2021 CIO Forum & Tech Summit

On May 13, the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) announced available grant funding under the Community Connect Grant Program for Fiscal Year (FY) 2026. Earlier this month, USDA also released a Notice of Funding Opportunity (NOFO) for the Distance Learning and Telemedicine (DLT) Grant Program for FY 2026. In total, $44 million is available in financial assistance between these two programs.

On April 21, U.S. Senate Budget Committee Chairman Lindsey Graham (R-S.C.) unveiled a budget resolution to advance a party-line reconciliation package focused on immigration enforcement and funding for agencies within the U.S. Department of Homeland Security (DHS), including the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA). The resolution is the first step in a two-part process aimed at producing final legislation by June 1.

DOJ has announced plans to explore ways to lower the cost of compliance with its 2024 Final Rule on web-based accessibility requirements for state and local governments.

As broadband projects move into construction and early networks start coming online, county leaders must ensure that funded builds are completed as promised and network reliability keeps pace with a fast-approaching AI-driven economy. 

AI is transforming county government, but responsible adoption requires more than enthusiasm. In late 2025, the New York State Association of Counties (NYSAC) partnered with CAI to tackle a critical question: how can counties objectively evaluate AI tools for cost, security, data protection, and real-world fit? The answer became the GovAI Trustmark, a first-of-its-kind AI certification framework built by and for county government, launched in the spring of 2026. In this NACo webinar, the practitioners who were part of the workgroup will share the process in building this online evaluation dashboard and how it can work for counties nationwide.