Tech Talkin’ Governors 2006, Part One. What does your Governor say about Economic Development?

Publisher’s Note

Since 1999, SSTI has reviewed each of the governor’s State of the States and inaugural and budget addresses for references involving tech-based economic development. Since 2001, we’ve provided relevant excerpts as part of the SSTI Weekly Digest. This year’s coverage begins with this issue, and as you’ll see, it’s clear that innovation and workforce are playing a major role in this year’s speeches. Our coverage will continue over the next several weeks.

We’ve been alerted by a number of states to expect major announcements in the coming weeks, and as these excerpts indicate, 2006 is likely to be an active year for those that are concerned about innovation. As we report in our second article, American voters, if not all opinion leaders, are recognizing the importance of innovation to the country’s future.

Arizona

Gov. Janet Napolitano, State-of-the-State Address, Jan. 9, 2006 http://www.governor.state.az.us/press/2006/0601/2006%20State%20of%20the%20State%20Address.pdf

"To expand Arizona’s prosperity, we will provide $100 million in smart tax relief that strengthens our economy and invests in new technologies that will create the jobs of the future. …

"… A thriving economy means an economy that takes advantage of the jobs and technology of the future. If we want Arizona to be the high-tech powerhouse it can be, we need to invest in the research and innovation that will produce it.

"To that end, I ask you to support creation of “Innovation Arizona,” that will be the public part of a public-private partnership to improve Arizona’s science and technology standing in the world. Innovation Arizona has two charges – first, to provide funding that will attract world-class researchers to Arizona; and second, to support research into new products and technologies that can be commercialized and brought to the market. We’re going to emphasize the cutting edge in everything we do here – whether it’s sustainable systems technology, nano-tech, bio-tech, defense-tech, aerospace tech or new communications and information technology. Together, we will continue to make Arizona a leader in the 21st century economy."

Georgia

Gov. Sonny Perdue, State-of-the-State Address, Jan. 11, 2006 http://gov.state.ga.us/speeches/2006_speeches/Jan11_2006.shtml

"To lead, we must innovate. That means, we must become a State of Innovation. That means making innovation our competitive advantage in every area of our economy – in our existing industries, in our homegrown small businesses and in the growth industries of the future, such as life sciences and nano-manufacturing. …

"Building an innovation economy requires three main ingredients: people, capital and infrastructure. Georgia is investing in all three areas. We’re investing $80 million this year alone…

"… In the area of investment capital, we will budget $5 million to expand our Seed Capital Fund for early stage bioscience entrepreneurs. And $5 million for the Life Sciences Facilities Fund to help provide growing bioscience firms with the facilities they need to continue their growth here in Georgia.

"To strengthen our investment infrastructure, I am recommending investments in nanotechnology, energy and broadband technology. My budget includes $38 million in bonds to complete the construction of a Nanotechnology Research Center at Georgia Tech to establish Georgia as a global leader in this emerging industry. To ensure Georgia’s energy future, I am budgeting $2 million to seed research on developing alternative fuels, such as expanding our BioRefinery program at the University of Georgia. …

"… The third area of investment is broadband. … The goal of my Broadband Initiative is to ensure that every Georgia community is plugged in to the global economy with the broadband connectivity that individuals and businesses need. I will ask the OneGeorgia Authority to establish a $5 million grant program to support rural broadband access. In addition, I am also proposing a $5 million initiative at the Georgia Technology Authority to partner with at least three Georgia cities to bring wireless broadband – WiFi – to their areas."

Idaho

Gov. Dirk Kempthorne, State-of-the-State Address, Jan. 9, 2006
http://gov.idaho.gov/mediacenter/speech/sp06/sp_SOS.html

"Science and technology continues to be one of the driving forces behind the strength of Idaho’s economy. I am recommending the full request of the Science and Technology Advisory Council. This includes funding for our TechConnect offices throughout the state; grant money for Idaho companies competing for federal research dollars; and increased funding for our universities for research and technology transfer.

"This year, we must also continue to invest in rural Idaho through my Rural Initiative. Many of the new jobs in our smaller communities are the direct result of this initiative. I am proposing an additional $700,000 investment. With your support, we’ll bring funding for the Rural Initiative to $3.5 million, of which $500,000 is earmarked for science and technology projects."

Iowa

Gov. Tom Vilsack, Condition-of-the-State Address, Jan. 10, 2006
http://www.governor.state.ia.us/agenda/2006/cos/index.html

"… There are still other areas that require us to spur innovation and creativity. Our strategic plan for transforming the economy of our state is focused on the three areas that make the most sense, the greatest potential for our state – ag and chemical biotechnology, innovative focus on insurance and financial services – but we should never forget the important role higher education plays in all of this.

"The plan put together by the Battelle Group suggests that we need to invest more in human capital and physical infrastructure to spur innovation and creativity. If we endow chairs and recruit great faculty to our universities, the brightest and best minds can be attracted to Iowa. If we expand lab space and incubator space, those bright minds can transfer into new products and new opportunities for Iowa. …

"… Our colleges, our universities, our community colleges — have made great strides in contributing to the collective economic well-being of all of us. But we need to make more. We need to make an additional investment of up to $50 million from the tobacco settlement account. We need to dedicate that investment to the human capital and the physical infrastructure that will allow us to spur innovation and creativity. We need to lead the nation in this effort by putting these resources together. With Rebuild Iowa Infrastructure funds, we can, indeed, create new opportunities for innovation and creativity. In doing so we can continue our growth and maintain the momentum that we have in our state today. I ask you to consider it for today and for tomorrow.

"Now, strong communities, as I said earlier, also embrace change. New discoveries require us to think differently and approach things differently, to think anew. There is no better example of that than the area of medical research. Several years ago we placed a ban on certain types of medical research at the University of Iowa Hospitals and Clinics involving nuclear cell transplants. We never dreamt that the treatments resulting from those research opportunities would ever develop so quickly, would ever develop into life-saving treatments, but they have. It requires us to think differently about the ban. I suggest that we lift the ban, that we lift the restrictions on nuclear cell transplant research."

Kansas

Gov. Kathleen Sebelius, State-of-the-State Address, Jan. 9, 2006
http://www.ksgovernor.org/news/docs/stateofstate_010906.html

"I believe we must continue to encourage development in our state’s rural areas, and we must help all businesses by giving them an incentive to create jobs in Kansas. That’s why I propose eliminating the property tax on new business machinery and equipment. It will encourage Kansas companies to invest in new technology to better compete around the world, and it will ensure our economy will continue to provide good jobs for Kansas workers."

Kentucky

Gov. Ernie Fletcher, State-of-the-Commonwealth, Jan. 9, 2006
http://governor.ky.gov/mediaroom/speeches/20060109SOC.htm

"Tonight, I am proposing two broad initiatives. The first is ‘Get Competitive Kentucky,’ a series of steps to make us more competitive globally and with our southern neighbors. …

"… Kentucky was once a leader in educational technology but we have fallen behind. We must catch up to prepare our students for an increasingly technological world. I will recommend major new investments in technology to ensure we can track in real time student performance, available on the web, and identify a student that needs intervention before it’s too late. I will also recommend ultra-high speed broadband technology to increase our capacity to get instruction into the classroom that would never have been possible before. …

"… To compete in the fastest growing sector, I will additionally recommend new investment funds to spur the growth of new companies for example in the niche areas identified by the Life and Bioscience Task Force. …

"… Previous legislative efforts have attracted many talented researchers to Kentucky. And to take that effort to the next level, I recommend that we give a greater incentive to our research faculties to develop new ideas by allowing them to have a greater ownership of their intellectual property."

New York

Gov. George Pataki, State-of-the-State Address, Jan. 4, 2006
http://www.state.ny.us/governor/2006_sos/sosaddress_text.html

"This year, I propose to you an agenda with straightforward, achievable objectives that will empower New York State to excel in the emerging global economy. … It invests in and helps build the intellectual capital and research infrastructure we need to succeed in the high-tech economy of tomorrow. …

"… This year, I will send to you a comprehensive package of education reforms and enhancements to provide new opportunities for our students and empower parents to ensure their children are able to realize their full potential. … Let’s create more math and science high schools like the Tech Valley Science High School in the Capital Region — schools focused specifically on teaching the skills our students will need to succeed in the high-tech economy of tomorrow. And finally, let’s invest in our future by providing free SUNY or CUNY tuition to students who pursue math and science degrees and commit to teaching right here in New York State. …

"… Working with our vastly improved SUNY and CUNY schools, we’ll create a new Empire Innovation program that will attract even more top-flight researchers and the federal grant dollars they bring with them, to public colleges and universities throughout New York. And let’s go even farther. Our Centers of Excellence are the envy of states from coast to coast – I’d like to thank you for your strong partnership in establishing and supporting them. …

"… This year I will propose even greater capital investments in our Centers of Excellence, but that is only the beginning. The Empire Zones we have launched together have led to new investment, opportunity and jobs all across this great state. This year I will send you legislation that ensures that every county without an Empire Zone gets one by the end of the year. …

"By combining our Centers of Excellence and new Tech Zones with our new math and science high schools, we’ll create five hubs of high-tech education, innovation and manufacturing across the state. …

"… This year, I will propose an unprecedented bio-tech research challenge grant initiative – that will leverage $600 million in public/private matching funds and capitalize on the strength of great institutions like Sloan Kettering, Mt. Sinai, Cornell, NYU and Columbia to fuel even more research, jobs and opportunity in the Empire State."

South Dakota

Gov. Mike Rounds, State-of-the-State Address, Jan. 10, 2006
http://www.state.sd.us/governor/

"The second major concept of the 2010 Education Initiative is called Finishing Strong. It provides opportunities that prepare all students for postsecondary education success in today’s highly competitive global economy. Finishing strong includes the laptop initiative, which provides incentive money for school districts to initiate one-to-one laptop programs for high schools students. I believe we should begin this pilot project this year. …

"… Just a few days ago, we announced a long range plan to meet our current and future higher education needs for graduate programs and more research in the Sioux Falls area, but the benefits will be statewide. Sioux Falls will grow to more than 300,000 people by the year 2040. Another 60,000 people will be in the immediate four-county area. However, only 20 percent of the city’s current adult population has a college degree. So, if we want the higher paying jobs of the emerging knowledge and research economy to locate in South Dakota, we need a more highly educated labor force.

"Therefore, I will introduce legislation this session to meet that challenge. It will authorize the state to receive a $5.8 million gift from the Great Plains Education Foundation to the South Dakota Board of Regents for the purchase of 263 acres of land that is currently owned by the state Transportation Department on the northwest side of Sioux Falls. That’s where we’ll establish a permanent location for delivery of public higher education services in this region. I will also ask for an $8 million appropriation to the Board of Regents for construction of a new instructional classroom building at that location."

Vermont

Gov. Jim Douglas, State-of-the-State Address, Jan. 5, 2006
http://www.vermont.gov/tools/whatsnew2/index.php?topic=GovPressReleases&id=1657&v=Article

"As we expand the need for a well-trained workforce, the nexus with higher education is critical. That’s why I am proposing more substantial and direct investments in the University of Vermont, the Vermont State Colleges and the Vermont Student Assistance Corporation to fund innovative research, programs and equipment to support the sustainable technology sector. …

"… The cornerstone of my effort to make college more affordable and keep Vermont’s young people here is the Vermont Promise Scholarship program, a 15-year, nearly $175 million initiative. The Vermont Promise Scholarship program will provide high school graduates more than 1,000 awards per year – over 12,000 scholarships during the life of the program – to attend one of the state’s many outstanding institutions of higher education. …

"… This investment in scholarships for young Vermonters is made possible by using additional funds that will come to the state beginning in 2008 through the tobacco settlement agreement reached seven years ago."

West Virginia

Gov. Joe Manchin III, State-of-the-State Address, Jan. 11, 2006
http://www.wvgov.org/sos2006_text.cfm

"… In order for our state to attract new businesses and industries, we must have the skilled workforce that today’s employers are so desperately seeking. And we must devote our educational resources to the development of that workforce.

"To that end, I am pleased to announce that a new technology park will soon be created utilizing part of Dow’s South Charleston Technology Park. With the cooperation and coordination of Dow, West Virginia University, WVU Tech and Marshall University, the current park will soon be transformed into a nationally recognized education, research and development center…WVU Tech will then become one institution again, combining the remaining four-year programs in Montgomery with the two-year programs. This reconstituted WVU Tech at Montgomery will be able to grow and continue its commitment to meeting regional education and workforce training needs.

"This new park will be a significant part of West Virginia’s answer to years of a declining manufacturing base, and several research companies are already interested in locating resources and activities there."

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Copyright State Science & Technology Institute 2006. Redistribution to all others interested in tech-based economic development is strongly encouraged. Please cite the State Science & Technology Institute whenever portions are reproduced or redirected.

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State of Utah: Education, stopping N-waste among guv’s top priorities

By Lisa Riley Roche
Deseret Morning News

BOUNTIFUL — "Utah rocks!" Gov. Jon Huntsman Jr. used those words from his youngest son to sum up his second annual State of the State address Tuesday evening.

The governor, who delivered his nearly half-hour speech in the multipurpose room of Washington Elementary School, had a more specific message for lawmakers — remove the sales tax on food.

"Now is the time. This is the session. Let’s rally together once and for all and remove the sales tax on food," Huntsman told an audience of lawmakers, state officials and other invited guests seated in folding chairs under a pair of basketball nets.

Full Speach: http://deseretnews.com/dn/view/0,1249,635177260,00.html