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Governors Have High Hopes In 2002
by Liza Porteus
A new year means new legislative priorities for state governments and high-tech and business lobbying groups around the country. As many governors prepare to give their State of the State and budget addresses, others are presenting economic stimulus and education plans to their legislatures and constituents in the hope that 2002 will prove to start on a more positive note than 2001 ended.
Here is a look at what has happened so far this year:
Kempthorne Stresses Education, Tax Structure
In his State of the State address Tuesday, Idaho Gov. Dirk Kempthorne cited the need for increased emphasis on math education. This summer, he intends to establish a math academy as a partnership between his office, the Education Department and private industry to focus on content and professional development of teachers in fifth to eighth grades.
Kempthorne also hailed the state's Immunization Reminder Information System, an electronic system that allows health districts to communicate with more doctors and hospitals in the state.
Kempthorne also highlighted the state's Twin Falls Economic Development Team's efforts to attract Dell Computer as one example of how state leaders are working to make high-tech and other industries more prominent. Micron Technology also recently opened a $200 million research and development facility in the Treasure Valley area, creating 200 new jobs. Kempthorne cited the state's tax credit for deploying high-speed Internet access as one way Idaho is trying to make doing business there attractive.
"We've told businesses that if you bring your high-tech capabilities like broadband to our rural areas, we'll make it worth your while," he said.
Arkansas, Minnesota Governors Outline Reforms
On Tuesday, Arkansas Gov. Mike Huckabee outlined his blueprint for education reform.
Huckabee's plan includes increasing pay for teachers in areas where staff is in short supply, such as math and science. The governor's plan would increase the course requirements for high-school graduation. Four units of math would be required for all students, and higher entry requirements also would be established for the state's four-year universities. Courses also would be expanded at the high-school level to enable students to develop high-tech skills.
Huckabee said he has met with business leaders to understand what students must know to compete in the information age. "The corporate world should hold our public schools accountable," he said. "After all, they help foot the bill to pay for those schools."
In his State of the State address last week, meanwhile, Minnesota Gov. Jesse Ventura stressed budgetary issues and urged lawmakers to find ways to cut costs.
Janklow Touts Tech Education
South Dakota may be a rural state, but groups like the Progress and Freedom Foundation have ranked the state No. 1 for its use of technology in education. That theme served as one of the legs of Gov. William Janklow's State of the State address Tuesday.
In 1999, Janklow said, only 1,800 K-12 educators used e-mail; now almost 10,000 do, thanks to every school being wired for Internet access. In the first three months of the 2001 school year, teachers exchanged 4.5 million e-mail messages. And school systems have bought 16,500 computers.
South Dakota inmates also built the $15 million Digital Dakota Network, which has allowed 1,119 current high-school students to take courses like Spanish, anatomy, college algebra and chemistry. "There's no question, we're ready for the next millennium" in tech-based education, Janklow said, hailing the state's educational technology training as a key to retraining teacher. "They are living proof that every time you give people advanced skills in South Dakota,, they're not going to run away ... and go someplace else and take advantage of the financial opportunity."
Barnes Introduces Economic Stimulus Package
On the budgetary front, Georgia Gov. Roy Barnes said in a Tuesday budget address that his proposal would keep the state's reserves full, maintain existing state services and require no layoffs or tax increases. The plan focuses on spending and putting more resources into education, particularly teacher training.
Barnes also recommended that $1.4 million be included in the budget to expand the Georgia Information Sharing and Analysis Center. And he recommended $2.8 million for the state's four new motor-vehicle offices and $3.6 million to fund 22 positions to create new ways for people to obtain driver's licenses, including mail-in, Internet and telephone renewals.
New Mexico Chamber Sets Lobbying Objectives
In New Mexico, meanwhile, the Albuquerque Chamber of Commerce has released its 2002 legislative package. It calls for lobbying the state legislature on issues such as economic development, taxation and revenue, telecommunications, crime and higher education.
The chamber will support: tax incentives for technology-based startups; capital-gains tax relief for investors in New Mexico tech companies; tax deductions for companies providing research and development services to federal agencies; and a tax-relief bill for businesses to increase both jobs in rural communities and the demand for broadband services.
The chamber says it is essential that e-commerce be taxed uniformly nationwide.
The group also will lobby for: adequate funding for the Public Regulation Commission; legislation to ensure that right-of-way, franchise and other fees for telecom infrastructure in public right-of-ways are cost-based; and passage of a fund to create endowed faculty positions at the state's three research universities, with half the money coming from outside government.
New Faces On The State Tech Scene
In California, Gov. Gray Davis last week appointed Jesse Szeto as the assistant secretary of the Division of Science, Technology and Innovation of the Technology, Trade and Commerce Agency (TTCA).
Szeto has been director of the technology risk-assessment unit for the Patent and License Exchange since 2000 and previously served as a project expert for the United Nations in Bangkok, Thailand. Szeto will be responsible for assisting the deputy secretary of the division in the management, development and implementation of the division's policies and programs.
Davis on Wednesday made several other appointments to the TTCA. Nelson Chan was named deputy secretary. Keith Bovetti was tapped to be the assistant secretary of the International Trade and Investment Division, and Gregory Davis has become the regional office director of the Office of Export Development.
Davis also last week appointed Michelle Montague as director of the TTCA's Johannesburg, South Africa, office to develop export and investment strategies. Meanwhile, TTCA Secretary Lon Hatamiya will kick off an e-commerce conference Wednesday, where leaders from government, business, agriculture, communications, investment and education will highlight the region's e-commerce successes and plan future technology needs.
In other people news, Sean Duffy has become well entrenched as deputy chief of staff for communications and public liaison for Colorado Gov. Bill Owens, a job he began in December. Duffy is the former president of The Commonwealth Foundation in Pennsylvania, where he focused on issues such as Internet taxation and cyber charter schools. In 2001, Duffy was named president of the board of the Pennsylvania Virtual Charter School.
Nebraska Reaps Homeland Security Funds
Nebraska Lt. Gov. Dave Heineman this week announced that the Justice Department has awarded the state more than $1.2 million in grants to purchase counter-terrorism equipment. Heineman is responsible for the state's homeland security activities.
The funds will be used to purchase equipment to detect hazardous materials and for protecting state and local personnel who respond to terrorist attacks and other emergencies.
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