General outlined rates of return for upgrading IT, impacting investigations and audits.
Insider
March 09, 2023
 · Rae D. DeShong
Fiber,Pipe,Installation,Below,Street
News
State Announces Initial Broadband Grant Offer
The State Comptroller of Public Accounts has published a notice of $120 million in funding availability, which kicks off the distribution of federal COVID-19 monies.
Insider
March 07, 2023
 · Rae D. DeShong
Flickr-Police-Dash-Cam
News
Tracking the Spend: DPS Spent Just Under $9M in January
The Texas Department of Public Safety spends a significant portion of its budget on telecommunications and video equipment.
Insider
March 03, 2023
 · Rae D. DeShong
Texas WIC image from myWIC.jpg
News
Social Service Agency Contemplating WIC System Improvements
The State's Health and Human Services Commission has published a pre-solicitation notice indicating that another large project is in the pipeline.
Insider
March 02, 2023
 · Rae D. DeShong
Walker County Texas Courthouse, built in the 1970s.
News
Walker County Moves to Begin Networking and Software Upgrades
The IT director spoke to the commissioners court last month to give details on how they wish to prioritize projects.
Insider
March 02, 2023
 · Rae D. DeShong
Bilingual,Sign,Vote,Here,Vote,Aqui,To,Direct,Voters,To
News
State’s Election Management System Sees Possible Replacement
A pre-solicitation notice indicates that the Secretary of State is exploring replacing the system that keeps up with registered voters across all counties, among other functions.
Insider
February 28, 2023
 · Rae D. DeShong
An image similar to inner clock workings to depict learning and competence.
News
Abilene Looking for Learning Management System to Support 1,500 Employees
The system should be modern and allow for customization by the city’s human resources department, which plans for a three-year contract.
Insider
February 24, 2023
 · Rae D. DeShong
Business,Woman,Working,On,A,Laptop.,Business,,Legal,Law,,Advice
News
Department of Information Resources Seeks to Procure Additional Subscription Databases
These would be part of the cooperative contracts programming, which provides the public sector with a purchasing avenue. This type of contracting has generated about $8 billion in sales over three years.
Insider
February 24, 2023
 · Rae D. DeShong
Front view of midcentury Galveston County Courthouse in Galveston, Texas.
News
Galveston County Seeks Upgrades for Eight Buildings
The county seeks building automation system replacements; submitting a proposal requires attendance at a pre-proposal meeting.
Insider
February 23, 2023
 · Rae D. DeShong
Glenn Hegar, Texas Comptroller, speaking in a chamber wearing dark suit. Image from CPA office.
News
Profiles in Government: Texas Comptroller of Public Accounts
This agency, created when Texas was a republic, is responsible for estimating revenue for budget purposes.
Insider
February 21, 2023
 · Rae D. DeShong
Smith Karen person on the move.jpg
News
Austinite Makes a Move
CGI welcomed a new director of consulting earlier this month; she has prior experience with the group.
Insider
February 21, 2023
 · Rae D. DeShong
Cyber,Security,Essentials,,Digital,Crime,Prevention,By,Anonymous,Hackers,,Personal
News
City Planning for Technical Upgrades and Replacements
McKinney will spend more than half-million dollars on supplemental IT items and additional money on court and library items.
Insider
February 16, 2023
 · Rae D. DeShong
Broadband logo for Texas has a small state flag
News
Broadband Rules Set for Connectivity Funding
The state comptroller published the final rules governing how its Broadband Development Office will decide how federal broadband infrastructure funds will be distributed.
Insider
February 14, 2023
 · Rae D. DeShong
rural-money
News
Tracking the Spend: The State Spent $301M in January
Roughly 42 percent of the money was spent by three state agencies; 10,392 purchase orders were completed.
Insider
February 10, 2023
 · Rae D. DeShong
Budget data on a spreadsheet
News
North Exurb Includes Enterprise Resource Planning System in Spending
The system is part of capital planning listed in this year’s budget documents.
Insider
February 07, 2023
 · Rae D. DeShong
police-on-laptop.jpg
News
Cybersecurity, Laptop Replacements on Town Budget
Alongside IT needs, the municipality is also building a new fire station and making camera upgrades in various departments.
Insider
February 07, 2023
 · Rae D. DeShong
Closeup,Of,The,Documents,Of,Both,The,Cares,Act,(coronavirus
News
Houston Area Municipality Wants to Spend ARPA Funds This Year
A small city's budget includes plans to spend federal funds for upgrades and purchase technology with general funding.
Insider
February 03, 2023
 · Rae D. DeShong
Businessman,Using,A,Computer,To,Document,Management,Concept,,Online,Documentation
News
Report Outlines Data Improvement Needs for a Human-Centered Agency
The public policy group Texas 2036 continues to surface issues facing various state agencies. This week’s report is focused on child welfare, a topic the nonprofit regularly addresses.
Insider
February 02, 2023
 · Rae D. DeShong
A numbered list of Texas state agencies including 1. Health and Human Services Commission, 2. Department of Transportation, 3. Department of Criminal Justice, 4. General Land Office, and 5. Department of Family and Protective Services.
News
Profiles in Government: Texas Department of Criminal Justice
The law enforcement agency was formed from three others in 1989 and has the third largest budget in the state, including general and federal funds.
Insider
January 31, 2023
 · Rae D. DeShong
SHUTTERSTOCK_WEBSITE_HTTPS_URL
News
Large County Inquires About Website Solution
The county has included website planning in this year’s budget; it seeks a modern, responsive solution.
Insider
January 27, 2023
 · Rae D. DeShong
Shutterstock_Distance+Learning_network.jpg
News
400 Texas Libraries, Schools Receive Billions to Provide Devices, Connectivity
This is the third round of funding so far from a federal program that funds hardware and Internet services for educational purposes.
Insider
January 26, 2023
 · Rae D. DeShong
View of Palo Duro Canyon featuring mountains and a slight valley.
News
Profiles in Government: Texas Parks and Wildlife Department
The agency, which has 13 divisions and celebrates its 100th birthday this year, has a $16.2 million IT budget.
Insider
January 24, 2023
 · Rae D. DeShong
Bell County.png
News
Technology Leader Looks Forward to Connecting Constituents
One county is readying to engage with vendors on ways to build a middle-mile infrastructure.
Insider
January 20, 2023
 · Rae D. DeShong
money_shutterstock_558986950
News
A Look at Agencies’ Top Expenditures in 2022
The top three spenders for contracted services were the Texas Department of Transportation, the Texas Military Department and the Department of Information Resources.
Insider
January 19, 2023
 · Rae D. DeShong
Texas,Flag,Patch,On,The,Bulletproof,Plate,Carrier,,Shallow,Depth
News
Tracking the Spend: Texas Military Department
Technology spending apparently peaked in June; however, the department spends regularly on this need.
Insider
January 17, 2023
 · Rae D. DeShong
Labor,Law,Lawyer,Legal,Business,Internet,Technology,Concept.
News
Here Are 5 Pieces of Technology and Cyber Legislation to Watch
Bills relating to technology, security and workforce pipeline will be on the legislative agenda.
Insider
January 13, 2023
 · Rae D. DeShong
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