Tech Talkin' Govs: Part III

The third installment of SSTI's Tech Talkin' Govs' series includes excerpts from speeches delivered in Delaware, Hawaii, Massachusetts, Mississippi, and Utah. The first and second installments are available in the Jan. 11 and Jan. 18 editions of the Digest. Delaware Gov. Jack Markell, State of the State Address, Jan. 19, 2012 "Following up on the recent "Imagine Delaware' forum sponsored by the News Journal, we are finding new ways to support entrepreneurs. Over the last months, we studied best practices at entrepreneurial support centers around the country... Working with Representatives Lavelle and Bryon Short and groups like First State Innovation, we will apply what we have learned to further support emerging start-ups and growing companies in Delaware." Hawaii Gov. Neil Abercrombie, State of the State Address, Jan. 23, 2012 "Not only is it important to emphasize brick and mortar, we must also build an infrastructure for technology to meet the demands of the 21st century. This is the intellectual and social infrastructure that we must have to provide opportunities and experience for our people to become an advanced workforce that can compete in the global marketplace. "We will move forward on our Hawai'i Broadband Initiative by requesting $2.9 million to enhance online services for eHawaii.gov, advance research for transpacific fiber landing stations statewide, and initiate a 'one-to-one' laptop program for Hawai'i's public schools, to provide laptops for every student." Massachusetts Gov. Deval Patrick, State of the Commonwealth Address, Jan. 23, 2012 "... We need a unified community college system in Massachusetts. In a unified system, students would find courses specifically tailored to meet local workforce needs alongside a core curriculum that emphasizes STEM subjects and with credits that are easily transferable to another community college or a four-year college. ... "... To support this mission, I will propose in my budget to streamline the funding and governance of community colleges, and to increase overall funding by $10 million. I challenge the business community to match that new funding with an additional $10 million. I also propose to channel more state workforce training dollars through the community colleges. With this sharper focus, simpler structure, increased funding and greater accountability, community colleges can help us better prepare people for the middle skills jobs of today and tomorrow." Mississippi Gov. Phil Bryant, State of the State Address, Jan. 25, 2012 "Also, I am transmitting to the legislature the Energy Sustainability and Development Act of 2012. This will create incentives for manufacturing and industrial employers to make energy efficiency upgrades that result in significant savings, allowing them to be more competitive, retain or hire more workers, and further invest in their operations. It will create the Biomass Center for Excellence, which will be a partnership of the public, private, and education sectors to coordinate and promote biomass research, development, and manufacturing." Utah Gov. Gary Herbert, State of the State Address, Jan. 25, 2012 "... [W]e must also innovate safer and cleaner ways to extract natural resources and utilize energy. As Governor, I am calling on the private sector and our major universities to lead out! Our goal is to create an 'energy research triangle' that launches Utah into a new era of energy technology innovation!"