Priorities Podcast · 2026-06-24 · 31 min
The Department of Housing and Urban Development last month offered state and local governments up to $3 million to deploy AI-powered building code permitting systems. Julia Richman, the former chief transformation officer of Colorado and a vice president of the software company Clariti, said on the Priorities Podcast that her company offers a solution to some of these common challenges with permitting, and is helping governments to apply for the grant funds before the mid-July deadline. “Our AI studio is aimed to help communities really understand how AI could apply in their workflows and also what are the right kinds of AI to be considering,” Richman said. Top stories this week: Texas Gov. Greg Abbott announced the launch of a “one stop shop” website for comprehensive information related to the New World screwworm, and the state’s response to the spread of the flesh-eating parasite across parts of Texas and New Mexico. The website provides information on the outbreak of New World screwworm cases and resources for farmers, veterinarians and residents.