Hiring Neurodiverse Talent in the Public Sector - Breaking Down the Barriers

On March 31, the Endangered Species Committee convened a meeting to discuss a national security exemption to Endangered Species Act (ESA) requirements for energy exploration and extraction projects in the Gulf. The Committee, which had only previously gathered 3 times since 1978, voted unanimously to grant the exemption.

On Mar. 18, the U.S. Senate Environment and Public Work held a hearing examining how to improve implementation of the Endangered Species Act (ESA). The hearing follows several legislative proposals to reform endangered species management that recently advanced in the U.S. House of Representatives.

On April 3, the White House released the Fiscal Year (FY) 2027 budget request, outlining the administration's proposals for budgetary spending for the fiscal year beginning October 1, 2026. The President’s budget requests cutting non-defense discretionary funding by 10 percent, or $73 billion. This budget proposal reflects the administration’s priorities but is unlikely to be passed in its current form and will need to be approved by Congress to be implemented.  

White House issues Executive Order on mail-in ballot procedures and citizenship verification  

On March 27, the U.S. Department of the Interior (DOI)  announced hundreds of millions of dollars in revenue sharing from Gulf energy projects, including more than $92 million which will be distributed directly to 42 coastal counties and parishes and Texas, Louisiana, Alabama and Mississippi. The revenue is generated from offshore oil and gas projects on the federally managed Gulf Outer Continental Shelf, and a portion is redirected to states and counties.

Wednesday, April 8, 2026 | 1:00 p.m. - 2:00 p.m. ET

Public sector AI adoption is caught in a "regulatory paradox": a strong push for rapid innovation occurring alongside a lack of clear   roadmaps and regulations for information safety. Data privacy regulations remain in full force.

For government information owners, the burden of responsibility for information governance has landed squarely on your shoulders. To innovate and modernize while keeping your information safe, you need a responsible information governance model that ensures only high-quality, compliant data is available for AI tools.

During this session, we’ll explore the four immediate steps you can take to ensure your agency’s AI adoption is secure, compliant, and trustworthy.

1. Enforcing information minimization

2. Implementing “need-to-keep” retention policies for AI tools

3. Demanding privacy-preserving information architectures

4. The importance of keeping a human in the loop

This webinar is brought to you by NACo EDGE, establishing people, purchasing, and performance cost-saving solutions that can be applied to counties nationwide. EDGE is owned by NACo, advised by county leaders and 100% focused on solutions for U.S. Counties. Learn more about NACo EDGE here.

For more information, visit the event page!

Public meetings and public records are foundational to transparency and accountability in county government. At the same time, today’s environment presents new challenges, as public officials and staff navigate heightened civic tension, evolving security risks, and increasing demands for information.

In this webinar, we will explore three interconnected priorities: maintaining safe and orderly public meetings, protecting the personal information of public officials and staff, and safeguarding sensitive resident data - including voter-related records - while continuing to meet legal requirements for public access.