NASCIO Releases 2019 Federal Advocacy Priorities: Continues Call for Harmonized Cyber Regulations
WASHINGTON, D.C., January 23, 2019 — Today, the National Association of State Chief Information Officers (NASCIO) released its 2019 federal advocacy priorities. The priorities are:
1. Harmonize disparate federal cybersecurity regulations and normalize the audit process
2. Continue meaningful state CIO/CISO participation in FEMA’s Senior Advisory Committee and Urban Area Working Group
3. Recognize state authority and ongoing innovation with emerging technology
Fact sheets regarding the above priorities can be found at: www.NASCIO.org/advocacy.
“Disparate regulations are an obstacle for states working to proactively enhance their cybersecurity posture and deliver innovative digital government for citizens,” said James Collins, NASCIO president and Delaware CIO. “We are encouraged by the engagement of our federal partners to harmonize cybersecurity regulations and look forward to advancing that work in 2019.”
In May 2018, the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) announced key changes which required states to include chief information officers (CIOs) and chief information security officers (CISOs) in state senior advisory committees. NASCIO fully supports continued and meaningful engagement of state CIOs and CISOs on these advisory committees which govern state homeland security grants managed by FEMA.
“NASCIO applauds the inclusion of state CIOs and CISOs in FEMA advisory committees and we look forward to continuing to support these efforts.” Said Doug Robinson, NASCIO’s executive director.
In the 2018 State CIO Survey, state CIOs forecast that artificial intelligence / robotic process automation (57 percent), internet of things (27 percent) and connected/autonomous vehicles (8 percent) will be the most impactful emerging technologies for state government in the next three to five years. By embracing these and other technological advances, state CIOs seek to enhance the effectiveness of state government in delivering services to citizens. As such, NASCIO supports the ability and authority of state governments to continue to serve as laboratories of democracy as it applies to emerging technology.
The association’s federal advocacy priorities are selected by NASCIO’s executive committee and reflect policy priorities as indicated by association members (www.NASCIO.org/topten). NASCIO aims to add to policy discussions taking place within the federal government sphere as they relate to the business of state government IT.
