California Assembly Bill AB1420 Amended / Bill

 BILL NUMBER: AB 1420AMENDED BILL TEXT AMENDED IN ASSEMBLY JANUARY 4, 2010 INTRODUCED BY Assembly Member V. Manuel Perez FEBRUARY 27, 2009 An act to add Section  8321   13997.8  to the Government Code, relating to state government. LEGISLATIVE COUNSEL'S DIGEST AB 1420, as amended, V. Manuel Perez. State government: research. Existing law establishes various tasks  to be performed  by the California Council on Science and  technology   Technology and the California Spaceport Authority  . This bill would request the California Council on Science and Technology  to undertake an   and the California Spaceport Authority to seek funding to complete their  assessment of the state's innovation infrastructure  capacity,  and  authorize these entities to  seek the cooperation of  public  colleges and universities  within the state  and other private entities to  perform this task   help advise regarding, and to help perform, the assessment  . Vote: majority. Appropriation: no. Fiscal committee: no. State-mandated local program: no. THE PEOPLE OF THE STATE OF CALIFORNIA DO ENACT AS FOLLOWS: SECTION 1. Section  8321   13997.8  is added to the Government Code, to read:  8321. (a) The Legislature finds and declares that California's public colleges and universities, which are recognized as being among the world's finest, require assistance to remain globally competitive. To this end, the Legislature finds that it is in the public interest to facilitate the development and expansion of the state's public and private innovation infrastructure. (b) The California Council on Science and Technology is hereby requested to undertake an assessment of the state's innovation infrastructure, including university research facilities, private research parks, laboratories, and incubators. (c) The California Council on Science and Technology may seek the cooperation of the University of California, the California State University, the California Maritime Academy, independent colleges and universities within the state, corporations with research and development capacity, and the California community college districts to perform the assessment.   13997.8.   (a) The Legislature finds and declares all of the following:   (1) California's global competitiveness is dependent upon the state government taking a comprehensive and strategic approach to supporting innovation-related industries, including, but not limited to, industries related to finance and investment, workforce development, research, and supply chain and distribution.   (2) California's innovation economy is threatened by the erosion of the science, technology, and education infrastructure that made the state great. The state has disinvested in its institutions of higher education. There is a continuing and accelerating globalization of industry and the innovation process. Also, over the last decade, significant changes have occurred in the way new technologies are created and commercialized. There are new types of knowledge action networks arising throughout the world that compete and replace the traditional regional clusters. These global research networks are formed and enabled by technology, rather than geography. By utilizing the virtual campus concept, new partnerships are being created and advancing the development of innovative technologies.   (3) Based on the changing global innovation economy, there is a need to identify and assess the condition of California's "innovation infrastructure," to map the innovation resources, and to recommend actions that should be taken to rebuild the state's role as a leader in science and technology.   (4) It is in the public interest for the state to take an active role in facilitating the development and expansion of the state's public and private innovation infrastructure.   (5) Pursuant to a 2007 grant from the United States Department of Labor, the California Spaceport Authority, in partnership with the California Council on Science and Technology, has undertaken the first phase of an assessment of the state's innovation infrastructure network, including, but not limited to, university research facilities, private research parks, manufacturers, laboratories, and incubators.   (b) The Legislature requests that the California Council on Science and Technology and the California Spaceport Authority seek funding to complete their ongoing assessment of the state's innovation infrastructure capacity. The initial assessment on networking these entities, undertaken through a 2007 WIRED grant from the United States Department of Labor, covered the first phase of identifying and linking the state's innovation infrastructure capacity and initiated the creation of an innovation network. The purpose of this next phase is to include additional geographic areas, undertake an analysis to inform and expand the capability of this network and produce an online searchable innovation map. Completion of the assessment will support the state's global competitiveness, encourage technology transfer, and increase the ability of the state to attract and expand research and manufacturing facilities.   (c) The California Spaceport Authority and the California Council on Science and Technology may seek the cooperation of the University of California, the California State University, the California Maritime Academy, independent colleges and universities within the state, corporations with research and development capacity, economic development organizations, investment and finance professionals, and the California Community College districts to help advise regarding, and to help perform, the assessment.  (d) The  final  assessment may include, but not be limited to, a directory of public and private innovation facilities and infrastructure in the state, a list of national and global alliances that contribute to the state's ability to be  a   an  innovation leader, a comparison of the state' s current resources to those that would be necessary to remain globally competitive in the near and mid-term, and a list of recommendations on how to access public and private resources to meet the state's innovation facility needs. (e) The assessment may be presented in a format that  allows for its display on the Internet Web site of the California Council on Science and Technology and  facilitates its use by potential applicants for green and other innovation-based federal economic stimulus funding.  (f) The assessment may be completed within 120 days of being awarded.