Tech Talkin' Govs: Part V

The fifth installment of SSTI's Tech Talkin' Govs series includes excerpts from speeches delivered in Connecticut, Illinois, Oklahoma, and Utah. Our first four installments were in the Jan. 9, Jan. 16, Jan. 23 and Jan. 30 issues of the Digest.

Connecticut
Gov. Dan Malloy, Biennial Budget Address, Feb. 6, 2013
“... Even as we find savings, even as we continue to support our towns and cities — we have to work to grow jobs.

“To start with, I am proposing the Bioscience Innovation Act. This new program will establish a 200 million dollar fund to strengthen Connecticut's bioscience sector over the next ten years. ...

“... Historically, we've ranked among the top states for patents on a per-capita basis. But now, we're in a global economy. The competition has gotten stiffer. My proposal is that we get Connecticut and UConn back in the game, in a big way. We can do it with an injection of more than 1.5 billion dollars over the next ten years into a new program: Next Generation Connecticut.

“This funding will drive innovation, enhance job creation and spur economic growth. It will allow us to make strategic investments in new facilities, to offer more scholarships and add researchers. Together, we will fuel Connecticut's economy with new technologies and new employers, with more highly-skilled graduates, more patents, more licenses, and more high-wage jobs.”

Illinois
Gov. Pat Quinn, State of the State Address, Feb. 6, 2013
“To create 21st century jobs, we're also investing in innovation. ... But there's more to be done.

“Now is the time to take that same innovative, public-private approach to advanced manufacturing.

“In the last 3 years, manufacturing has been one of our state's leading growth sectors, creating nearly 40,000 new jobs. We're at the cutting edge of advanced manufacturing, and we need to stay there.

“That's why we're partnering with the University of Illinois and the National Center for Supercomputing Applications to create an advanced manufacturing hub where companies — big and small — come to learn and use the world's most sophisticated tools and software. The Illinois Manufacturing Lab will make our manufacturers more competitive.”

Oklahoma
Gov. Mary Fallin, State of the State Address, Feb. 4, 2013
“Which industries should we focus our efforts on as we work to modernize, update or reduce regulation? Most importantly, how can we best attract the jobs of the future?

“The answer, as our study shows, is by strengthening our workforce. One way to do that is by emphasizing STEM — or science, technology, engineering, and mathematics — in all levels of public education. ”

“... It is critical to raise Oklahoma's academic performance and develop a highly skilled workforce, and that means improving our schools.

“... I want to thank lawmakers in both parties for your support of education reform and higher academic standards. It is important, in this year and in years moving ahead, that we continue our commitment to the success of these reforms. ... We must also make good on our financial commitments, which is why my budget proposes a $13.5 million increase to education to fund recently enacted reforms.”

Utah
Gov. Gary Herbert, State of the State Address, Jan. 30, 2013
“We must also remain fervently committed to STEM - science, technology, engineering and math education. As we discuss the future of STEM, the watchword is alignment — workforce alignment. Nothing matters more than preparing our children to face the new, interdependent global economy. So this year I propose we invest $20 million for STEM education. Eight state institutions of higher learning are reprioritizing their budgets to match that funding dollar for dollar. That's a full $40 million for STEM programs to make Utah's future workforce the smartest, most skilled, and most innovative workforce this nation has ever seen.”