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In the October 25, 1996 Issue:

NGA & DOC's Technology Administration Sign MOU

A Memorandum of Understanding has been entered into between the U.S. Department of Commerce's Technology Administration (TA) and the National Governors' Association (NGA) to develop the U.S. Innovation Partnership (USIP). USIP will be developed to help combine and coordinate state and federal efforts in science and technology and manufacturing extension programs.

USIP is intended to integrate inter-governmental policies and strategies to support the development of competitive businesses through innovation and the diffusion of technological resources. Seventeen governors have committed to participate on the USIP working group, and each governor has also committed the time of a senior policy advisor to serve on the USIP planning committee. Twelve federal agencies will be participating in the working group.  

TA will analyze past state-federal activities; develop a high-level steering committee in cooperation with other agencies and the NGA to provide state-federal policy input; and develop information resources that will help better explain federal programs and involvement in science and technology (including a "virtual" organization of federal agency technology extension activities). The NGA will document and analyze on-going state-federal science and technology initiatives; provide general staff support; help create a "virtual" organization that will facilitate state-federal collaboration; and help recruit other public and private entities to support the Partnership's mission and activities. The State Science and Technology Institute will provide support to the effort.

USIP builds on the work of the State/Federal Technology Partnership Task Force, which was created at the request of the President's Special Assistant for Science and Technology, Jack Gibbons, and co-chaired by former Governors Celeste and Thornburgh.


11 Governor's Seats Up for Election


While most of the attention has been focused on the presidential election and the fight for control of the Congress, eleven states will also be electing governors on November 5. Four of those races are for open seats where the governor has either decided not to seek reelection or is prohibited from running again.

The states with gubernatorial elections are:

Delaware -Tom Carper, the Democrat incumbent, is facing Janet Rzewnicki, the Republican State Treasurer. Carper has been elected to various offices nine times and has not lost once in the last 20 years. No poll results were available.

Indiana - Frank O'Bannon, the Democrat Lieutenant Governor, is running against Stephen Goldsmith, the Republican mayor of Indianapolis. A poll in early October showed the race a dead heat with O'Bannon receiving 45% of the vote and Goldsmith 44%. The current governor, Democrat Evan Bayh, can not run for a third term.

Missouri - The incumbent governor, Democrat Mel Carnahan, is opposed in his bid for a second term by the Republican State Auditor, Margaret Kelly. A poll in early October showed Carnahan with 59% and Kelly 26%.

Montana - The incumbent Republican governor, Marc Racicot, is seeking re-election to his second term. His Democrat opponent died of an apparent heart attack on Wednesday. Party officials will name a replacement on Monday.

New Hampshire - Due to Gov. Merrill's decision not to seek re-election, New Hampshire has an open seat. Democrat State Senator Jeanne Shaheen led Ovide Lamontagne, the Republican Chairman of the State Board of Education, 51% to 38% in a late September poll.

North Carolina - Democrat Governor Jim Hunt, seeking his fourth term as governor, is opposed by Republican State Senator Robin Hayes. In a mid-September poll, Hunt had 58% of the vote while Hayes had 32%.

North Dakota - Republican Governor Edward Schaefer is running for re-election against Democrat State Representative Lee Kaldor. No recent poll figures were available.

Utah - Republican Governor Michael Leavitt is opposed in his re-election bid by Democrat Jim Bradley, a former Salt Lake County Commissioner. An early September poll found Leavitt with 74% of the vote and Bradley with 9%.

Vermont - Democrat Governor Howard Dean is seeking re-election against Republican businessman, John Gropper. In a late September poll, Dean led with 63% against Gropper's 22%.

Washington - The incumbent governor, Democrat Mike Lowry, chose not to run for re-election. Democrat Gary Locke, the King County Executive, led Republican Ellen Craswell, a former state senator, in a mid-October poll with 53% to 34%.

West Virginia - With Democrat Governor Gaston Caperton ineligible to seek a third term, West Virginia has the fourth open seat. Former Republican Governor Cecil Underwood (his last term was in the late 1950s) is running against Democrat Charlotte Pritt, a former state senator. In a mid-October poll, Underwood led Pritt with 48% to 43%.

All poll figures are taken from the politicsnow web site, sponsored by ABC News, Newsweek, and the National Journal. The site can be reached at: www.politicsnow.com


SSTI to Study How Tech Investments Can Benefit Distressed Areas


SSTI has entered into a cooperative agreement with the Economic Development Administration to examine how state investments in science and technology can support development in distressed areas. The project includes:

The National Governors' Association and the Best Practices Committee of the Science and Technology Council of the States will participate in the project. The project is one of several being funded by EDA's research and technical assistance program. Additional projects funded by EDA and the prime contractors are:

For additional information, please call Marianne Clarke, SSTI Research Director, at 301/270-6245.

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  © 2002 State Science and Technology Institute. All rights reserved.