SSTI Digest

As the state budgeting process comes to a close, SSTI will report over the coming weeks on actions taken by state legislatures to invest in economic growth through science, technology, innovation and entrepreneurship. Up this week is a look at commitments that legislatures in Arkansas and Idaho have made including funds for a new accelerator program, Manufacturing Extension Partnership (MEP) centers, and more than $14 million for a biosciences research institute. Arkansas Appropriations bills approved by the Arkansas legislature and signed by Gov. Asa Hutchinson includes funding for: The transfer of $2 million to the Arkansas Acceleration Fund for the Arkansas business technology accelerator program, which was created earlier this year to provide funding for accelerators (see the Digest coverage of the legislation for more information); $2 million for a Small Business Innovative Research Matching Grant program signed into law earlier this year that will match up to 50 percent of federal grant funds, up to a cap of $50,000 for Phase One SBIR awards and up to $100,000 for Phase Two SBIR awards; $8.43 million for the Arkansas Economic Development Commission…

After training nearly 80 PhD scientists and engineers in the craft of policy making, the California Council on Science and Technology (CCST) has awarded planning grants to nine other states to evaluate the potential to create a policy fellowship for scientists and engineers in their state capital.  The new one-year grant, which is administered by CCST and funded by the Gordon and Betty Moore Foundation and the Simons Foundation, will support teams in Alaska, Colorado, Connecticut, Idaho, Massachusetts, Michigan, New Jersey, North Carolina, and Washington as they work on feasibility studies and other strategic steps toward creating science fellowships in their state policy arenas. It is up to each state to design the fellowship that would work best in their state, whether that is a position in the legislature or another body. “We are nurturing that larger landscape between science and policy,” said Annie Morgan, program manager for the CCST science fellows program. Because each state has different needs, it will be up to the planning teams to determine how best to structure a fellowship in their individual states. The grant, which was capped at $25,000…

SSTI again presents its latest round of Tech Talkin’ Govs, where governors’ comments about TBED issues are excerpted from their state of the state and inaugural addresses. Today’s roundup includes STEM spending and workforce development in Idaho, education in Arizona, manufacturing in Connecticut and a nod to technological change in North Dakota, inaugural addresses from new governors in Vermont and Indiana, and more reports from governors who gave their addresses on the 10th. Next week the Digest will continue with Part II of Tech Talkin’ Govs featuring news from the next round of addresses. Vermont During the first week of January Gov. Phil Scott gave his inaugural address focusing on the state’s shrinking workforce and its implications to a joint session of the Vermont legislature. “From 2000 to 2010 the number of 25-45 year olds in Vermont decreased by 30,000… This is compounded by our shrinking workforce. Since 2010, we’ve lost 16,000 workers… and that downward trend continues. … But we literally cannot afford to ignore this issue anymore. We must have a laser-focus on attracting…

As governors around the country are releasing their proposed budgets, SSTI is examining the proposals for TBED initiatives and will be presenting the findings here. This week Idaho, Maine and Washington are reviewed. Check back in the coming weeks for updates. Idaho In his FY18 budget proposal, Idaho Gov. Butch Otter recommends approximately $2.1 million for economic and workforce development efforts at institutions of higher education including: $652,900 for a new PhD program in computing with computer science, cybersecurity, and computational science and engineering specializations; and $381,500 for the venture college program expansion to deliver innovation and entrepreneurial skill sets to students. In addition to these efforts, Gov. Otter proposes a transfer of $35 million to the Permanent Building Fund for higher-education facilities throughout Idaho including: $10 million for a Center for Material Science at Boise State University; $10 million for the University of Idaho to build the Center for Agriculture, Food and the Environment or “CAFÉ” in the Magic Valley; $10 million for Lewis-Clark State College to construct a Career-…

Many states across the country already have, or will soon have, signed budgets ready for the 2017 fiscal year.  Over the past few months, SSTI has examined gubernatorial addresses and proposed budgets for a preview of technology-based economic development spending in the coming year. This week, we take a look at what initiatives and spending levels survived spending negotiations in Alabama, Florida, Idaho and New Mexico, as well as an update on the budget situation in Pennsylvania. AlabamaIn February, SSTI reported that Gov. Robert Bentley’s $1.9 billion fiscal year 2017 budget proposal included $7.5 million in funds for the Alabama Department of Economic and Community Affairs (ADECA), with another $202.4 million in earmarked funds. The enrolled bill, delivered to the governor last week, includes these allocations. The governor has pledged to veto the general fund budget due to an “unacceptable” allocation for the state’s Medicaid program and other issues. The Republican leadership, which controls both houses of the legislature plan to override any such measure, according to AL.com. FloridaOn March 17, Gov. Rick Scott…

With the start of the new year, many governors around the country have begun laying out priorities for the next legislative session. In the coming weeks, SSTI will review gubernatorial addresses and budget proposals related to economic development. This week, we highlight developments in Idaho, Iowa and New York. Idaho In his State of the State and Budget Address earlier this week, Gov. Butch Otter emphasized the need for investment in STEM education and building a stronger bridge between the K-12 system and well-paying jobs. To achieve this, the governor hopes to implement the recommendations of a recent educational task force, and to fund a number of STEM-centered initiatives. These include $4 million for the state’s STEM Action Center to fund grants and projects and to match industry contributions. Gov. Butch Otter’s proposed fiscal year 2017 budget includes $25.3 million for post-secondary education to expand research initiatives, workforce development and educational opportunities. Another $10 million would bolster the state’s STEM Education Fund while $99,000 would be provided to prepare students for university computer science…

SSTI's Tech Talkin' Govs series has returned as governors across the country formally convene the 2015 legislative sessions. The series highlights new and expanded TBED proposals from governors' State of the State, Budget and Inaugural addresses. The second installment of this year’s series includes excerpts from speeches delivered in Arizona, Idaho, Indiana, South Dakota, Virginia, Washington, Wisconsin and West Virginia. Read last week’s installment featuring speeches in California, Kentucky and Vermont here.   ArizonaGov. Doug Ducey, State of the State Address, Jan. 12, 2015“… Last week, I signed an order placing a moratorium on new regulations in the executive branch. It was a good beginning, but only a beginning. “There is also the matter of many state regulations already in place, often for reasons that nobody even remembers. Our small businesses have to deal with all these little rules all the time, just because they’re on the books and nobody’s bothered to change them. I’m instructing the directors of every agency to conduct a top-to-bottom review of regulations,…

Investments and policy to support innovation-focused agendas have flourished with the close of the 2014 legislative sessions in several states. Crowdfunding legislation, incentives for attracting talent, higher education affordability, punishing patent trolls, and encouraging greater accountability are some of the areas where lawmakers focused their efforts. States Support Crowdfunding LawsTwo states passed legislation to amend state securities laws in order to allow entrepreneurs to raise capital through crowdfunding platforms. Maine passed LD 1512 last month (see related Digest article) and more recently, a measure (HB 2023) was passed in Washington that enables businesses to raise up to $1 million through crowdfunding websites. The law stipulates that contributions must come from residents and businesses in the state. At least five other states have passed similar laws, and a related bill is making its way through the Alabama legislature. Enhancing Incentives for Job CreationNebraska lawmakers passed LB 1114, a measure that extends for another five years the Business Innovation Act, a program that offers technical assistance and R&D grants to…

Now in its 14th year, SSTI's Tech Talkin' Govs series has returned as governors across the country formally convene the 2014 legislative sessions. The series highlights new and expanded TBED proposals from governors' State of the State, Budget and Inaugural addresses. The first edition includes excerpts from speeches delivered in Idaho, Kentucky, New York, Virginia, and West Virginia.  Idaho Gov. Butch Otter, State of the State Address, Jan. 6, 2014 “We also must continue investing in the strong collaborative relationship between our universities and the Center for Advanced Energy Studies. That's why my budget calls for adding $1 million to our annual investment in that facility, which consistently yields incredible returns and value to Idaho's asset portfolio. … “… Partnerships also are at the heart of efforts to improve our Workforce Development Training Fund program. You can expect to see more targeted use of grants for training employees not just for individual businesses, but for the market-driven growth of industry sectors that add value to Idaho's economy. “My focus on…

While election night's main focus was on the presidential race, the importance of ballot measures for states and metros is growing as public services and budgets are being severely trimmed. A recent article in The New Republic reports on a new trend where states are embracing ballot measures as a potential source of dedicated funds for targeted investments in regional economic growth and development. Aside from California Gov. Jerry Brown's victory in raising taxes on top earners to help fund education and balance the budget, most state measures to increase taxes were defeated by voters. This includes extending a one-cent sales tax increase in Arizona, a cigarette tax increase in Missouri and implementing a 1 percent sales tax increase in South Dakota — all of which were slated to fund education. Voters were more supportive of borrowing to invest in higher education infrastructure, but rejected measures to improve teacher standards and build new revenue streams for universities. The only energy issue on the ballot appeared in Michigan and failed to garner enough voter support. Measures to provide more state authority for providing economic…

With overwhelming support from the Idaho legislature, Gov. Butch Otter signed into law HB 546, a measure to establish the Idaho Global Entrepreneurial Mission (IGEM), an industry-university research partnership to facilitate and accelerate tech transfer. The governor proposed $5 million for the initiative within the FY13 Higher Education and Commerce budgets, which are pending approval in the legislature. The bill signed by the governor modifies the existing Idaho Innovation Council into an oversight and governing body called the IGEM Council, which is charged with distributing grants, developing and implementing a statewide strategic plan for innovation and establishing objectives for the program. Funding for the initiative is divided among three areas: $1 million for the Department of Commerce to set up the IGEM Innovation Grand Fund for investment in new technologies with oversight from the IGEM Council; $2 million in increased funding for Idaho's universities; and, $2 million in ongoing, permanent support for the Center for Advanced Energy Studies. The organizational structure is set up so that up to 5 percent of commercialization revenue is reinvested into the Innovation…

Gov. Butch Otter unveiled plans for a targeted partnership among industry, higher education and government that invests in R&D to produce new technologies — and ultimately — jobs. The governor is asking lawmakers to approve $5 million for startup costs in the FY13 budget. Legislation to be introduced later this session will provide a plan for reorganizing the Idaho Innovation Council and implementing the initiative — called IGEM for Idaho Global Entrepreneurship Mission. IGEM seeks to increase the state's knowledge-based economy by investing in strategic areas of research and developing a world-class talent pool. The program is modeled on similar initiatives in Utah and Virginia. As part of the IGEM initiative, the governor recommends $2 million for competitive state university research funds awarded through the Idaho Higher Education Research Council. This is envisioned as seed funding for investing in the development of expertise, products and services that can be commercialized. Another $2 million (up from $1.6 million in FY12) is included for the Center for Advanced Studies, which would serve as a partner in the IGEM initiative. The governor also recommends $950,000 in…