Trump's Christmas Gift to Big Oil: Killing Hopes of Electric Car Tax Credit Extension

Ecowatch | December 19, 2019

The oil industry, a staunch opponent of electric vehicles (EVs), received an early Christmas present from the White House as President Trump reportedly intervened to quash an EV tax credit expansion from inclusion in a government spending package. The tax credit is meant to help offset the upfront cost of electric vehicles and boost the EV market. Consumers who purchase an EV can currently claim a credit up to $7,500, and the credit phases out once auto manufacturers sell 200,000 qualifying vehicles. Tesla and General Motors have both hit the 200,000-vehicle cap and had lobbied for an extension. A bipartisan proposal called for allowing a $7,000 credit for an additional 400,000 vehicles sold.

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EMERGING TECHNOLOGY, GOVERNMENT BUSINESS

Maximus wins major UK government contract

Businesswire | May 29, 2023

Maximus, a leading provider of health, employment, and digital customer services globally, has been selected as the largest provider of the new Functional Assessment Services (FAS) contract, due to launch in 2024. The award maintains Maximus’ position as a leading provider of health assessments to the UK government. Since 2015 Maximus has been the only national provider of the Health Assessment Advisory Service on behalf of the Department for Work and Pensions. Maximus transformed the assessment service, with waiting times significantly reduced and record customer satisfaction. From 2024, assessments will be delivered on a regional basis. Maximus will deliver across Scotland and Northern England, and as a delivery partner to Capita across the Midlands and Wales. The combined estimated value of the contracts, including subcontracting, is £800m/$1bn over five years, with the option to extend for a further two years. Dr Paul Williams, Division President of Maximus UK, said: “We are delighted to continue our partnership with DWP to deliver the next generation of health and disability assessments. We remain committed to working with stakeholders, including disabled people and their representative groups, to improve customer experience in the assessment process, delivering a sensitive, respectful and expert service to the millions of people who rely on these services to access financial support”. Bruce Caswell, President and Chief Executive Officer of Maximus, said: “This award continues our expansion in the UK market. With our strong track record of transforming services on behalf of government, and our strategic focus on the future of health services globally, we are proud to be working with DWP on the delivery of this important new service”. About Maximus in the UK Maximus delivers services that help more than 2 million people each year in the UK move forward with their lives. Operating from more than 285 locations, Maximus is one of the largest providers of employment, health, and digital customer services in the country. Maximus employs over 5,000 specialists, including more than 1,000 employment advisors and 1,400 doctors, nurses, occupational therapists and other Healthcare Professionals. We are proud to be a Disability Confident Leader and Living Wage Employer.

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EMERGING TECHNOLOGY, CYBERSECURITY

OnSolve® Strengthens Government Security and Compliance with FedRAMP® Authorization as Risk Hits an All-Time High

PR Newswire | May 23, 2023

OnSolve, a leading critical event management provider that enables organizations to mitigate physical threats and remain agile when a crisis strikes, today announced its Federal Risk and Authorization Management Program (FedRAMP) authorization, certifying its technology has successfully gone through a rigorous review and assessment process to meet stringent federally defined standards. With the news, OnSolve continues to offer federal agencies cloud-based, secure technology to keep them ahead of risk and streamline communication during a disruption or crisis. "Government agencies are facing significant challenges from a dynamic risk landscape and need secure technology to help them mitigate all manner of threats," said OnSolve Chief Executive Officer Mark Herrington. "Our recent Global Risk Impact report found staggering increases across infrastructure, severe weather and transportation threats. Today's news reinforces our commitment to helping the public sector navigate this complexity and keep people, places and property as safe as possible." FedRAMP authorization enables the federal government to accelerate the adoption of cloud-based vendors by creating transparent standards and processes for security authorizations, including a C-level security evaluation from the Department of Defense, the General Services Administration and the Department of Homeland Security. By achieving FedRAMP authorization, the public sector can rapidly deploy the OnSolve Platform at a time when physical threats are rapidly increasing, helping agencies strengthen their security posture and mitigate the impact of threats to their people and assets. Federal agencies will continue to use the OnSolve Platform to securely manage risks, communicate quickly and activate crisis teams from any location. OnSolve can be found on the FedRAMP Marketplace here. "Government agencies have a duty to protect their employees and the missions they serve from physical threats that are becoming increasingly common," said Dustin Radtke, CTO, OnSolve. "There is a clear sense of urgency to support the public sector with secure solutions that keep organizations agile and resilient in today's dynamic threat landscape. Increasing the adoption of a solution like the OnSolve Platform will save lives, protect critical infrastructure and enable operational agility. We remain committed to deepening our partnerships within the public sector." OnSolve's public sector customer base includes over 40 percent of authorized Integrated Public Alert & Warning Systems (IPAWS) authorities, cities and counties, 250 utility agencies and 50 federal agencies. Whether a severe weather event, natural disaster or power outage, the OnSolve Platform detects and shares timely updates on public safety emergencies and other public threats, with multi-modal delivery options including mobile, text, email, phone, social media and more. OnSolve's recent release of the 2023 Global Risk Impact Report identifies three rising threats across the U.S. Infrastructure and technology failures (+807%), transportation accidents (+296%) and extreme weather (+42%) increased significantly in 2022 when compared to 2021. To read the 2023 OnSolve Global Risk Impact report, please visit www.onsolve.com/GRI. About OnSolve OnSolve is a leading critical event management provider that proactively mitigates physical threats, allowing organizations to remain agile when a crisis strikes. Using the most trusted expertise and reliable AI-powered risk intelligence, critical communications and incident management technology, the OnSolve Platform enables enterprises, SMB organizations and all levels of government to detect, anticipate and mitigate physical threats that impact their people, places and property. With billions of alerts sent annually and proven support for both the public and private sectors, OnSolve is used by thousands of entities to save lives, protect communities, safeguard critical infrastructure and enable agility for the organizations that power our economy. For more information, please visit www.onsolve.com.

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CYBERSECURITY

SmartSimple Software Launches Cloud +AI Solution for Government Grants

SmartSimple Software | March 10, 2023

On March 09, 2023, SmartSimple Software, one of the leading providers of cloud-based solutions for government grants management, announced the launch of SmartSimple Cloud +AI. The innovative product incorporates a comprehensive AI support system that spans the entire lifecycle of government grants management, simplifying the process and lessening the administrative burden. The first fully integrated artificial intelligence product, SmartSimple Cloud +AI is for government grants management. It combines AI-powered text completion, a feature popularized by OpenAI's ChatGPT-3, deeply into government grants management workflows. Using the robust architecture of SmartSimple Cloud, the product enables government grantmakers to use AI in accordance with their specific needs throughout the entire grant process. SmartSimple Cloud +AI responds to queries to both workflow-initiated and human that support grantmakers across all stages of the granting lifecycle. It integrates seamlessly into the SmartSimple Cloud experience, enabling users to interact with AI through the SmartSimple Cloud user interface. As a new technology, its potential applications have yet to be fully explored. A few strengths are the ability to supplement and enrich data in real time, perform precise and automatic text summarization, and enable large-scale personalized communication. SmartSimple Software Co-Founder and COO, Mike Reid said, "We believe that the advent of the AIs will release a torrent of innovation such as the world has rarely seen." He also said, "By integrating the AIs into our platform, SmartSimple Cloud, and integrating early, we will unleash this power to our clients in support of their missions." (Source – Cision PR Newswire) About SmartSimple Software SmartSimple Software is a cloud-based automation collaboration software that provides unique process solutions. The company is based in Toronto, Ontario, and over 500 clients in 192 countries use its software. In addition, some of the largest grantmaking foundations, Fortune 500 companies, research and higher education institutions, and government agencies rely on SmartSimple CLOUD's business process optimization solutions. SmartSimple Software is 100 % owner-funded and managed by over one hundred people in Canada, Europe, the US and the UK.

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