BILL NUMBER: AB 1420 AMENDED
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.