BILL NUMBER: SCR 121ENROLLED BILL TEXT ADOPTED IN SENATE AUGUST 11, 2014 ADOPTED IN ASSEMBLY JULY 3, 2014 AMENDED IN ASSEMBLY JULY 3, 2014 AMENDED IN ASSEMBLY JUNE 30, 2014 INTRODUCED BY Senators Block, Jackson, Leno, Steinberg, and Wolk (Principal coauthors: Assembly Members Bloom, Fox, Levine, Lowenthal, Medina, Nazarian, and John A. Prez) (Coauthors: Assembly Members Achadjian, Alejo, Allen, Ammiano, Atkins, Bocanegra, Bonilla, Bonta, Bradford, Brown, Buchanan, Ian Calderon, Campos, Chau, Chvez, Chesbro, Conway, Cooley, Dababneh, Dahle, Daly, Dickinson, Donnelly, Eggman, Fong, Frazier, Garcia, Gatto, Gomez, Gonzalez, Gordon, Gorell, Gray, Grove, Hagman, Hall, Harkey, Roger Hernndez, Holden, Jones, Jones-Sawyer, Linder, Logue, Maienschein, Mansoor, Melendez, Mullin, Muratsuchi, Nestande, Olsen, Pan, Patterson, Perea, V. Manuel Prez, Quirk, Quirk-Silva, Rendon, Ridley-Thomas, Rodriguez, Salas, Skinner, Stone, Ting, Wagner, Waldron, Weber, Wieckowski, Wilk, Williams, and Yamada) MAY 19, 2014 Relative to the memorandum of understanding between Israel and California. LEGISLATIVE COUNSEL'S DIGEST SCR 121, Block. Trade: Israel: memorandum of understanding. This measure would state the Legislature's support for the memorandum of understanding for establishing strategic partnerships between California and Israel. WHEREAS, Two-way trade between Israel and California totaled over $4 billion in 2013--one of the largest two-way trade relationships between Israel and a United State; and WHEREAS, California and Israel share close ties and are global leaders in the alternative energy, environmental technology, and other technology-based industry sectors; and WHEREAS, California is home to the largest in-state innovation network in the United States, which offers technology-commercialization opportunities for Israel; and WHEREAS, The Governor of California and the Prime Minister of Israel have just signed a memorandum of understanding (MOU) for strategic partnerships for joint innovation, exchanges, and cooperation between California and Israel; and WHEREAS, This action was the culmination of an effort started in the California Legislature as Assembly Bill 1032 of the 2009-10 Regular Session, calling for the creation of the MOU geared toward fostering the exchange of information and research. The MOU will strengthen relationships with Israel and help California and Israel grow in these areas; and WHEREAS, The participants in this MOU seek to expand the current level of cooperation between Israel and California in, but not limited to, alternative energy, environmental technology, health, food and agriculture, and other technology-based industry sectors, business innovation, research, and development; and WHEREAS, The MOU will also establish a formal relationship between the two parties to foster economic cooperation and economic development, facilitate joint industrial research and development, and enhance business relationships and educational opportunities between all Israeli universities and all California universities to foster job creation and incubate global solutions from joint California-Israel innovation initiatives; and WHEREAS, Collaboration with Israel will foster peace and democracy in the Middle East; and WHEREAS, To achieve these aims, the MOU envisions undertaking the following actions: (1) Convening bilateral, interagency working groups with international expertise to coordinate initiatives. (2) Facilitating collaborations between Israeli and Californian entrepreneurs and researchers through the California innovation hub network. (3) Supporting and encouraging further development of interpersonal contacts and exchanges and to promote mutual cooperation, understanding, and friendship by encouraging ad hoc task forces, trade delegations, and professional exchanges between Israel and California in key sectors. (4) Creating of public-private partnerships between Californian and Israeli entities in the areas of economic development, social entrepreneurship, or academic research. (5) Strengthening sister city programs. (6) Facilitating collaboration between universities in California and Israel to foster research and development; now, therefore, be it Resolved by the Senate of the State of California, the Assembly thereof concurring, That the Legislature hereby supports the memorandum of understanding for establishing strategic partnerships between California and Israel that support joint innovation in clean technologies, water conservation, health, biotechnology, cybersecurity, education, agricultural technology, research, and other informational exchanges, and that also promote mutual cooperation, understanding, and friendship by encouraging trade delegations and collaboration on mutual projects and issues of interest; and be it further Resolved, That the Secretary of the Senate transmit copies of this resolution to the author for appropriate distribution.