HOUSTON – Starting today, members of the media and public can submit a TPIA request online using GovQA instead of filing in person or by email. The software will track public records requests across multiple City departments, standardize records processing, and fulfill requests in accordance with Texas Law. 

The system will help the city plan for the direct costs associated with records processing and ensure the public receives complete and accurate records. 

“By implementing the information management platform, my administration is setting another example for efficient and transparent government,” Mayor Sylvester Turner said. “GovQA will centralize and secure public records requests and reduce the amount of time our employees devote to processing paperwork.”

The public can access the portal at www.houstontx.gov/publicinformation. 

GovQA, will allow requesters to submit a public records request, track its progress, and receive updates by email. Requesters will also have access to all correspondence or notes about specific requests and be able to download electronic records deliverables.

The user-friendly web portal will offer more payment options, including electronic checks, credit, and debit cards.

“The City of Houston handles over two thousand public requests annually, and public information officers work diligently to clarify each request and identify and eliminate redundancies,” said Mary Benton, City of Houston Communications Director. “GovQA makes the TPIA process more efficient, which benefits the public that we serve.”

Tech company will invest in workforce development as part of “accelerate” initiative and support Houston’s innovation district at The Ion 

HOUSTON – Mayor Sylvester Turner announced on Monday that the city of Houston has expanded its groundbreaking digital alliance with Microsoft to innovate in big data, artificial intelligence and the digital economy. Microsoft brings to Houston “Accelerate,” a new program designed to address economic recovery through skilling both underserved communities and re-skilling the many Americans impacted by COVID-19.

The collaboration is intended to create new economic opportunity, close equity and digital skills gaps, and prepare a workforce for the 21st century.

“Microsoft launched the Accelerate program at a time when closing the digital divide has never been more important,” said Kate Johnson, president of Microsoft U.S. “We’re thrilled to be joining Mayor Turner and an impressive group of partners in this effort to expand access to in-demand digital skills—and close digital skills gaps widened by COVID-19—through Accelerate: Houston.”

The mayor was joined by Jacky Wright, chief digital officer, Microsoft U.S., to announce details of the Houston Innovation Alliance and Accelerate: Houston. Other partners supporting the alliance include The Ion, NASA, Kino-Eye Center, Upskill Houston, University of Houston College of Technology and Space Center Houston.

“More than two years ago, I announced our first transformative alliance with Microsoft — the first of its kind in the United States,” said Mayor Sylvester Turner. “Today, I am pleased to say we are taking another leap toward strengthening Houston’s global standing as a center for innovation and technology.”

Through coordination with corporate partners, K-12 school systems and higher education providers, Microsoft is developing a holistic plan for professional development/support and addressing the equity gap across the community:

• For transitioning members of the workforce and/or local veterans, the company will offer digital literacy workshops, empowerment programs and other development training with industry experts through LinkedIn Learning, to help prepare them for opportunities in new technologies and increase digital skills training.
• For students, the company will bring the Microsoft Imagine Academy Learning Paths to Houston schools, with content and industry certifications mapped to student skill development. Additional programming includes LinkedIn workshops, DigiCamps and DigiGirlz camps, bringing young people together to plan their future, help them identify the skills they need to reach their goals, and connect to programs and technology that will help them get there.
• For K-16 education providers, Microsoft and partners will bring digital literacy training and Modern Workplace training focused on digital skills for educators.

 “The University of Houston College of Technology and Microsoft are together providing students, professionals, businesses, and the Houston community with the resources to manage, create, communicate, and commercialize meaningfully unique opportunities,” said Dean Anthony Ambler, University of Houston College of Technology. “As game changers, the College of Technology and Microsoft transcend beyond the classroom with industry-recognized certifications, workshops, and degree programs that support workforce creation and upskilling while reinforcing a culture of innovation. These complementing activities champion the Houston community as adept practitioners and mentors in proven disciplines that apply ingenuity and technology to solve problems, improve lives, and enhance the economy.”

Through their joint efforts, Microsoft and the city of Houston will work to advance civic innovation and smart city initiatives, economic development and recovery, and digital skilling for workforce and youth.

“Our initial alliance with Microsoft, established in 2018, created the foundation for Houston to grow as a smart city. It brought startup innovation to city challenges through The Ion Smart City Accelerator, proved out cases for the use of IoT and AI to make our city safer and more resilient, and provided equitable access to technology throgh digital literacy, upskilling programs and Wi-Fi on public transport,” said Jesse Bounds, innovation director for the City of Houston. “This expansion will continue to build upon this foundation, the skills, processes and technologies needed to drive future growth and equitable prosperity in the city and position Houston to be a shining example to others around the globe.”

To help accelerate the integration of technology and implement the vision to make Houston a center of excellence for innovation in energy transition, AI, IoT and data science, Microsoft is investing more than $1 million into programs that support social entrepreneurship and other initiatives in partnership with Houston’s Innovation District at The Ion.

“With this digital alliance, one of history’s most important and innovative technology companies becomes a key pillar of The Ion,” said David Leebron, president, Rice University. “Microsoft will help implement the vision to make Houston’s new innovation district a focal point for the future of energy, artificial intelligence, data science and smart cities.”

“As a founding partner of The Ion Smart and Resilient Cities Accelerator, Microsoft has already established a close collaboration with The Ion, supporting startups as they develop and scale their businesses and pursue pilot opportunities with the city of Houston,” said Jan E. Odegard, The Ion’s interim executive director. “In addition to supporting entrepreneurs solving challenges like mobility, clean-tech, air quality and water purification, we are excited to expand our partnership with Microsoft as part of this digital alliance with the city of Houston to include access to resources that allow us to offer more robust workforce development initiatives on-site at The Ion’s new space.”

“Houston is home to some of the world’s most important medical breakthroughs, and as the Energy Capital of the World, we’re leading the energy transition into a more sustainable future,” said Mayor Turner. “Microsoft shares my vision to make Houston the Smart City of the future and a leader among U.S. cities as we develop excellence in innovation, AI and digital equity.”

Accelerate: Houston is the latest U.S. implementation of Microsoft’s Global Skills Initiative, an ambitious plan to help 25 million people worldwide acquire new digital skills by the end of the year.

More information can be found at https://aka.ms/AccelerateHouston.

Microsoft (Nasdaq “MSFT” @microsoft) enables digital transformation for the era of an intelligent cloud and an intelligent edge. Its mission is to empower every person and every organization on the planet to achieve more.

HOUSTON – Mayor Sylvester Turner, his Health Equity Response (H.E.R.) Task Force, physicians and community volunteers gave away masks, produce, meat, milk, census literature, and COVID-19 educational materials in Alief over the weekend.

About 1,000 vehicles drove up to the Notre Dame Catholic Church on Boone Road to receive in the contactless distribution event masks donated by Bank of America to the H.E.R. Task Force and food provided by the Houston Food Bank on Saturday, Aug. 22. Alief residents who walked up to the site also received assistance, food and masks.

“The need for masks and food is still great as we move through this pandemic,” said Mayor Sylvester Turner. “The H.E.R. Task Force zeroes in on communities that need our attention the most and helps to provide the necessary supplies to residents in those neighborhoods. We couldn’t do this without the great support of our partners and volunteers who devote their time to helping others.”

The H.E.R. Task Force received a boost in its outreach efforts with a generous $10,000 donation from the Houston-based I Believe in Change organization, founded by David Imonitie.

Houston-based community organizations that organized volunteers who donated their time and sweat equity to the event include the Houston Medical Forum, Vietnamese American Medical Association, American Heart Association, Mary Susan Moore Medical Society, Association of Nigerian Physicians in the Americas – Houston Chapter, Philippine Nurses Association of Metro Houston, Alief Super Neighborhood, Light and Salt Association, Alpha Eta Alpha, and the 100 Back Men of Houston.

Additionally, medical personnel and medical students from University of Texas Medical Branch, Baylor College of Medicine, and McGovern Medical School at University of Texas Health Science Center also contributed their time and energy.

METRO has received confirmation a bus operator has tested positive for COVID-19. This brings the total number of cases to 185 METRO employees and 51 contractors since March 2020. 

Eighty-four of the employees had no contact with the public. METRO tracks and reports all positive cases among its 4200 employees and the various contractors who provide services to METRO. We are also conducting temperature checks of employees and others before they begin their workday at METRO facilities or on our vehicles. 

The bus operator last worked Aug. 19 and in the two weeks prior, drove the following routes:

*The chart above reflects the days the operator was on duty two weeks prior to the last day on the job.

Anyone who comes in contact with an individual who tests positive should monitor themselves for possible symptoms, contact your health care provider as soon as you develop any symptoms, and self-isolate to avoid possibly exposing others, including refraining from using public transportation.

METRO is working with public health officials so they can identify and notify anyone who traveled the routes driven by the bus operator during those time frames.

Since mid-March, METRO has sought to minimize the likelihood of COVID-19 transmission by operators or passengers by encouraging social distancing. On March 23, the agency temporarily suspended collecting fares to avoid unnecessary contacts.  Shortly thereafter, orange mesh fencing was installed across the aisles of every local bus to assure appropriate distancing between operators and passengers.

More safety upgrades are also being added to ​buses, trains and METROLift vehicles. Operators and riders will now have access to hand sanitizer while on board and protective shields around drivers’ seats will provide another layer of separation between operators and the public. Operators and riders are required to wear a face covering while on the system.

We appreciate and greatly value our riders. We have taken many actions, including working with the community at large, to “flatten the curve” of COVID-19. To prevent or minimize its transmission on the transit system, METRO asks all riders to use the system only for essential trips at this time,  practice social distancing when you do ride transit (i.e., stand or sit at least 6 feet apart, as recommended by the Centers for Disease Control, wash your hands for 20 seconds before boarding transit and after deboarding, cover your mouth when you cough or sneeze, or cough or sneeze into your elbow, avoid touching your eyes, nose, and mouth with unwashed hands, and stay home if you are sick). Additionally, riders should stand or sit no closer than six feet behind the driver. 

METRO’s number one priority is protecting the health and safety of our customers, community and employees.

The Metropolitan Transit Authority of Harris County (METRO) is the region’s largest public transit provider, offering safe, reliable and affordable transportation services about 370,000 times per day. Besides operating more than 1,200 buses on METRO’s network, METRORail‘s system includes the Red Line (Main Street and Northline), Green Line (East End) and Purple Line (Southeast). METRO’s services also include: STAR Vanpool, METROLift, HOV/HOT lanes, Bike & Ride program, Park & Ride, and road improvement projects. Learn more about METRO services at ridemetro.org where you will also find useful tools like the RideMETRO app where you can plan your trip and even pay your fare from your phone.