State Government Computers Shut Down Across Nebraska
A systemwide outage of state government computers brought operations to a grinding halt across Nebraska on Thursday.
The affected systems included those used by the Legislature, driver's licensing offices, and various state departments such as Health and Human Services and Transportation.
The outage also impacted the lighted board in the legislative chamber that displays voting records.
Legislature Adjourns Early Due to Outage
The disruption was severe enough to prompt the adjournment of the Legislature just over an hour after it convened without debating a scheduled slate of bills.
However, lawmakers were able to reconvene later in the day for afternoon committee hearings on proposed legislation.
Websites and Communications Restore
The state's websites and communication systems were back online by 1 p.m., although the cause of the outage was not immediately disclosed.
A spokesperson for the chief information officer, Ezra Effrein, stated that an investigation into the root cause was underway.
When asked if a malicious act could be behind the outage, Effrein noted it was too early to say.
Government Offices and Departments Affected
The outage impacted various state offices and departments, including:
- Driver's licensing offices
- Health and Human Services department
- Transportation department
- Legislative chamber voting records display
No Immediate Information on Cause of Outage
The reason for the shutdown was not immediately disclosed by officials, including Gov. Jim Pillen's office.
The chief information officer's spokesperson stated that an investigation into the root cause was ongoing and further details would be provided as they became available.
As a result of the outage, various government services were unavailable to citizens and businesses, causing inconvenience and disruption across Nebraska.