Tech Talkin' Govs: Part V

The fifth installment of SSTI's Tech Talkin' Govs' series includes excerpts from speeches delivered in Ohio, Oklahoma and Pennsylvania. The first four installments are available in the Jan. 11, Jan. 18, Jan. 25, and Feb. 1 editions of the Digest. Ohio Gov. John Kasich, State of the State Address, Feb. 7, 2012 "And today I want to tell you about the best technology resource that you've never heard of. It's buried underground in Ohio. This will set us apart from every other state in America. "It's beyond high speed Internet. And I'm announcing today we're going to increase the speed of OARnet, from 10 gigabytes per second to 100 gigabytes per second and what does that mean? It's not Back to the Future with gigabytes. I mean, this really means something. ... This allows our research hospitals and universities to compete more successfully for the research grants that create breakthroughs in jobs. ... "We're also saying that it's not good enough to do research. If you don't commercialize and create jobs, what's the point? I can find you research on a top shelf in a building 140 years from now. Commercialize. Create jobs. Spinoff companies. "We can get that done, but it's going to take new and renewed focus and so, you know, whether it's graduation, whether it is working together on this issue of, of the fixing of their buildings, whether it is targeting people, getting the universities to target people for jobs that exist, if we create a university system, it would unbelievable. It would be absolutely unbelievable and we are on the verge of being able to do it." Oklahoma Gov. Mary Fallin, State of the State Address, Feb. 6, 2012 "And on the subject of tax credits, I know a lot has been said. Representative Dank and Senator Mazzei are conducting a study to investigate which credits are effective and create jobs, and which do not. I'm looking forward to the results of that study, and our course of action will be simple: only tax credits that create jobs will stay. For instance, my budget begins the process of restoring the Aerospace Engineer Tax Credit, which brings good, high tech jobs to Oklahoma." Pennsylvania Gov. Tom Corbett, Executive Budget Address, Feb. 7, 2012 "Pennsylvania competes with every other state in the union for factories, offices and corporate headquarters. The shorter we make the journey from the drawing board to the ribbon-cutting, the better our chances of growing jobs. "So, I am bringing before you a new and innovative program to create a robust employment market and a vital economy. We call it Jobs First PA. It comprises four programs: Pennsylvania Inc., The Comprehensive Job Matching System, Keystone Works, and The Targeted Industry Certificate Program. ... "Briefly, Pennsylvania Inc. provides a single point of access between job creators and state government to speed the time between an idea and a business. Keystone Works would allow unemployed workers to continue their benefits while being trained by companies with available jobs. ... The Targeted Industry Certificate program provides increased grants for college and trade school students who are training for high-demand occupations. ... "... At the Department of Community and Economic Development, we are at work finalizing a program I proposed last year, the Liberty Financing Authority. It will merge several programs under a single umbrella. The Liberty Financing Authority will provide the flexibility to direct loans to expanding businesses."