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A07161 Summary:

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A07161 Floor Votes:

A07161 Text:

 
                STATE OF NEW YORK
        ________________________________________________________________________
 
                                          7161
 
                               2013-2014 Regular Sessions
 
                   IN ASSEMBLY
 
                                       May 3, 2013
                                       ___________
 
        Introduced  by  M.  of  A.  ROSENTHAL  --  read once and referred to the
          Committee on Economic Development
 
        AN ACT to amend the economic development law, in relation to  establish-
          ing regional technology development centers
 
          The  People of the State of New York, represented in Senate and Assem-
        bly, do enact as follows:
 

     1    Section 1. The economic development law is amended  by  adding  a  new
     2  section 361 to read as follows:
     3    §  361.  Regional  technology  development centers. 1. As used in this
     4  section, the following terms shall have the following meanings:
     5    (a) "Regional technology development centers" or "centers" shall  mean
     6  any  regional,  not-for-profit  corporation or other nonprofit organiza-
     7  tion, association, or agency which is organized for the purpose  of  the
     8  promotion, attraction, stimulation, development and expansion of science
     9  and  technology-oriented economic activity in a particular region of the
    10  state or in one or more counties or cities, and which does not engage in
    11  lobbying activities as a significant part of their overall functions.

    12    (b) "In-kind services" shall mean the donation of  quantifiable  goods
    13  and  services  including  but  not  limited to professional services and
    14  time, equipment, material and office space for use by a  regional  tech-
    15  nology  development  center  in  furtherance  of  its stated purposes or
    16  provided on behalf of the center to others for  such  purposes  and  for
    17  which  there is no monetary remuneration. Any such in-kind services must
    18  have prior approval by the department to satisfy the  matching  require-
    19  ment pursuant to this section.
    20    2.  (a) The department shall designate regional technology development
    21  centers in each of the ten economic development regions  throughout  the

    22  state.  Centers  shall  be  designated for a period not greater than ten
    23  years through a competitive selection process.
    24    (b) Competitive selection criteria shall include:
 
         EXPLANATION--Matter in italics (underscored) is new; matter in brackets
                              [ ] is old law to be omitted.
                                                                   LBD10520-01-3
        A. 7161                             2
 
     1    (i) the degree  and  completeness  of  information  contained  in  the
     2  proposal;
     3    (ii)  the  nature, relevance and importance of the proposed activities
     4  to the region;
     5    (iii) the anticipated economic benefits to the state and the region to

     6  be derived from the proposed activities described in the proposal;
     7    (iv) the degree to which the membership of the applicant  organization
     8  is  representative  of  the region's business, industry, labor, academic
     9  and government sectors, including  strong  representation  of  the  high
    10  technology private sector;
    11    (v)  the commitment of time and energy of the principals of the appli-
    12  cant organization;
    13    (vi) the operational readiness of the applicant organization to  carry
    14  out the activities described in the proposal; and
    15    (vii)  the  applicant organization's prior experience and demonstrated
    16  results in performing activities identical or similar to  those  identi-
    17  fied in the proposal.

    18    (c)  There  shall  be  no  limit on the number of times centers may be
    19  redesignated and if the department does not issue a timely, new  request
    20  for  proposals  before the end of any ten-year period, or is not able to
    21  evaluate new proposals and make new selections by the end  of  the  ten-
    22  year  designation,  all  contracts  for the existing centers shall be in
    23  effect until the end of the state fiscal year that follows the last year
    24  of the center's designation  during  which  time  the  department  shall
    25  complete  its  evaluation  and  redesignation  process  pursuant to this
    26  section.
    27    3. The department is hereby authorized to award grants  on  a  compet-
    28  itive  basis, from such funds as may be appropriated for this purpose by

    29  the legislature, to match funds expended by regional technology develop-
    30  ment centers for the purposes set forth in this section and  in  accord-
    31  ance with rules and regulations promulgated by the department.
    32    4.  Matching  funds  shall  be  provided  only  for purposes which are
    33  related to the realization of the technological development potential of
    34  a particular region of the state as determined by the department.  Among
    35  the activities for which matching funds may be provided are the  follow-
    36  ing:
    37    (a)  Sponsoring  and  conducting  regional  conferences  and  studies,
    38  collecting and disseminating information and  issuing  periodic  reports
    39  relating  to  scientific  and  technological  research,  development and

    40  education in the region;
    41    (b) Preparing and periodically issuing a register  of  scientific  and
    42  technological research facilities in the region;
    43    (c) Assisting small and emerging science and technology-oriented busi-
    44  nesses  within the region including providing assistance in applying for
    45  federal or state research grants or procurement  contracts  and  dissem-
    46  inating information on the availability of such grants and contracts;
    47    (d)  Collecting and disseminating information on financial, technical,
    48  marketing, management and other services available to small and emerging
    49  science and technology-oriented businesses within the region and arrang-
    50  ing access to such services on a free or for-hire basis  from  universi-

    51  ties, private for-profit businesses and nonprofit organizations;
    52    (e) Providing technical assistance including management, marketing and
    53  financial  packaging  assistance  to,  and  collecting and disseminating
    54  information regarding innovations for the benefit of,  inventors  inter-
    55  ested  in  having their ideas developed and commercialized and entrepre-
    56  neurs interested in the commercialization of new products and processes;
        A. 7161                             3
 
     1    (f) Supporting university-industry collaboration in  applied  research
     2  and  technology  based  economic development, the promotion of incubator
     3  facilities and the generation or  brokering  of  investment  capital  to
     4  support regional new enterprise development;

     5    (g)  Assisting in the development of a globally competitive technology
     6  development strategy for the region;
     7    (h) Contributing information to any statewide database, which  identi-
     8  fies  resources  available  from  colleges,  universities  and technical
     9  service providers and  which  provides  information,  including  venture
    10  capital  sources and labor market statistics, of interest to and for use
    11  by entrepreneurs and technology-oriented businesses;
    12    (i) Projecting the need for the technical and  professional  workforce
    13  within  the region and assisting others in planning for projected dislo-
    14  cations and retraining;
    15    (j) Assisting the department in identifying  and  contacting  eligible

    16  applicants,  as  defined  in paragraph (a) of subdivision one of section
    17  two hundred twenty-four of this chapter, and sponsoring, in  conjunction
    18  with  the  conferences, seminars, counseling sessions and other outreach
    19  efforts aimed at improving the competitive  position  of  applicants  in
    20  international markets by promoting exporting;
    21    (k) Conducting such other appropriate activities as may be established
    22  by  the department for the purpose of realizing the technological devel-
    23  opment potential of the region served by the applicant; and
    24    (l) Performing activities and delivering services pursuant to subpara-
    25  graph (v) of paragraph (a) of subdivision five of this section.
    26    5. (a) Regional technology development centers  shall  administer  the

    27  New  York  manufacturing extension partnership program, also referred to
    28  as the industrial technology  extension  service  program,  which  shall
    29  provide  technical  and management assistance to manufacturing companies
    30  within the state for the following purposes:
    31    (i) to improve the global  competitiveness  and  increase  the  market
    32  share  of  viable  New York state industries and firms through increased
    33  knowledge of new technologies and other innovations;
    34    (ii) to assist industrial firms through consulting and training activ-
    35  ities with the introduction of improved management and production  proc-
    36  esses in order to enhance their productivity and competitiveness;
    37    (iii)  to  provide industrial effectiveness field services pursuant to

    38  article seven of this chapter;
    39    (iv) to assist in the retention and expansion of industrial firms  and
    40  employment in New York state;
    41    (v) to administer activities and services with all federal manufactur-
    42  ing  extension  partnership program funds received by the state pursuant
    43  to Public Law 110-69 which shall qualify as matching funds  pursuant  to
    44  subdivision three of this section; and
    45    (vi)  to  communicate  industrial  needs  to  universities and others,
    46  brokering joint university-industry investigations to aid industry,  and
    47  assisting  in  the  provision of productivity and growth improvements to
    48  mature industries.
    49    (b) Notwithstanding any other  law,  grants  made  by  the  department

    50  pursuant  to  this  section shall be matched on a fifty percent basis by
    51  the regional technology development center and up to  fifty  percent  of
    52  such match may be of in-kind services as approved by the department.
    53    (c)  The department may establish such requirements as it deems appro-
    54  priate for the format and content of applications  for  matching  grants
    55  pursuant  to this subdivision and shall set reasonable deadlines for the
    56  submission of applications for such support.
        A. 7161                             4
 
     1    (d) The department may select from competing applications those  which
     2  it  judges to be of greatest benefit to the welfare of the people of the

     3  state and may approve or reject any or all  of  the  competing  applica-
     4  tions.  The  department  shall  notify all applicants of the approval or
     5  rejection of their applications in a timely fashion.
     6    (e) The department shall require periodic reports and other such docu-
     7  ments  and  information  as it deems necessary to monitor and review the
     8  performance of each regional technology  development  center  awarded  a
     9  grant.
    10    6.  The department shall submit a report pursuant to subdivision thir-
    11  ty-seven-b of section one hundred of this chapter to the  governor,  the
    12  temporary  president  of  the  senate  and  the speaker of the assembly,
    13  detailing the  activities  that  each  regional  technology  development

    14  center  has  undertaken  during  the  reporting year. Such reports shall
    15  include but not be limited to, the composition of the center, the amount
    16  of the grant awarded and the match provided, the duties and  obligations
    17  required by the department, a description of the center's activities and
    18  accomplishments,  the number of jobs created or retained, the number and
    19  types of companies assisted, the increase in the number of new-to-market
    20  and new-to-export businesses by employment size,  the  increase  in  the
    21  value  of export sales by business employment size, and any other perti-
    22  nent information as determined by the department.
    23    7. To the fullest extent permitted under subdivision  two  of  section

    24  eighty-seven  of  the public officers law, all information regarding the
    25  financial   condition,   marketing   plans,   manufacturing   processes,
    26  production  costs,  productivity  rates,  customer lists, or other trade
    27  secrets and proprietary information of a  person  or  entity  requesting
    28  assistance from the department pursuant to this section which is submit-
    29  ted  by  such  person  or entity to the department in connection with an
    30  application for assistance or with a productivity assessment  or  feasi-
    31  bility study, shall be confidential and exempt from public disclosure.
    32    § 2. This act shall take effect immediately.